The CheckOut Celebrates 1st Anniversary, Announces 26-27 Season

Access Contemporary Music (ACM), a Chicago non-profit that champions contemporary classical music, celebrates the one-year anniversary of its popular chamber music venue The CheckOut – Chicago’s only chamber music venue located in a former 7-Eleven. To mark this milestone, ACM will host a first birthday party at The CheckOut (4116 N Clark St.) on Tuesday, September 15 from 7:00-8:00 PM. This free community event will feature performances by ACM musicians previewing works from The CheckOut’s 2026-27 season. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase – including The CheckOut’s signature 7-eleven inspired slushies. No prior registration is required.

 

The CheckOut opened on September 13, 2025, and quickly became a beloved staple of Chicago’s music scene. Boasting a pristine Yamaha concert grand piano, optimized acoustics, an intimate 60 seat performance space, and clever nods to the building’s former use as a 7-Eleven store, the space welcomed 11,000 guests and hosted an average of four shows a week in its first year, ranging from contemporary classical to experimental jazz to cabaret. ACM has continued to improve the space by adjusting both the acoustic and lighting capabilities of the performance area and adding a surround sound system and livestreaming equipment which will be fully operational by September.

 

ACM also proudly announces the first full season of ACM-produced programming at The CheckOut. Launching on September 16 and running through May 28, 2027, the season boasts over 20 new ACM commissioned works, with programming across three categories: Score & Screen events reimagine classic silent films screened with new scores commissioned from Chicago composers; Solo Piano Spotlights highlight world-class pianists performing on The CheckOut’s fabulous instrument; and The Discovery Series is akin to a “book club for music” where a pivotal piece of music is performed, discussed, then performed again. In addition, ACM will produce two standalone programs: Cello Resonance, an immersive concert featuring eight cellists spread out around the performance space with the audience seated in the middle of the sound, and Graceland Portraits, a tour through Chicago’s history via five newly commissioned works based on the lives of important Chicagoans buried in Graceland Cemetery.

 

“Our first year was hugely successful!” said ACM Founder and Executive Director Seth Boustead. “While we were primarily focused on building our reputation in the community and continuing to enhance the performance space last year, we kept our own ACM produced concerts to a minimum. This year, we are returning to our roots as producers with our first full season of programming at The CheckOut. We are thrilled to invite audiences to our innovative new series. Whether it’s adding a new twist to a classic old film, diving deeper into a beloved piece of music, or showing off our extraordinary piano with some of the best pianists in the city, ACM will continue our mission of championing contemporary classical music in a welcoming and accessible atmosphere.”

 

Tickets for all events in ACM’s 2026-27 are on sale now at thecheckout.org.

 

The CheckOut’s 2026-27 Season Schedule:

 

Score & Screen

Something alchemical happens when live music meets silent film. The image changes the way you hear the music, the music changes the way you see the image, and suddenly a century-old film feels immediate, unpredictable and alive. Score & Screen reimagines classic silent cinema with original scores commissioned from Chicago composers and performed live by classical ensembles at The CheckOut. These aren’t recreations of what audiences might have heard when the films were first released. They’re entirely new musical responses, bringing the language of contemporary classical music into conversation with some of cinema’s most inventive early filmmakers with a new score performed live just a few feet from the audience as the film unfolds on screen. The series begins with weekly screenings of five films from the French super-villain series Fantômas and includes a Halloween screening of Nosferatu and an homage to the early pioneers of avant garde filmmaking. All Score & Screen concerts begin at 7:30 PM. For more information visit thecheckout.org/score-screen.

 

Wednesday, September 16 - Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine

Wednesday, September 23 - Juve vs. Fantômas

Wednesday, September 30 - The Murderous Corpse

Wednesday, October 7 - Fantômas vs. Fantômas

Wednesday October 14 - The False Magistrate

Saturday, October 31 – Nosferatu

Wednesday, December 2 – Aelita: Queen of Mars

Friday, February 12 - A Mélange of Méliès

Friday, May 28 – Ballet Mécanique

 

The Discovery Series

Each Discovery Series evening is devoted to one extraordinary piece. The piece is first discussed – diving into where it came from, what makes it tick, and a few things to listen for. Then the musicians perform it live. After a second round of discussions, the entire piece is performed again. The second hearing can be a revelation; ideas emerge, connections become clear, and unfamiliar music begins to open up. Afterward, conversations continue at a catered reception with the musicians and everyone else in the room. This season we’ll explore music by Schubert, Dutilleux, Saariaho, Prokofiev, and Mazzoli. Each Discovery Series concert begins at 7:30 PM, for more information visit thecheckout.org/the-discovery-series.

 

Wednesday, November 4 – Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 Adagio

Tuesday, January 19 - Henri Dutilleux’s Ainsi la nuit

Wednesday, February 17 - Kaija Saariaho’s Nymphéa

Wednesday, April 14 – Sergei Prokofiev’s Quintet in G minor, Op. 39

Wednesday, May 12 -  Missy Mazzoli’s Dark with Excessive Bright 

 

Solo Piano Spotlight

Solo Piano Spotlight puts the piano, and the extraordinary range of music written for it, at center stage. Throughout the season, an eclectic lineup of pianists brings their own musical voice and repertoire to The CheckOut, making each Sunday afternoon a completely different listening experience. Solo Piano Spotlight brings exceptional pianists from Chicago and beyond to The CheckOut’s Yamaha concert grand for intimate Sunday afternoon recitals just a few feet from the audience. Every program is different, chosen by the pianist, and can range from contemporary music and overlooked gems to masterpieces of the repertoire. What stays the same is the experience: world-class playing, a beautiful instrument, no bad seat in the house, and a mimosa if you want one. All Solo Piano Spotlight recitals begin at 3:00 PM. For more information visit thecheckout.org/solo-piano-spotlight.

 

Sunday, September, 20, 2026 - Kangzheng Guo

Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Shi-An Costello & Daniel Anastasio

Sunday, October 18, 2026 - Natasha Stojanovska and sister

Sunday, November 8, 2026 - Gregory Hartman

Sunday, November 22, 2026 - Lile Emnadze

Sunday, January 10, 2027 - Yebin Kor

Sunday, January 24, 2027 -Ervino Duarte

Sunday, February 7, 2027 - Robert Levinger

Sunday, February 21, 2027 - Tamila Salimdjanova

Sunday, March 14, 2027 - Feiyi Liao

Sunday, March 28, 2027 - Amy Wurtz

Sunday, April 11, 2027 - Gregory Martin

Sunday, April 25, 2027 - Anila Aliu

Sunday, May 9, 2027 – Pianist TBD

Sunday, May 25, 2027 – Pianist TBD

 

Cello Resonance

Friday, February 26, 2027 at 7:30 PM

 

Eight cellos surround the audience for an immersive concert that transforms The CheckOut into a living, resonating instrument. Presented in collaboration with the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Cello Resonance explores the extraordinary range, depth, and sheer physical power of the cello through music spanning the meditative to the ecstatic. There’s nothing quite like the sound of eight cellos. With a range that can move from the depths of the bass register to soaring melodic lines, the cello can be almost orchestral on its own. Multiply that by eight, place the musicians around the room, and the possibilities become enormous. This one-night-only program explores those possibilities through music that moves from stillness and shimmering texture to rhythmic energy and sheer sonic power. The program includes Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, Kaija Saariaho’s Neiges, Seth Boustead’s Ecstatic Fury, Sofia Gubaidulina’s Mirage: The Dancing Sun and Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.

 

Graceland Portraits

Friday, March 26, 2027 at 7:30 PM

 

Graceland Portraits brings Chicago history to life through music. Five composers create new works inspired by five remarkable people buried at historic Graceland Cemetery, culminating in an evening of world premieres at The CheckOut—just across the street from the cemetery that inspired them. The result is a musical journey through Chicago history, bringing the past into the present through five world-premiere works. Each portrait offers a different way of encountering a life, a story, and the city we share. Presented in partnership with Graceland Cemetery.

 

ABOUT ACCESS CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Founded in 2004, Chicago based non-profit Access Contemporary Music’s mission is to provide equitable access to the transformative power of music-making and foster the creation of new music at all levels. In service to this mission, ACM operates four music schools across the city, runs popular yearly festivals like the Thirsty Ears classical music street festival and the Sound of Silent Film festival, puts on collaborative concerts, and spearheads media projects all designed to reach a wide audience and present classical music as thriving and relevant. ACM’s newest venture- The CheckOut- is a venue and community hub for contemporary music on Chicago’s North Side. For more information visit acmusic.org.