The expansion of the Wordless Music series–with its intriguing interplay between contemporary classical music and a more “vernacular” idiom–continues beyond its New York City origins with its inaugural Chicago summer concert series, entitled “Loops and Variations.” This free series of concerts in Millennium Park extrapolates from Wordless Music’s successful formula of pairing works by such composers as Arvo Pärt, John Adams, Nico Muhly, and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood with independent “pop” artists like Beirut, Grizzly Bear, Sigur Rós, and Explosions in the Sky.

The second concert in the series at Millennium Park, on Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m., takes on a decidedly local flair when the new music ensemble Dal Niente and composer Marcos Balter, each based in Chicago, share the bill with the formidable San Francisco noise-pop of Deerhoof. Dal Niente will perform works by composers Franco Donatoni and Fausto Romitelli, as well as the world premiere of Balter’s chamber orchestra arrangements of Deerhoof songs.

For the complete summer schedule of the “Loops and Variations” concert series, visit the Millennium Park website. For more information about Wordless Music, visit http://www.wordlessmusic.org.