Music Institute of Chicago Announces 2011-12 Concert Series

The Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) presents a variety of extraordinary musicians, engaging repertoire, and international perspectives for its 2011-12 concert series at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston.

Highlights include the September 17 opening concert by jazz artist Paquito D'Rivera, Fischoff gold medalists the Calidore String Quartet in October, the multiple talents of the Vamos family in December, and acclaimed musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in May. Noteworthy annual events include the Four Score Festival of contemporary music in March; the Chicago Duo Piano Festival, in its 24th season, in July; Family Concerts in December and March; the second annual Emilio del Rosario Memorial Concert, this year featuring musical prodigy Conrad Tao in May; and the Martin Luther King, Jr. concert with the 100-voice Brotherhood Chorale in January.

Saturday, September 17, 7:30 p.m. Paquito D'Rivera and MIC Jazz Faculty Combo
The season opener features Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Paquito D'Rivera, "the man to call if you want a concert-hall presentation of Pan-Latin music" according to Ben Ratliff of The New York Times, joined by timbalist Juan Picorelli and Music Institute jazz faculty Audrey Morrison, trombone; Pat Mallinger, saxophone; Victor Garcia, trumpet; Jeremy Kahn, piano; Stewart Miller, bass; and Ernie Adams, drums and Latin percussion.

Saturday, September 24, 7:30 p.m. James Baur, guitar
Music Institute faculty member James Baur, praised by the Chicago Tribune for his "subtle, detailed precision," will perform a program of work by Manuel De Falla, Francis Poulenc, Manuel Maria Ponce, and John Baur. A member of the Avanti Duo and MAVerick Ensemble, he recently released his second solo CD.

Sunday, October 9, 3 p.m. Calidore String Quartet, Fischoff gold medalists
Complementing the Music Institute's numerous medalists in the junior division of the prestigious chamber music competition, the 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Grand Prize winners and senior division string gold medalists the Calidore String Quartet, who studied at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, perform Brahms' Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2; Shostakovich's Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73; and Wolf's Italian Serenade in G for String Quartet.

Sunday, November 13, 3 p.m. Organ Invitational Recital
Acclaimed organists from Evanston's houses of worship will perform a concert on the gloriously restored, three manual E.M. Skinner pipe organ at Nichols Concert Hall. The Music Institute is presenting this special concert to raise awareness about the scourge of hunger and food insecurity in our community and will contribute 100 percent of the proceeds to support selected hunger charities in Evanston.

Saturday, December 10, 9 a.m. Family Concert: Blair Thomas & Company
Families begin this morning of music with the Music Institute's Instrument Petting Zoo, followed by a 10 a.m. performance of A Kite's Tale, presented by the puppet theatre company Blair Thomas & Company, set to "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky. Admission is only $10 per family.

Saturday, December 17, 7:30 p.m. Vamos Family Reunion Concert
Faculty members Almita Vamos, violin, and Roland Vamos, conductor, perform with their family-Music Institute alumni Simin Ganatra, violin; Nurit Pacht, violin; Brandon Vamos, cello; Rami Vamos, guitar; and Eugenia Monacelli, piano-on a program including Chopin's Cello Sonata, Poulenc's Violin Sonata, and Bach's Concerto for Three Violins.

Sunday, January 15, 5 p.m. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert
MIC's annual concert features the Brotherhood Chorale of the Apostolic Church of God. Free admission!

Sunday, January 22, 3 p.m. Cantare Chamber Players
Music Institute faculty members Sang Mee Lee, violin; Clark Carruth, viola; Sophie Webber, cello; John Tuck, bass; and Elaine Felder, piano perform Schubert's Trout Quintet.

Saturday, February 18, 7:30 p.m. Cyrus Forough, violin with Tatyana Stepanova, piano
Laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition and Music Institute artist faculty member Cyrus Forough has performed in recital and with orchestras throughout four continents including command performances for international dignitaries. A prominent representative of the Franco-Belgian school of violin playing, he is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music. He will perform a program including Bach's Chaconne, Beethoven's Sonata No. 6, and Prokofiev's Sonata No. 1.

Sunday, March 4 and March 11, 3 p.m. Four Score Festival
By incorporating popular forms of American music such as jazz and folk into their compositions, Aaron Copland and Charles Ives created innovative compositions with a sound that became synonymous with the landscape. Four Score Festival 2012 celebrates the music of these 20th century masters and explores how inspiration threaded its way through the works of two of their students, Mario Davidovsky and Gunther Schuller.
March 4: The Music of Charles Ives and Gunther Schuller
March 11: The Music of Aaron Copland and Mario Davidovsky

Friday, March 9, 7:30 p.m. Generation Next/Composer's Lab Concert
This concert features works by the winners of the Music Institute's 2012 Generation Next Young Composer's Competition, which encourages and promotes the development of young composers.

Saturday, March 17, 9 a.m. Family Concert: TBD
Families begin this morning of music with the Music Institute's Instrument Petting Zoo, followed by a 10 a.m. performance by an artist to be determined. Admission is only $10 per family.

Sunday, March 18, 3 p.m. Meng-Chieh Liu, piano
Music Institute faculty member Meng-Chieh Liu has received the 2002 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the 2002 Philadelphia Musical Fund Society Career Advancement Award, and first prizes in the Stravinsky, Asia Pacific Piano, and Mieczyslaw Munz competitions. He also is on faculty at The Curtis Institute of Music and Roosevelt University. His program includes Schubert's Sonata D 960 and works by Szymanowski, Brahms, Chopin, and Liebermann.

Sunday, April 29, 3 p.m. The Lincoln Trio with Roberto Diaz, viola
Building on the success of their Carnegie Hall debut and the release of their debut CD Notable Women on Cedille Records, The Lincoln Trio collaborates with internationally renowned violist and Curtis Institute of Music President and CEO Roberto Diaz, returning to the Nichols Concert Hall stage.

Saturday, May 5, 7:30 p.m. Quintet Attacca and Axiom Brass
The Music Institute's award-winning woodwind and brass quintet ensembles-in-residence share a program.

Saturday, May 12, 7:30 pm Chicago Symphony Orchestra Musicians
The Civitas Ensemble-CSO musicians Yuan-Qing Yu, violin; Kozue Funahashi, violin; Catherine Brubaker viola; Kenneth Olsen, cello; J. Lawrie Bloom, clarinet; and Winston Chiu, piano-will perform Beethoven's Piano Trio No 4, Op. 11; Milhaud's Clarinet Trio; and Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81.

Saturday, May 19, 7:30 p.m. Second Annual Emilio del Rosario Memorial Concert: Conrad Tao, piano
A former student of the Music Institute's late, legendary faculty member Emilio del Rosario, 16-year-old Chinese-American pianist Conrad Tao has been hailed as "the most exciting prodigy to ever come my way" by renowned music critic Harris Goldsmith in Musical America. Tao has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and many others, as well as in solo recitals worldwide.

July 13-22, times TBD Chicago Duo Piano Festival
Founded by Music Institute faculty members Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem, this annual festival aims, through instruction and public performances, to foster a deeper interest in the repertoire, performance, and teaching of music for piano, four hands and two pianos.

About the Music Institute of Chicago
The Music Institute of Chicago believes that music has the power to sustain and nourish the human spirit; therefore, our mission is to provide the foundation for lifelong engagement with music. As one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation, the Music Institute offers musical excellence built on the strength of our distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services. Founded in 1931 and one of the oldest community music schools in Illinois, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Each year, our world-class music teachers and arts therapists provide the highest quality arts education to more than 5,000 students of all ability levels, from birth to 101 years of age at campuses in Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Winnetka, and Downers Grove. The Music Institute also offers lessons and programs at the Steinway of Chicago store in Northbrook and early childhood and community engagement programs throughout the Chicago area and the North Shore. Nichols Concert Hall, our education and performance center located in downtown Evanston, reaches approximately 14,000 people each year. Our community engagement and partnership programs reach an additional 6,500 Chicago Public School students annually. The Music Institute offers lessons, classes, and programs through four distinct areas: Community School, The Academy, Creative Arts Therapy (Institute for Therapy through the Arts), and Nichols Concert Hall.

All concerts take place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, a venue lauded by John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune as "a visual and sonic gem." Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students (except where noted), available online or 847.905.1500 ext. 108. All programming is subject to change.