• SEXTET: Six Degrees of Separation-CANCELLED
    Series

    SEXTET: Six Degrees of Separation-CANCELLED
    , - Nichols Concert Hall
    Sponsored by ITW.

    • Student $7
    • Adult $20
    • Senior $15

    Close the gap and sit up close to thoroughly enjoy Copland's Sextet for string quartet, clarinet, and piano featuring special guest artist, former CSO Principal Clarinetist, Larry Combs. A giant on the international music scene, Combs is less than six degrees from any major performer who comes to mind.

  • Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem
    Series

    Claire Aebersold & Ralph Neiweem
    July 10, 2009, 7:30 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    • Student $7
    • Adult $20
    • Senior $15

    The Music Institute's resident duo, Aebersold and Neiweem are the founders of the Chicago Duo Piano Festival. Praised by Gramophone magazine as "utterly charming…warmly affectionate, Aebersold and Neiweem play like one very dexterous and refined twenty-fingered pianist."

  • Faculty Extravaganza!
    Series

    Faculty Extravaganza!
    July 14, 2009, 7:30 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    • Student $7
    • Adult $20
    • Senior $15

    One of the festival's most popular and delightful events, our artist faculty performs a mixed program of piano duos by a variety of composers.

  • Irina Kotlyar and Gregory Shifrin
    Series

    Irina Kotlyar and Gregory Shifrin
    July 17, 2009, 7:30 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    • Student $7
    • Adult $20
    • Senior $15

    Protegees of the legendary piano duo Bracha Eden and Alexander Tamir, the Kotlyar-Shifrin Piano Duo is one of the most sophisticated and in-demand ensembles among the new generation of Israeli musicians.

  • Past Events
  • SEPTET: Seven Wonders
    Series

    SEPTET: Seven Wonders
    May 03, 2009, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    Sponsored by America Airlines.

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Stravinsky's narrated septet, "L'Histoire du Soldat" follows the story of a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil for a book that predicts the future of the economy. WFMT's Carl Grapentine lends his devilish voice to the narrated part, while Rachel Barton Pine masters the electrifying violin solo. This 90th anniversary performance features the choreographed story through the acclaimed mime artistry of T. Daniel and Laurie Willets. The team also joins MIC duo-pianists-in-residence, Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem, in a visually stunning pantomime based on Jean Cocteau's script to Milhaud's "Le Boeuf sur le Toit."

  • Margaret Kemper
    Series

    Margaret Kemper
    April 15, 2009, 12:15 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    Featuring works by 19th Century Romantic composers.

  • OCTET: Eight is Enough
    Series

    OCTET: Eight is Enough
    April 11, 2009, 7:30 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    MIC rounds out the season with a collaborative performance of Mendelssohn's festive Octet. This season marks the 25th anniversary of the celebrated violin-viola duo of Ani and Ida Kavafian. In a tribute to Mendelssohn, who was just 16 when he wrote this masterpiece, the Kavafian Duo will perform with a group of MIC's award-winning Academy students. Eight is enough, but you'll want more! *Please note the date and time. This concert is out of sequence!

  • QUINTET: Take Five
    Series

    QUINTET: Take Five
    March 22, 2009, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Break from the ordinary. Quintet Attacca proves why you should, by definition of the word attacca, not hesitate. This award-winning Ensemble-in-Residence goes five-for-five with MIC artist faculty, performing quintet works by composers including Joseph Jongen and Derek Bermel.

  • Tall Tales
    Series

    Tall Tales
    March 21, 2009, 10:00 AM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    9:00 AM: Kids activities & open house. 10:00 AM Concert. In honor of our 16th (and tallest) president, MIC presents the words of Abraham Lincoln as you've never heard them before-set to music performed by MIC ensemble-in-residence, the Lincoln Trio, and narrated by Ravinia Festival President & CEO, Welz Kauffman. This piece is a winning work in Ravinia's recent commission competition. Also on the program: MIC spins the yarn of Rumpelstilskin, the tale of an evil gnome and a young girl who is given the impossible task of weaving straw into gold.

  • James Russell Brown
    Series

    James Russell Brown
    March 18, 2009, 12:15 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    Featuring works by 19th and 20th Century French composers.

  • Four Score Festival:<br />The Music of John Corigliano<br />
    Series

    Four Score Festival:
    The Music of John Corigliano

    March 08, 2009, - Nichols Concert Hall
    Sponsored by the Patron Society.

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Regarded as one of the most important and celebrated composers of our time, John Corigliano has won many awards throughout his career, including The Pulizter Prize in Music, Academy Award, Grammy Award, Grawemeyer Award, and George Peabody Award. In orchestral, chamber, opera and film work, he has won global acclaim for his highly expressive and compelling compositions as well as his kaleidoscopic, ever-expanding technique.

    ART EXHIBIT» 2:00 pm
    “Marvelous Inventions”
    San Francisco artist Peggy Gyulai exhibits paintings based on the compositions of John Corigliano

    PRE-CONCERT TALK WITH JOHN CORIGLIANO» 2:45 pm

    CONCERT PROGRAM » 3:00 pm

    Sonata for Violin and Piano
    Rachel Barton Pine, violin
    Matthew Hagle, piano

    Chiaroscuro
    KLANG Contemporary Ensemble:
    Fiona Queen and Kay Kim, pianos

    String Quartet No. 1
    The Corigliano String Quartet

    Etude Fantasy for Solo Piano
    Abraham Stokman, piano

    Cabaret Songs
    Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano
    Abraham Stokman, piano

    PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCE » 7:00 pm
    Violinist Rachel Barton Pine performs the“Caprices” from Corigliano's score to “The Red Violin”

    FILM SCREENING (free) » 7:30 pm
    “The Red Violin” ~MPAA Rating: R

  • Four Score Festival:<br />The Music of Osvaldo Golijov<br />
    Series

    Four Score Festival:
    The Music of Osvaldo Golijov

    March 06, 2009, - Nichols Concert Hall

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    A former student of George Crumb and Oliver Knussen, Argentinean-born composer Osvaldo Golijov has established himself in the inner circle of today’s most sought-after composers. His music is an ecstatically beautiful hybrid of Spanish and Mediterranean influences and reflects a range of human conditions and emotions rising from the cultural clash and mesh of the time.

    Art Exhibit » 6:30 pm
    “Visions of Sound and Poetry”
    Peggy Gyulai exhibits paintings based on the compositions of Osvaldo Golijov.

    PRE-CONCERT TALK WITH PEGGY GYULAI» 6:45 pm

    CONCERT PROGRAM » 7:30 pm

    Omaramor
    Amy Barston, cello

    Salvador
    Amy Barston, cello
    Abraham Stokman, piano
    Sean Kopp, vibraphone

    Last Round
    The MIC Academy Chamber Players
    James Setapen, conductor

    How Slow the Wind
    Julia Bentley, soprano
    Christie Miller, clarinet
    Sang Mee Lee and Eugenia Wie, violins
    Kristin Figard, viola
    Samuel Nordlund, cello

    Yiddishbbuk
    Sang Mee Lee and Eugenia Wie, violins
    Kristin Figard, viola
    Samuel Nordlund, cello

    Lullaby and Doina
    Caroline Pittman, flute
    Christie Miller, clarinet
    Sang Mee Lee, violin
    Kristin Figard, viola
    Samuel Nordlund, cello
    John Tuck, bass

    Levante
    Abraham Stokman, piano

  • Four Score Festival:<br />George Crumb at 80<br />
    Series

    Four Score Festival:
    George Crumb at 80

    March 05, 2009, - Nichols Concert Hall

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    George Crumb's reputation as a composer of hauntingly beautiful scores has made him one of the most frequently performed composers in today's musical world. The winner of a 2001 Grammy Award and the 1968 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Crumb continues to compose new scores that enrich the musical lives of those who come in contact with his profoundly humanistic art.

    Art Exhibit » 6:30 pm
    “Keeping Score: Portraits of George”
    Graphic scores by George Crumb accompany an exhibit of compositional-influenced paintings by San Francisco artist Peggy Gyulai.

    PRE-CONCERT DISCUSSION » 6:45 pm
    Special guest: Andrew Patner

    CONCERT PROGRAM » 7:30 pm
    The Music of George Crumb

    Music for a Summer Evening “Makrokosmos III”
    KLANG Contemporary Ensemble:
    Amy Briggs and Fiona Queen, pianos
    Sean Connors and Sean Kopp, percussion

    Black Angels
    Jasmine Lin and Sang Mee Lee, violins
    Kristin Figard, viola, Jacob Braun, cello

    Four Nocturnes
    Desirée Ruhstrat, violin
    Matthew Hagle, piano

    American Songbook II (selections)
    Barbara Ann Martin, soprano
    Abraham Stokman, piano
    Brett Baxter, Gregory Beyers,
    Sean Kopp, and Doug Maiwurm, percussion
    Stephen Burns, conductor

  • QUARTET: Four-Leaf Clover
    Series

    QUARTET: Four-Leaf Clover
    February 08, 2009, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    The Music Institute of Chicago is an official piano partner of Steinway of Chicago.

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Just as rare. Get keyed-up for this spectacular ten grand piano salute to Steinway of Chicago. Bach's Concerto for Four Harpsichords features a quartet of MIC's top faculty pianists and a special guest, Steinway's L1037 from the documentary film Note by Note. Other multi-piano works include Mozart's Triple Concerto and Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, performed by 20 pianists in "surround-sound." Enjoy a special FREE screening of the film Note by Note, The Making of Steinway L1037, on Thursday, February 5 at 6:30 pm with special guest speaker and documentary film director, Ben Niles.

  • 2009 Chicago Duo-Piano Festival Mini-Fest Susan and Sarah Wang
    Series

    2009 Chicago Duo-Piano Festival Mini-Fest Susan and Sarah Wang
    February 07, 2009, 7:30 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    Sponsored by the Patron Society.

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Praised by the Miami Herald for their "phenomenal talent…virtuosity and eclat, "Susan and Sarah Wang are the silver medal winners of the 2008 Murray Dranoff Competition.

  • Voices Carry:  The Strength of a Vocal Community
    Series

    Voices Carry: The Strength of a Vocal Community
    January 18, 2009, 4:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    Sponsored by the Patron Society.

    Free Event!

    “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
    Martin Luther King, Jr

    .

    Communal singing played a vital role in the Civil Rights Movement, helping to propel a mass movement for social justice and individual rights for African Americans in America. The transmission and performance of resistance songs was a powerful, non-violent communicative force that transcended the Civil Rights Movements to influence subsequent movements in the United States.

    SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER »
    4:00-4:50 pm (followed by a 15-20 minute intermission)
    Art Norman, NBC5 News Anchor and Reporter

    CONCERT PROGRAM »
    5:10-6:00 pm
    The Brotherhood Chorale of the Apostolic Church of God

    FILM SCREENING »
    7:30-8:30 pm
    Martin Luther King Jr. - I Have a Dream (1986)
    Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech is presented in its entirety, along with scenes of the civil rights struggle throughout the 1960s.

    EXHIBIT »
    open from 3:00-10 pm (Kogan/Blome interview » 3:15 pm)
    Featuring nationally-acclaimed sculptor, Erik Blome, whose award-winning works include representations of such icons as Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr.

    “Art is not always made to pander, please and present what is expected. Sometimes it is about the feel of the clay and the overall power of the piece both in body language and mood and gravitas. Or, about a new personal interpretation that is meaningful to an artist and eventually is seen (not always at first sight) for the truthful symbol that it is.”
    ~Erik Blome

     

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    Donations made through the January Series benefit the William Warfield Endowed Scholarship Fund. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.

