BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Gorton Center - ECPv6.17.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Gorton Center
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://gortoncenter.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Gorton Center
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20250309T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20251102T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20260308T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20261101T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20270314T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20271107T070000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260818T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260818T200000
DTSTAMP:20260812T175646Z
CREATED:20260710T184743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T175646Z
UID:20007361-1787079600-1787083200@gortoncenter.org
SUMMARY:Sing at Gorton - Music of the 70's
DESCRIPTION:Come sing with us at this evening of music from the 70’s with Cathy Glickman and Andrew Blenderman. \nA few songs to get us started:\nSweet Caroline\nAmerican Pie\nTake Me Home\, Country Roads\nMargaritaville\nI Will Survive\nDancing Queen\nBohemian Rhapsody\nYou’ve Got A Friend\nPiano Man\n\nFirst\, we’ll warm up! Next\, we will sing a selection of familiar favorites. No experience is necessary\, and there’s no future commitment – just a chance to share music in a welcoming\, low-pressure setting. \nThe event runs about 45–60 minutes\, followed by refreshments and time to connect. \nGood to know:\n\nOpen to all ages – bring the whole family\nNo experience or vocal knowledge necessary\nOne-off event with no future commitment\nLed by Cathy Glickman and Andrew Blenderman\nRefreshments afterward\n\n \nWith a lifetime in theater and music\, CATHY GLICKMAN has found her happy place on the cabaret stage\, where storytelling\, laughter\, and unforgettable songs all come together. A past board member of Chicago Cabaret Professionals\, Cathy has been creating and performing solo cabaret shows since 2013\, including Life of the Party\, Interrupted\, It’s So Easy to Fall in Love with Linda Ronstadt\, 1978: The Year That Changed My World\, and the rave-reviewed It’s a Man’s World. She has appeared at Davenport’s\, Skokie Theatre\, Park West\, Victory Gardens\, Montparnasse in Mykonos\, and Don’t Tell Mama’s in New York City. On Nov 15\, Cathy\, along with Beckie Menzie and percussionist Irwin Berkowitz will perform her latest cabaret collaboration titled Desperado: Linda Ronstadt  and The Eagles at Piano Forte. When she’s not performing\, Cathy has spent nearly three decades sharing her love of music with thousands of children and their families through Kindermusik North Shore.Cathy is delighted to be collaborating today with Andrew Blenderman doing what she loves the most. Connecting people and music!  \nANDREW BLENDERMANN (www.blenderful.com) studied classical piano at Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory\, but now mostly hangs out in piano bars\, where his repertoire spans over 2500 songs.  He has entertained regularly at Big Shot in Arlington Heights\, IL\, Mastro’s in Chicago\, and The Signature Room at the 95th.  He spent a decade banging on grand pianos at Howl At The Moon in Chicago\, Milwaukee\, and Cleveland.  He has played dates at Queenie’s\, Shirley’s Piano Bar\, Davenport’s Cabaret\, the Drake Hotel\, and the Redhead Piano Bar.  Andrew plays performances of Teatro Zinzanni and The Blendernitz Experience with Daryl Nitz.  He also accompanies major theater auditions at Actor’s Equity\, and serves as the staff accompanist at Wheeling and John Hersey high schools. \nSing at Gorton is a welcoming community sing series designed to bring people together in a fun\, informal way. Each event is themed around a different style of music\, led by local hosts and open to everyone — no experience or vocal knowledge necessary. These one-off gatherings last about 45–60 minutes and end with refreshments\, making it easy to join in\, connect and sing.
