
SECOND SUNDAY SALONS
True Muse Inc is an arts organization dedicated to the Democratization of the Arts.
Our mission is to make the arts accessible to all, fostering creativity, and celebrating diversity.
We are committed to providing a platform for Chicago artists from all backgrounds to showcase their talent, and to create opportunities for the community to engage with various art forms.
​
The Second Sunday Salon Series is a series curated by Linda Solotaire and hosted in collaboration with
The Print Shop Live in Humboldt Park & COLVIN HOUSE in in Edgewater in Chicago.
We create community and safe space for artists to present new projects, workshops and ideas, reaching new audiences and growing our network of thinkers & collaborators.
​
​
Meet the Artists
Second Sunday Salon: 01.11.26
_edited.jpg)
Violin, Leader
James Sanders
James Sanders received a Master’s degree in Violin Performance from Yale University. His undergraduate degree is from DePauw University
​
James is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta, performing in the first violin section. He also performs with the Chicago Philharmonic, the Joffrey Ballet, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and several productions with Broadway in Chicago.
He has explored the world of improvisation and is a regular presence in Chicago’s jazz community. He has performed internationally, including at major jazz festivals in Italy, Brussels, Brazil, Poland, and Chicago. His album Evidencia: Original Music for Violin & Afro Latin Ensemble was voted the Best of 2022 by the Latin Jazz and Salsa Community.
​
James has also been active as a teacher since 1991 and is currently a professor of Violin and Viola at Vandercook College of Music
​
​​
Tamara Glassburg received her B.A. in violin performance from the American Conservatory of Music. Her graduate studies were at DePaul University with Mark Zinger, and at Indiana University with Jacques Israelevitch. She subsequently studied with Ray Niwa and Albert Igolnikov of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and received her Suzuki Pedagogy training with Enid Cleary, Craig Timmerman, Nancy Jackson and Terry Einfeldt. After spending several seasons with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, she performed as the Assistant Concert mistress with the Northwest Indiana Symphony. She was also a member of the Orchestra’s string quartet. Other ensembles/quartets in which Tamara performs are Illinois Philharmonic, the Elgin Symphony, New Philharmonic Orchestra and various ensembles in the Chicago area performing both chamber and commercial music for concerts and social events.
Tamara is currently the Concertmistress for the Sinfonietta Bel Canto based in Downers Grove Illinois.
​
Terese Parisoli, violinist and violist, is a native of the Chicago area. She began playing viola at the age of 10, and soon added violin and piano to her studies. She holds degrees from Interlochen Arts Center and The Juilliard School of Music. For eight years, Terese was the orchestra director at Loyola Academy College Prep High School where she also started their popular guitar program. She has taught strings in the music department at Niles West High School. Most recently, Terese has been teaching strings and orchestra in the Avoca School District 37 in Wilmette, Illinois. In addition to teaching privately, Terese is an active freelance musician who owns and operates a music contracting business. Currently, she is the principal violist in the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and plays in a number of chamber ensembles including a piano quartet, string quartet, and harp/flute/viola trio. Outside of music, Terese enjoys traveling, sailing, gardening, playing ice hockey, and spending time with her family.
​
David Hoppe has performed recitals and chamber music concerts on five continents. A formermember of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Spoleto (Italy) Festival Orchestra, and the Jewish Arts Center Orchestra (principal cellist and associate conductor), he is a certified Suzuki instructor in both cello and violin and has been a music director and string teacher for over 30 years. He maintains an active private studio in violin, viola, and cello and performs as a cellist and chamber musician throughout the Chicago area.
​

Featured Poet
Elizabeth Marino
Chicago native ELIZABETH MARINO's poetry has appeared in over 25 print anthologies, including the recent "Riders on the Storm" with the Revolutionary Poets Brigade and the forthcoming "Depose: an anthology of working class solidarity." Her recent work also has been reviewed and featured on Highland Park Poetry. A Pushcart Prize nominee in poetry and prose, educator, and actor, her hybrid collection "Asylum" appeared in 2020, following the chaps "Debris" and "Ceremonies." She currently is the co-host of the ballet film series "Curtain Up," with Boitsov Classical Ballet Productions at the Clearing Branch of Chicago Public Library. Her educational foraging included a BA in English and humanities from Barat College, then an independent women's college. A junior year at Oxford University lead to the Writers Program of Univ. of IL at Chicago for an MA in English. She is an active member of Circulo de poetas & Writers, as well as TallGrass Writers.