     

  • Power, Patriotism, and Protest:  Where Music and Politics Intersect
    Series

    Power, Patriotism, and Protest: Where Music and Politics Intersect
    January 11, 2009, 4:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    A look at music in response to various political events in history--symbolizing protest, providing testament, and in some cases, acting as a catalyst for change.

  • The Art of Survival:  Portraits of Hope in Times of Tyranny
    Series

    The Art of Survival: Portraits of Hope in Times of Tyranny
    January 04, 2009, 4:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    Learn about the art, music, and poetry of the Holocaust, including the extraordinary story of composer, conductor, and former president of the Music Institute of Chicago, Dr. Herbert Zipper.

  • TRIO: Three Alarm Fire
    Series

    TRIO: Three Alarm Fire
    November 23, 2008, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    Sponsored by the Patron Society.

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Lincoln Trio ignites the stage this season as they celebrate the Lincoln Bicentennial. Joined by Ravinia Festival President and CEO, Welz Kauffman as narrator, this red-hot group will perform a commissioned "Lincoln" work as well as Mendelssohn's moving Trio No.2 in C minor, Op. 66.

  • David Schrader
    Series

    David Schrader
    November 12, 2008, 12:15 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    Featuring works by Max Reger & Julius Reubke

  • DUO: Two of a Kind
    Series

    DUO: Two of a Kind
    October 19, 2008, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Do a double-take when violinist Almita Vamos collaborates with her sister, pianist Eugenia Monacelli, in a concert of works by Stravinsky, Mozart, and Ravel. Husband Roland Vamos joins the program for duo works by Robert Lombardo and Augusta Read Thomas.

  • George Williams
    Series

    George Williams
    October 15, 2008, 12:15 PM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    Featuring works by African-American composers

  • Compose Yourself
    Series

    Compose Yourself
    October 04, 2008, 10:00 AM - Nichols Concert Hall

    Free Event!

    9:00 AM: Kids activities & open house. 10:00 AM Concert. Composer Jim Stephenson will introduce you to the instruments of the symphony orchestra and lead the audience through the creation of a new work. Don't miss the world premiere of your very own piece of music!

  • SOLO: Square One
    Series

    SOLO: Square One
    September 28, 2008, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    Co-sponsored by the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation, the American Guild of Organists, and the Patron Society.

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    Don't miss this spectacular opening season concert featuring esteemed organ soloist, Frederick Swann, National President of the American Guild of Organists. Mr. Swann's career includes pinnacle posts at Riverside Church in New York City, Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, and First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.

  • Series

    WFMT live broadcast:
    Introductions at Nichols Concert Hall

    August 09, 2008, 11:00 AM -

    Free Event!

    Live from Nichols Concert Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago, WFMT’s Introductions program presents its first organ show featuring two talented young organists: Adam Gruber and MIC student, John Kearin.

    This event is free and open to the public. No RSVP necessary. Please be seated by 10:45 am, latecomers will be seated during applause.

    Learn More »

  • Series

    Duo Piano Festival: Svetlana Belsky and Jennifer Maxwell
    July 13, 2008, 3:00 PM -

    Tickets no longer available for this event

    The Chicago Duo Piano Festival welcomes an exciting young duo from the University of Chicago. Works by Mozart, Stravinsky, and William White.

  • Series

    35th Anniversary Concert for EISMA
    November 11, 2007, 3:00 PM - Nichols Concert Hall
    Co-sponsored by generous grants from

    Free Event!

    Celebrate with a concert for EISMA (Evanston In School Music Association), featuring ragtime pianist, Reginald Robinson (2004 John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship ‘Genius Grant’ recipient) and the Music Institute of Chicago’s Ensemble-in-Residence, Orquestra de Samba. Evanston Escola de Samba (in collaboration with Youth Organizations Umbrella and Good News Partners of Chicago) will kick off the event with a workshop in Brazilian percussion and samba dance.