Music Institute of Chicago

MIC Students Finish Strong at Fischoff

Congratulations to MIC’s Aurelia String Quartet, winner of the First Place Medal and Scholarship in the Junior Division of Fischoff’s 36th Annual National Chamber Music Competition and to MIC’s Quartet Danaë, who placed third. Last season MIC Academy groups swept the Junior division of the competition with first, second, and third place finishes. The Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, now the largest competition of its kind in the nation, was held May 8-10 in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

MIC was pleased to send the following chamber ensembles to the Fischoff finals.

• Arad Trio: Joshua Burca, Michaela Wellems, Stephanie Block
• Aurora Quintet: Sarah Eaton, Erica Hudson, Jaimie Sachay, Ben Lash, Samuel-Pierce Ruhland
• Aurelia Quartet: Laura Park, Susie Koh, Arianna Smith, Allan Steele
• Danae Quartet: Ben Fried, Sophia Cho, Leah Ferguson, Natsuki Kumagai
• Gemini Quartet: Ethan Hoppe, Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, Sarah Bloethe, Jessica Bieniarz
• Trio Gelato: Lydia Umlauf, Zuren, Sean Yeh
• Trio Aquos: Leah Latorraca, Alexander Hersh, Kate Liu
• Constellation Trio: Gallia Kastner, Daniel Kaler, Yoan Ganev

More about the Aurelia String Quartet

• Laura Park, violin
• Susie Koh, violin
• Arianna Smith, viola
• Allan Steele, cello

The Aurelia String Quartet, an award-winning Music Institute of Chicago Academy chamber group, formed in 2007 and is coached by Roland Vamos and Marko Dreher. The Aurelia String Quartet has garnered top prizes in numerous competitions including first prize in the 2009 Rembrandt Chamber Players Music Competition, first prize in the 2009 Society of American Musicians Chamber Music Competition, first prize in the Music in the Loft Jules M. Laser Chamber Music Competition, and bronze medal in the 2008 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. As Rembrandt Young Artists for 2009, the quartet will be featured on WFMT 98.7 radio and can be heard at various concert venues this season including Music in the Loft, Stars of Tomorrow, and the Fourth Presbyterian Concert Series. This exciting young quartet takes their name from the Latin word “golden,” and strives to have “music’s golden tongue” (John Keats) as they communicate to audiences of all ages.

More about the Danaë String Quartet

• Natsuki Kumagai, violin
• Sophia Cho, violin
• Leah Ferguson, viola
• Ben Fried, cello

Formed in fall 2008, Quartet Danaë is an Academy chamber group of the Music Institute of Chicago coached by Roland Vamos. In addition to its 2009 Bronze Medal win at Fischoff, Quartet Danaë recently won the Silver Medal at 2009 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. The quartet has performed on the Stars of Tomorrow concert series in Highland Park, at the Music Institute of Chicago's Opening Ceremony for its new Highland Park Campus, in concert at the Lake Forest Day Club (Lake Forest, Illinois) and with renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine. The quartet has also participated in master classes with the Pacifica Quartet and Joel Smirnoff.

Spring Registration is Now Open

Start 2009 with music lessons for yourself or your family. Spring semester begins January 26, 2009. Register now and save!

$50 off Private Instruction, $20 off Group Classes

MIC offers something for everyone:

• Traditional Private Instruction (Contact a Campus where you’d like to study)
• Early Childhood Classes Go »
• Suzuki Instruction Go »
• Small Group Classes Go »
• Youth Ensembles Go »
• Adult Ensembles Go »
• Musical Theater Go »
• Early Music Go »

Mention Code: 1WB09.
For more information call: 847.905.1500, or register online today!
Offer available for full-semester, first-time registrants only. May not be combined with any other offer. Coupon expires: January 16, 2009.

 

 

Generation Next Young Composer’s Competition

Don’t miss out. The competition deadline is Feburary 1, 2009!

Feeling that Creative Music Writing Itch? Each year we invite young composers from across the county, ages 12-18, to submit original scores. A number of cash prizes will be awarded and MIC students will perform winning works on March 7, 2009 at Nichols Concert Hall.

What is it?

An opportunity to promote the work of young composers and stimulate greater interest in the music of our time.

Who can apply?

Young composers no younger than 12 years of age or older than 18 on March 7, 2009.

What Kind of Music?

MIC invites classical, jazz, or folk scores for 1-4 players

What’s in it for me?

Cash prizes:

• 1st Place: $350
• 2nd Place: $150
• 3rd Place: $100
• Honorable Mention: $75

Plus: Scholarships to MIC’s new Composers’ Lab Program with MIC composer-in-residence, Mischa Zupko.

Winner’s Recital

MIC student performers will perform the winning works Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 6:30 pm at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston

Works will be performed as part of the MIC Four Score Festival (March 5-8), a contempoary music festival which this year features four American giants of composition: George Crumb, Osvaldo Golijov, John Adams, and John Corigliano. The series is organized by noted MIC pianist and contemporary music champion, Abraham Stokman, and features concerts, lectures, workshops, film screenings, and art exhibits.

Download Flyer

Download Application Form

 

 

 

MIC Begins the Year with a New Campus in Lake Forest

Acquisition of Lake Forest Symphony Music School brings number of campuses in the Chicago area to Six

Evanston, Illinois - Sel Kardan, President of the Music Institute of Chicago (MIC), announced today the addition of a new campus as the 78 year-old community music school looks to the opening of the 2008-09 academic year on September 2. The new Lake Forest Campus, located at 40 East Old Mill Road, is the most recent location to be added to the growing MIC Community Music School Campus Network, and has been acquired in an agreement reached with the Lake Forest Symphony Association. Formerly the Lake Forest Symphony Music School, the Lake Forest acquisition expands the MIC faculty by 35, bringing the total teaching faculty to 175, and increases the overall student body by another 700, of which 350 are enrolled in early childhood music instruction.

The new Lake Forest Campus brings the number of MIC Community Music School Campuses to six, joining the Evanston-East Campus; the Evanston-West Campus (which also houses the Institute for Therapy Through The Arts); the Winnetka Campus; the Highland Park Campus and the Lincolnshire Campus (Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit). The Institute’s new central administrative offices are located in Wilmette (see end of release for campus and office locations).

In announcing the new Lake Forest Campus, Sel Kardan stated, “The addition of the Lake Forest Campus is an important part of our vision of exceptional community-based music education. With our extraordinary faculty and continued commitment to excellence, the Music Institute of Chicago is poised to significantly build upon its eight decade legacy.

Jim Richter, President of the Lake Forest Symphony Association commented, “The Lake Forest Symphony is honored and excited to have our Music School merge in with the Music Institute of Chicago. We feel that the synergy created by this combination will be very positive for everyone involved. The students will continue to have excellent instruction. The staff and teachers will be given expanded opportunities, and the Lake Forest Symphony will have close relations with a world class educational institution. We expect this will allow for significant sharing of resources, marketing and programs, and will be a real positive for both organizations.

Music Institute of Chicago Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Gerald O. Strauch agreed, saying, “The Music Institute is very excited to welcome this new addition. We really feel that this suits our strategic plan to enlarge our base precisely in the way that this merger allows. This is a marvelous educational addition to the Community Music School Campus Network, and I look forward to seeing it thrive and to watching its continued growth.

Alexandra C. Nichols, Vice Chair of the Music Institute of Chicago Board of Trustees, added, “This is a significant moment for the Music Institute of Chicago, one that will truly allow this remarkable community music school to fulfill its mission of providing the highest quality music instruction to people of all ages and abilities. Sel Kardan has provided exemplary leadership and has been a force for change and growth in his three years as President of the Music Institute. He has created excitement within the school and the community, spearheaded numerous expansion projects, led the acquisition of new performance locations/campuses and attracted additional talented teachers and staff. The Music Institute is positioned to continue to flourish as it moves towards its ninth decade.

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Edward W. Horner, Jr., respected Chicago non-profit development executive, joins Music Institute of Chicago as Executive Vice President

Evanston, Illinois - Sel Kardan, President of the Music Institute of Chicago (MIC), announced today the appointment of Edward W. Horner, Jr. to the newly created position of Executive Vice President.

A long-term resident of Wilmette, Mr. Horner most recently served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at the Field Museum. A highly regarded marketing, strategic planning and fund raising expert, Mr. Horner has held numerous high profile positions throughout Chicago, including the posts of Executive Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Vice President for Development and Public Affairs at The Art Institute of Chicago (offices he held for over ten years); Associate Dean for External Affairs at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago; Vice President for University Advancement at DePaul University; Executive Vice President of the Children's Memorial Medical Center and President of The Children's Memorial Foundation; and Director of Development and Public Affairs at Northwestern Memorial Medical Center.

In making the announcement, President Kardan welcomed Mr. Horner to the MIC family, saying, “Ed Horner brings forty plus years of highly successful executive-level non-profit management to the Music Institute of Chicago. His knowledge of the arts and culture community in Chicago is without parallel. I am delighted to work with him as we present our mission to an even wider audience.”

Board of Trustees Vice Chair Alexandra C. Nichols added, “Ed Horner is one of the most gifted and inspired people I have ever known in the field of development, and we are enormously pleased that he has joined the Music Institute of Chicago. The Music Institute is fortunate to be able to benefit from his outstanding understanding of not-for-profit institutions and the public and private sectors in the city of Chicago and beyond. With the combined executive leadership, of Sel Kardan and Ed Horner, the Music Institute is positioned to continue to flourish as it moves towards its ninth decade. ‘

Mr. Horner responded, “Over my almost four decades of involvement in Chicago’s vibrant civic and philanthropic community, I have observed, with great interest, the remarkable development of the Music Institute of Chicago. All of the recent and very exciting developments for the Institute are certainly a reflection of the indelible legacy that was created by long-time president, Frank Little, which has been so effectively stewarded by the Institute’s current executive leadership and trustees. Under the able and visionary leadership of Sel Kardan, it is exciting to contemplate all that can be added to the rich history and vibrant future of the Music Institute of Chicago. It is truly a privilege and honor for me to be able to play a role in building upon the Music Institute’s extraordinary success and national reputation at this very exciting time in its history and development. ”

Download the full press release

Download Mr. Horner’s full biography