Live Painting
Lewis Achenbach
Painting jazz: Chicago artist sketches the scene
Perhaps you've seen him at the Green Mill or Constellation, seated close to the action, focusing intently on the musicians, glancing down at his sketchpad then looking back up at the stage.
His arm moves constantly, reaching for certain colors, applying them to paper, creating forms and shapes and rhythms that reflect what he hears.
Most people in the audience may be relaxing, reveling in the music, sipping a drink, whispering to a friend, pondering. But Chicago artist Lewis Achenbach is busily at work, attempting the impossible: to capture a most elusive music — jazz — in visual form.
Achenbach has been haunting Chicago's jazz rooms and festivals for the past three or four years, he estimates, chronicling in thoroughly personal terms the city's ever-expanding jazz landscape. He moved here from San Francisco in 2011, was struck by what he encountered and decided that he had to respond.
"I realized the Chicago scene is every night," says Achenbach.
"The scene out here is so rich, and most of the guys are so humble about what they're doing. And they welcomed me.
​
Though Achenbach supports his family by working as a "laborer, house painter, tradesman," he says, he sees his jazz work inevitably taking over.
"I paint in the day, I go out late at night," says Achenbach, who believes the free-flowing nature of jazz has become a guiding principle in his life.
"I find that listening to improvisational music, especially live, really makes you more adaptable to your life situation."
We all have to improvise in life, in other words — jazz shows us how.
"Portraits in Jazz": Howard Reich's e-book collects his exclusive interviews with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and others, plus profiles of past masters such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. Get "Portraits in Jazz" at www.chicagotribune.com/ebooks.

Tarot Readings
Adam Gottlieb
Adam Gottlieb (they/them/elle) is a musician, poet, teaching-artist, revolutionary cultural worker and ritual leader from Chicago. Their work centers around collective liberation as a sacred principle that unifies spiritual traditions and people’s movements around the world. They lead a Reggae fusion band, Adam Gottlieb & OneLove, and work as a cantorial soloist for Tzedek Chicago, an international Jewish congregation based on core values of justice, equity and solidarity. Their professional spiritual/magical practice includes performance and gatherings as ritual, writing workshops as ritual, Tarot readings, interfaith ceremony, and more. Their amateur magical practices include astrology, gardening, and amulet making. They are a Libra-Scorpio Cusp Sun Sign and Level 7 bard with Wizard multi-class 1.
​
Readings are $33 for a 15-min, or $49 for a 30-min.

Thank You to everyone who participated in the December 2025 Salon!
We were able to donate $983.17 to ICIRR!

ICIRR is dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society
Learn more about ICIRR here.
​
​

