‘Ivan the Terrible’ to feature UIC faculty

Yasen Peyankov, associate professor and head of theatre, performs in “Ivan the Terrible.”

Yasen Peyankov, associate professor and head of theatre, will perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus in upcoming presentations of “Ivan the Terrible.”

Peyankov, who is based in UIC’s School of Theatre and Music, will serve as narrator, and French actor Gérard Depardieu will perform as Ivan. Riccardo Muti will conduct the orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

UIC adjunct voice faculty Amy Pickering and Klaus Georg, as well as Ashlee Hardgrave, music programs manager/admissions and recruitment in the department of music, will sing with the chorus.

Performances take place at 8 p.m. Feb. 23, 24 and 25 at Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave.

“Ivan the Terrible” was a film collaboration between composer Sergei Prokofiev and director Sergei Eisenstein that details the bloodthirsty tyrant Ivan IV Vasilyevich, tsar of Russia from 1533 to 1584.

A native of Bulgaria, Peyankov trained in the tradition of Konstantin Stanislavski at the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts of Sofia and co-founded the European Repertory Company in Chicago in 1992.

He received a Jeff Award, Chicago’s counterpart to the Tony, for his work in “Morning Star,” and was nominated for a Jeff for his translation of Chekhov’s “Ivanov.” His film credits include Robert Altman’s “The Company,” and he has appeared in nine television series, including “The Practice” and “Early Edition.”

For information and to purchase tickets, call (312) 294-3000.