URL:https://gortoncenter.org/event/sing-at-gorton-music-of-the-60s-and-70s/
LOCATION:Gorton Center\, 400 East Illinois Road\, Lake Forest\, IL\, 60045
CATEGORIES:Adults,Age,Classes,Community,Events,Live Music,Music,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gortoncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Sing-at-Gorton-August-name-only-e1784126312753.png
GEO:42.2506703;-87.8374004
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gorton Center 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest IL 60045;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=400 East Illinois Road:geo:-87.8374004,42.2506703
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260929T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260929T200000
DTSTAMP:20260812T213133Z
CREATED:20260805T172741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T213133Z
UID:20007416-1790708400-1790712000@gortoncenter.org
SUMMARY:Sing at Gorton - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road\, Hello Penny Lane: An Evening of Elton\, Billy and the Beatles
DESCRIPTION:Come sing with us!\n\nJoin us for a trip down the Yellow Brick Road and over to Penny Lane – with a few stops in between. We’ll sing the unforgettable songs of Billy Joel\, Elton John and the Beatles in an evening led by father-and-son duo Peter and Torsten Borowski. Whether you’re ready to belt out every chorus or simply enjoy singing along with friends\, this is your chance to celebrate some of music’s greatest hits together. \nPeter and Torsten’s musical journey spans two generations\, two countries and countless hours at the piano. Together\, they’ll lead an evening celebrating the songs they’ve loved for years – from Elton John’s ballads to Billy Joel classics and Beatles favorites. Expect great music\, a few stories and plenty of chances to sing along. \nThe evening lasts about 45–60 minutes\, followed by refreshments and time to connect with fellow music lovers. No experience is necessary\, and there’s no future commitment – just a chance to share music in a welcoming\, low-pressure setting. \n\n\nGood to Know\n\nOpen to all ages – come on your own or bring family and friends\nNo singing experience needed – if you love these songs\, you’re ready\nLyrics will be provided\nLed by father-and-son musicians Peter and Torsten Borowski\nThe evening concludes with refreshments and conversation\n\nMeet Our Musical Leaders\nPeter was born in London\, one of six children raised by a strict Polish father and a Cockney mother who believed childhood was best spent holding a musical instrument. Piano\, guitar\, violin\, oboe – the house ran like a tiny\, under-rehearsed conservatory. His older sister\, Julie\, staged living-room concerts where every child had to perform. Peter got the improvised shaker – a detergent bottle with dry rice. He has never fully recovered. He took piano lessons too. His Victorian teacher liked to rap his knuckles with a ruler until he cried\, so when she passed away\, Peter observed a respectful\, dry-eyed silence. Free at last\, he started playing songs he actually liked and found theatre at sixteen. Design became his career\, but only after ten years in London theatre\, where he acted\, sang\, built sets and worked backstage. Fast-forward forty-five years. Peter is now Head of Global Design at Tyson Foods. In his spare time\, he ambushes pianos in restaurants\, at weddings\, in hotel lobbies and once at Heathrow Terminal 3. Always uninvited. Always undeterred. Never once thrown off. Yet. He fell for Billy Joel\, Elton John and the Beatles at fifteen and never recovered from that either. His voice and playing may be a touch rusty\, but he can still belt out a good song. \nTorsten was born in Cincinnati\, Ohio\, the elder of two brothers. His parents were liberal\, creative and quietly united in the conviction that their sons would play the piano: a Maryland-born mother and a father whose bio you have\, in all likelihood\, just endured. Naturally\, there were lessons. Torsten and his brother\, Jensen\, poured more talent into escaping the piano than they ever spent at it. And for a glorious stretch\, the strategy held. Then\, somewhere between adolescence and adulthood\, came the discovery every teen dreads – the parents had been right from the very first scale. The musical awakening began modestly – playing the saxophone in the Lake Bluff Elementary School Band. At the University of Richmond\, he directed and produced for the Richmond Octaves a cappella group and sang in the Schola Cantorum choir\, before going on to write\, produce\, arrange\, perform\, record\, mix and edit his debut single\, “My Love.” It is on Spotify\, for anyone with the good sense to look it up. By day\, Torsten is Lead Medical Assistant at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute\, with medical school in his sight. By night\, his ambitions run wilder – sold-out arenas\, screaming fans and a rockstar’s life.