MUSIC
Fareed Haque . Guitar
Fareed Haque is a modern guitar virtuoso. Steeped in classical and jazz traditions, his unique command of the guitar and different musical styles inspire his musical ventures with tradition and fearless innovation.
Born in 1963 to a Pakistani father and Chilean mother, Fareed’s extensive travels and especially long stays in Spain, France, Iran, Pakistan, and Chile exposed Haque to different kinds of music from a very early age. While this natural eclecticism has become a hallmark of Haque’s music, it was repeated visits to Von Freeman’s Chicago jam sessions that gave Haque a grounding in the Chicago blues and jazz traditions. The 1981 recipient of North Texas State University’s Jazz Guitar Scholarship, Haque spent a year studying with renowned jazz guitarist and pedagogue Jack Peterson. Fareed’s growing interest in the classical guitar led him to transfer to Northwestern University, where he completed his studies in classical guitar under David Buch, John Holmquist, and Anne Waller.
​
Soon after his transfer to NU, Haque came to the attention of multi-instrumentalist Howard Levy and joined his latin-fusion group Chevere. Thru Levy, Haque was introduced to Paquito D’Rivera and began a long and fruitful relationship with the Cuban NEA Jazz Master. Numerous world tours and recordings including Manhattan Burn, Celebration, Havana Cafe, Tico Tico, Live at the MCG were to follow. Especially notable is the classic and award winning “Reunion” featuring Haque along with Arturo Sandoval, Danilo Perez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Mark Walker, and David Fink.
Thru D’Rivera, Haque was brought to the attention of Sting, who had just begun his record label Pangaea. Sting invited Haque to join the label where he released 2 critically acclaimed recordings, “Voices Rising” and “Manresa”. Haque toured briefly with Sting, including notable appearances at The Montreux Jazz Festival, as well as NBC’s Michelob Presents Sunday Night with David Sanborn, but his own career demands led Haque in other directions.
​
After a short stint at Warner Bros. recording “Majestad” (unreleased and featuring John Patitucci, Michael Landau, Russel Ferrante, Grazinha, Lenny Castro, and Carlos Vega), Bruce Lundvall signed Haque to the legendary Bluenote Records. While at Bluenote, Haque recorded three albums as a leader: “Sacred Addiction”, “Opaque”, and “Déjà vu”. Haque toured and recorded extensively with other artists, including tours and 3 CDs with Javon Jackson: “A Look within”, “For One Who Knows”, and “Good People”. In addition, sideman credits include tours and recordings with Joe Henderson, Herbie Mann, Bob James, Richie Cole, Joey Calderazzo, Kahil El Zabar and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and numerous Bluenote recordings for producer/arranger Bob Belden alongside Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano, Paul Motian, and many others. Numerous classical recitals, as well as appearances with the Vermeer Quartet and many symphonies across the US and abroad, added to an incredible diversity of performances during this period.
Thru Belden, Haque was invited to join forces with Joe Zawinul as part of his Zawinul Syndicate. The group proved to be one of Joe’s best and most eclectic. Included were percussionist and vocalist Arto Tuncboyacian, drummer Paco Sery, bassist Mathew Garrison, along with Haque on a hybrid acoustic ‘Guistar’ and Electric Guitar. A year of extensive touring brought Haque closer to his Jazz/Rock roots.
In 2001, Haque’s interest in jam bands and the jam scene led him to co-found the jam super-group Garaj Mahal featuring Kai Eckhardt, Eric Levy, and Alan Hertz. This began 10 years of extensive touring across the US, performing in excess of 200 shows per year. Haque also joined George Brooks’ group Summit, featuring Zakir Hussain and Steve Smith. Haque was voted ‘Most Valuable Player’ at the 2002 High Sierra Music Festival. Haque and Garaj Mahal released 3 Live CDs as well as 5 studio CDs: “Mondo Garaj”, “Blueberry Cave”, “w00t”, “More Mr. Nice Guy”, and “Discovery”, which featured Haque’s debut of the Moog Guitar.
​
In 2004, Fareed premiered his “Lahara Double Concerto” for Sitar/Guitar and Tabla with The Chicago Sinfonietta at Symphony Center in Chicago, under the baton of maestro Paul Freeman, featuring tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain, to whom the work is dedicated.
In 2006, Fareed was commissioned to compose a classical guitar concerto for the Fulcrum Point Ensemble. His “Gamelan Concerto” was premiered in May of ’06 at The Harris theatre in Millenium Park.
​
In 2007, Garaj Mahal won an Independent Music Award.
​
In 2009 Haque was voted ‘Best World Guitarist’ by Guitar Player Magazine’s Readers’ poll. His acclaimed 2009 release Flat Planet was twice #1 on the World Jazz Radio charts.
​
After 10 years of over 2000 dates with Garaj Mahal, Haque’s interest in electronic music and the Moog Guitar spurred him to leave Garaj Mahal and form Fareed Haque’s MathGames, featuring bassist Alex Austin and drummer Greg Fundis.
​
Notable events during this time include Haque performing and assistant directing the first Jazz Festival in Frutillar, Chile under his mentor and friend Paquito D’Rivera, and appearances with his own groups at Java Jazz, The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Twents Guitar Festival, The Indy Jazz Fest, Coleman Hawkins Jazz Fest, Jazz in June, The Lafayette and South Bend Jazz Festivals, Sophia Jazz Fest, Bulgaria and many others around the world. Haque also performed both the Aranjuez and Villa-Lobos guitar concertos with The Chicago Philharmonic, under the baton of Lucia Matos at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
​
Learn more about Fareed here.

WORDS
Ivan Ramos (iRise)
Ivan Ramos, known artistically as iRiSe, has dedicated the last twenty years to teaching, writing, and performing poetry. iRiSe has performed and collaborated with a diverse range of Chicago's talent—including musicians, producers, D.J.'s, and fellow poets. This collaborative spirit has allowed him to add his poetic voice into the rich tapestry of Chicago’s musical and spoken word landscape.
Ivan's artistic work is the driving force behind his advocacy for all people. His poetry is not just performance; it is a catalyst for dialogue and understanding, fueling his dedication to social justice, equity, and empowerment for all indigenous and marginalized communities.
​
Visit iRise Instagram here

