I was 10 years old when my grandpa gave me the jewelry box painted with orchids and reeds. Inside, two opal swans slid across the mirrored top as I wound it and the music began to play. Sitting there in my lawn chair that summer afternoon, surrounded by family and friends visiting for my birthday, my eyes began to water, my cheeks flushed, everyone was looking and there wasn’t anything I could do. I cried. Not because I didn’t like it; not as my parents and grandpa worried as they told me they’d take it away. No. I cried and swatted their hands away. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Twenty years later, the jewelry box and the grandpa who gave it to me may be gone, but starting tomorrow, American Ballet Theatre will bring the swans and music of my memory to life on Chicago’s Civic Opera House stage.

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American Ballet Theatre, or ABT as the world’s premiere ballet company is fondly known, returns for another rousing opening night repertoire on April 14 with principle dancers Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, and Jose Manuel Carreño scheduled to perform; followed by seven performances of the stoically beautiful Swan Lake from April 15-18.

Different from Chicago’s own Joffrey ballet company, ABT is known for choreography that uses techniques from the classic French, Italian, and Russian schools of ballet. And, whereas the Joffrey typically performs contemporary and/or abstract ballets with unconventional choreography and has its foundation in original ballets by founding member Robert Joffrey, ABT regularly performs classics like Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote and Sleeping Beauty.

So, whether you’re a veteran of the ballet world who knows the difference between a demi- and a grand plié, or a novice who’s watched Center Stage once or twice (you’ll recognize a few faces on stage if you have!), be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to see the ballet world’s best and brightest. Come for the soaring leaps of the men, the glittered tulle tutus of the women, and the lifts of the pas de deux; and stay for the singular elegance of experiencing ABT perform in one of the city’s most lauded venues.

Moms, take your own future ballerinas to a matinee showing that they won’t soon forget. Single gals, get the girls together, coordinate your fancy dresses, and down champagne at intermission in the gilded lobby of our legendary opera house. And everyone else, ditch the significant other at home and treat yourself to a night of music and artistry.

As for me, I’ll be there when the house lights go down and the first notes of Tchaikovsky’s symphony begin to play. Sitting there seemingly subdued, I may look like a grown up, but the part of me that’s still a 10 year old girl with a jewelry box that plays Swan Lake will be tapping her toes and smiling.

Tickets still available on Ticketmaster.

With spring right around the corner (allegedly), the sounds of birds chirping outside our windows is sure to soon greet us. And this spring, they’ll have company. Chicago’s diverse independent music scene has a new voice joining the chorus; only that voice is more CHIRP, less tweet.

Launched in January, CHIRP Radio is Chicago’s only indie online radio station. With the support of the Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) and the efforts of over 100 local volunteers, the non-commercial station is two and a half years in the making. Founder Shawn Campbell paints a vivid picture of just how much of a group effort that process has been.

“We literally built the station ourselves — we framed out walls, hung drywall, painted, laid carpet, built furniture, installed equipment. People have poured their hearts into this thing — and the community has responded in kind.”

When it came time to flip the switch, that community support wasn’t forgotten. Campbell inaugurated the station with a song she kept secret until the moment it played. Fittingly, she chose Alex Chilton’s acoustic demo of the Big Star song “Thank You Friends.”

As CHIRP continues to push for a change in legislation that would enable them to license and move the station to FM radio, you can’t deny they’ve come a long way with the support of volunteers, donations, and a studio made with some tender loving care. Campbell confesses that even now, “When we get together, over the course of the evening, someone will say, still with some amazement, ‘Hey, we started a RADIO STATION!’”

With music now steaming live from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. seven days a week, you’ll hear a range of artists depending upon the DJ’s varied interests (DJ bios on the site help). Regardless of the artists played from one set to the next, one common thread binds each together.

The music heard on CHIRP Radio is of a nature otherwise overlooked by larger stations. In fact, it’s the music you WON’T hear them playing. No Rihanna, no former American Idol contestants, and no Black Eyed Peas here! CHIRP Radio’s recent playlists have included Charlotte Gainsbourg, Interpol, The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Yellow Swans, even Edith Piaf.

Although Campbell herself is coy in designating any particular artist or song as representative of the station- “our whole goal is to be pretty unpredictable, to consistently surprise people!”- she will, however, describe the station itself as “adventurous, passionate, welcoming.”

With that welcome extended, CHIRP is gearing up and taking donations for their annual Record Fair & Other Delights on April 10 & 11 at Plumbers Hall. They also continue to regularly host CHIRP night at the Whistler the third Monday of every month (up next, Paper Mice and Runnies on March 15). And be sure to keep an eye out for their record sale and table at Pitchfork this July!

But for now, log on, listen in, and become a part of Chicago’s vibrant independent music community at http://chirpradio.org/ (email or IM your requests!) or follow CHIRP Radio on twitter @CHIRPRadio.