URL:https://gortoncenter.org/event/sing-at-gorton-goodbye-yellow-brick-road-hello-penny-lane-an-evening-of-elton-billy-and-the-beatles/
LOCATION:Gorton Center\, 400 East Illinois Road\, Lake Forest\, IL\, 60045
CATEGORIES:Adults,Age,Classes,Community,Events,Live Music,Music,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gortoncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Sing-at-Gorton-August-name-only-e1784126312753.png
GEO:42.2506703;-87.8374004
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gorton Center 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest IL 60045;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=400 East Illinois Road:geo:-87.8374004,42.2506703
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261027T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261027T200000
DTSTAMP:20260813T172458Z
CREATED:20260812T204600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260813T172458Z
UID:20007417-1793127600-1793131200@gortoncenter.org
SUMMARY:Sing at Gorton - Music from Wicked and Wizard of Oz
DESCRIPTION:Come sing with us at this Wicked/Wizard of Oz–themed community sing led by Jackie Jasperson! Join us for an evening down the Yellow Brick Road\, celebrating the songs and stories of Oz. Feel free to don any sparkles\, colors or costumes you like – whether you’re channeling Elphaba\, Dorothy\, a Munchkin or just love a bit of emerald sparkle\, come as you are (or as you wish to be)! \nFirst\, we’ll warm up! Next\, we will sing a selection of favorites\, including: \n\nSomewhere Over the Rainbow\nDefying Gravity\nDing-Dong! The Witch Is Dead\nWe’re Off to See the Wizard\n\nNo experience is necessary\, and there’s no future commitment – just a chance to share music in a welcoming\, low-pressure setting. \nThe evening lasts about 45–60 minutes\, followed by time to connect. \nGood to know: \nOpen to all ages – bring the whole family \nNo experience or vocal knowledge necessary \nCostumes\, sparkles and colorful attire encouraged (but never required!) \nOne-off event with no future commitment \n  \nMeet Your Leader \n \nFor over 20 years\, Jackie has been teaching\, conducting\, directing and performing in a variety of musical and theatre genres\, including classical\, choral\, jazz\, musical theatre and pop. She now enthusiastically teaches private and group voice lessons all over Chicagoland\, including at the Old Town School of Music\, in addition to performing jazz standards and pop classics with her band. Jackie has a passion for helping people find their voice and confidence through lessons in breath support\, vocal tone\, intonation\, range expansion\, dynamics\, music theory and phrasing. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Theatre from the University of Wisconsin. \nSing at Gorton is a welcoming community sing series designed to bring people together in a fun\, informal way. Each event is themed around a different style of music\, led by local hosts and open to everyone — no experience or vocal knowledge necessary. These one-off gatherings last about 45–60 minutes and end with refreshments\, making it easy to join in\, connect and sing. \n 
URL:https://gortoncenter.org/event/sing-at-gorton-music-from-wicked-and-wizard-of-oz/
LOCATION:Gorton Center\, 400 East Illinois Road\, Lake Forest\, IL\, 60045
CATEGORIES:Adults,Age,Classes,Community,Events,Live Music,Music,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gortoncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Sing-at-Gorton-August-name-only-e1784126312753.png
GEO:42.2506703;-87.8374004
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gorton Center 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest IL 60045;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=400 East Illinois Road:geo:-87.8374004,42.2506703
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261205T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261205T150000
DTSTAMP:20260811T203459Z
CREATED:20260806T163619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T203459Z
UID:20007418-1796479200-1796482800@gortoncenter.org
SUMMARY:Sing at Gorton - Holiday Classics with Mr. V
DESCRIPTION:Come sing with us at this all-ages Holiday Classics sing led by Bill Vaananen. This special Sing at Gorton gathering brings people together through songs we know and love. And\, just this month\, we will meet on a Saturday afternoon. \nFirst\, we’ll warm up! Next\, we will sing a selection of familiar holiday favorites.  No experience is necessary\, and there’s no future commitment – just a chance to share music in a welcoming\, low-pressure setting. \nThe event runs about 45–60 minutes\, followed by time to connect. And\, this month\, we are also going to try to offer an optional add-on time to go carol at a community organization following the SING. \nGood to know:\n\nOpen to all ages – bring the whole family\nNo experience or vocal knowledge necessary\nOne-off event with no future commitment\nLed by Bill Vaananen\n\nBill Vaananen is an award-winning music educator and composer who has taught and directed elementary-aged students for over 45 years. Originally from Oklahoma\, “Mr. V.” was general music teacher at Wescott School in Northbrook for 37 years. He has written hundreds of songs and dozens of original theater works that have been performed across Chicago’s northern suburbs. Recipient of the Golden Apple Award\, IEA Human Rights Award\, National-Louis Distinguished Alumni Award for Social Justice\, and Star of Teaching Award for the State of Illinois\, Vaananen continues to perform classes and presentations for children\, weaving his original music into inspiring lessons on Nature\, history\, culture\, and adventure. \nSing at Gorton is a welcoming community sing series designed to bring people together in a fun\, informal way. Each event is themed around a different style of music\, led by local hosts and open to everyone — no experience or vocal knowledge necessary. These one-off gatherings last about 45–60 minutes and end with refreshments\, making it easy to join in\, connect and sing.
URL:https://gortoncenter.org/event/sing-at-gorton-holiday-classics-with-mr-v/
LOCATION:Gorton Center\, 400 East Illinois Road\, Lake Forest\, IL\, 60045
CATEGORIES:Adults,Age,Classes,Community,Events,Live Music,Music,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gortoncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sing-at-Gorton-Holiday.png
GEO:42.2506703;-87.8374004
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gorton Center 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest IL 60045;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=400 East Illinois Road:geo:-87.8374004,42.2506703
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR