Tonight at the Harris Theater, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) presents another installment of its MusicNOW series and includes a world premiere danced by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC).  twice (once), choreographed by HSDC Artistic Associate Terence “Terry” Marling is a work for seven dancers set to a piece of music composed by CSO Composer-in-Residence Anna Clyne.  Clyne wrote Within Her Arms in honor of her mother shortly after her passing.  Played by a 15-piece string ensemble, it is a departure from the acoustic and electro-acoustic sound she normally dabbles in.  Marling, who writes music himself, was immediately in love with the music.  “The music is really emotional,” says Marling.  “It was a daunting, scary start.  There’s the initial fear that music that emotional can overwhelm the choreography, so I had to draw on what I knew of that depth of emotion like the birth of my son.”

The evening also features musical works by Julia Wolfe and Aaron Jay Kernis, with Conductor Christian Macelaru making his MusicNOW debut.  This is the first time HSDC has appeared in the series, although they have collaborated with the CSO before.  Marling wanted to create a geometrically visual stage picture, so he used a combination of math and choreography to create what he calls “a fair view of infinity”.  He started working with the HSDC dancers on the piece over the summer, but with performance and touring schedules found himself short on studio time.  Luckily, he knows the dancers well and they were willing to try anything.  “The artists I work with are wonderful,” says Marling, “and I can always keep making steps.  I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

MusicNOW: Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Hubbard St Dance Chicago, Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph at 7 pm

Tickets are still available: $22, 312.294.3000, 800.223.7114