DANCE
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT) was born to explore and celebrate the complexities of American identity at the intersections of culture heritage & identity.
CRDT is led by Artistic Director Wilfredo Rivera, a Honduran native whose unique life and artistic experiences shape the company's ethos. Ceqrau Rivera artists are fearless storytellers who help people understand and engage with themselves and the world around them. With a focus on the development of high quality art, each piece the company makes centers around a specific experience. The company engages in research and radical collaboration to convey narratives through a diverse group of artists.
Cerqua Rivera also builds bridges with its community through local and national touring, workshops, interactive previews of work in progress, and full concerts.
See Chicago Dance says the company “possesses a blended magic that is difficult to come by” and “creates a deeper sense of community and intimacy.”
New City Stage raves that Cerqua Rivera "speaks straight to the heart, feeding a hunger [you] may not even realize.”
The company will perform and excerpt from
Place Between Earth & Sky
-
Curation Wilfredo Rivera
-
Choreography Shannon Alvis
-
Composition Clarice Assad
-
Costumes Jordan Ross
-
Performers: Caitlin Yatsuhashi & Bennett Cullen
​​
For schedule & more info. www.cerquarivera.org



FINE ART
Roberta Miles
ARTIST'S STATEMENT • After spending years as a representational portrait artist, working in acrylics and dabbling with oil paints. I felt moved to evolve into more stylized and abstract forms of expression. I also ventured into working with other mediums.
As I moved to more stylized portraits, I discovered alcohol ink and was taken with its vibrant colors and its unique way of dispersing on paper, canvas and wood. I have used alcohol ink to explore both literal and symbolic elements.
I also have a fascination with encaustic and combining it with other media such as fabric, ink, and found objects. Encaustic painting is a mixture of pigments with hot wax. With my encaustic mixed media work I feel I have brought a more mature and sophisticated depth to my paintings.
The Alchemy Series was painted using acrylic pigment with mixed metals. It shimmers with transformation (or alchemy). My magnum opus.

MUSIC
Donovan Mixon • A String Thing
A STRING THING featuring Donovan Mixon - Guitar, Dave Onderdonk - Guitar, Geoff Lowe - Bass and Steve Corley - Drums a two-guitar quartet with David Onderdonk devoted to textural and exploratory jazz.- is one of collaborations born from the ongoing series called Donovan's Garage.
Donovan curates Donovan’s Garage, a monthly Chicago concert series that serves as a performance laboratory, where audiences witness the creative process of improvisation as it unfolds. He also teaches on the adjunct faculty at Oakton College.
As a member of the AACM’s Great Black Music Ensemble, he has performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, and in collaboration with the American Composers Forum.
​
Before settling in Chicago, Mixon spent eighteen years living abroad in Italy and Turkey, performing widely at festivals including Umbria, Monticello, Istanbul, Ankara, and Fano Jazz. He released multiple recordings during this period, including Look Ma, No Hands! (with George Garzone), Language of the Emotions (with Eddie Henderson). His recordings Culmination, and We Play When We Play, were released since his resettlement in the US in 2010. A highlight of his discography is his appearance on Free With Lee (Philology Records), featuring alto saxophone legend Lee Konitz.
​
His critically acclaimed text Performance Ear Training (Advance Music, 2000) has become a cornerstone in aural skills pedagogy and continues to inform his workshops and online teaching. Earlier in his career, while a full-time professor at Berklee College of Music, Mixon was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for jazz composition.

WORDS
Lynn Fitzgerald
Lynn Fitzgerald is a published poet and adjunct professor of literature and writing for the City Colleges of Chicago, where she currently teaches.
Her poems have appeared in: After Hours Press, Calliope, Word Salad, Amused, The English Journal, Outrider Press, Chicago Area Writers, Urban Nation, Anthology of Chicago Poets, Illuminated Muse, WBEZ Dial-a-Poem, Somerville Times; The Lyrical Muse, Ibbetson Review, among others. She received the Jane Hirschfield Award for her poem, “The Stendhal Syndrome” and a CAAP Award from the city of Chicago for artistic merit and publication of a chapbook, Closer to the Earth, published by Moon Journal Press.
She has been a featured reader at The National Convention of Teachers of English annual conference, the Printers Row Book Fair, Dandelion Books, Tangible Books, Greenview Arts Center, Chopin Theatre, SoNa Gallery, Mind’s Eye Gallery, Oliva Gallery, Estelle’s, Bucktown Arts Fair, Fountain of the Muse, NYC, Nuyorican Café, New York, Le Chat Noir, Paris, The American University of Paris, the University of Bordeaux, France, and other cafés, bookstores, and galleries.
In addition, she has served as Poet-in -Residence for the Chicago Public Library, where she taught creative writing workshops. Her photographs have been published in After Hours Press, the Lakeview Press, The Lerner Newspapers, and Gallery 37.
She has been the recipient of four National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships, three Oppenheimer Foundation Awards for innovation in teaching, an award for scholarly research from the Mellon Institute, and was selected as a participant in the Newberry Library Scholars Program.
Her teaching and writing experiences have taken her to China, Lebanon, and Kuwait, where she served as a faculty member of the English Department for international schools and as an adviser for the International Baccalaureate Program.



