Music Institute Presents Sergei Babayan, Louis Armstrong Legacy Concert, and More in 16-17 Season

The Music Institute of Chicago announces the 2016-17 season of its Faculty and Guest Artist Series, showcasing noteworthy keyboard artists, illustrious alumni, and the legacy of Louis Armstrong. All but one of the concerts take place at the historic Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in downtown Evanston. In March, the Music Institute presents one special performance at its partner venue, Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut Street in downtown Chicago.

Opening Night: "The Elements"
Saturday, September 24, 7:30 p.m.
More than 30 members of the celebrated Music Institute faculty perform works about or inspired by the five elements: earth, water, air, fire, and spirit. Repertoire includes works by Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos, Scriabin, de Falla, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Barber, and Music Institute Composer-in-Residence Mischa Zupko.

Louis Armstrong Legacy Concert
Saturday, November 12, 7:30 p.m.
Jazz at Lincoln Center artist Victor Goines joins Music Institute Jazz Studies faculty for a boisterous tribute to the legacy of Louis Armstrong, who spent some of his most formative years in Chicago, the starting point for this American musical journey.

Family Concert: Duke It Out!
Saturday, December 10, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
General admission: $7
This Nutcracker performance, curated by Dance Chicago, pairs the classical (Tchaikovsky) and jazz (Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn) versions of the holiday favorite, performed by Axiom Brass and Music Institute Ensemble-in-Residence Quintet Attacca. Featured ensembles include Forum Jazz Dance Theatre, Moscow Ballet's children's cast, The Kate Jablonski Statement, Tapman Productions, Visceral Dance Chicago, Wheatland Dance Theater, and other companies and choreographers participating in Dance Chicago 2016. For a complete list of choreographers and artists, please visit musicinst.org.

Academy Orchestra with organ soloist John W. W. Sherer
Friday, March 3, 7 p.m., Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut St., Chicago-FREE ADMISSION
Saturday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston
John W. W. Sherer, organist and director of music at Fourth Presbyterian Church since 1996, joins students from the Music Institute's Academy for gifted pre-college musicians in two performances of Poulenc's monumental Concerto for Organ, Timpani, and Strings in G minor. The March 4program at Nichols Concert Hall highlights the magnificent sounds of the Music Institute's fully restored Opus 208 Skinner organ, which celebrated 100 years in 2013. Both programs, conducted by Academy Director James Setapen, also include Bolzoni's Minuet For Strings.

Sergei Babayan
Friday, May 5, 7:30 p.m.
The acclaimed pianist returns to Nichols Concert Hall for a program of solo and concerto keyboard works by J.S. Bach. This special program, co-presented as part of the 44th annual Bach Week Festival, features the Bach Week Festival Orchestra under the baton of Music Director Richard Webster.

Academy Orchestra with Kate Liu
Saturday, May 20, 7:30 p.m.
An alumna of the Music Institute's Academy for gifted pre-college musicians, Winnetka resident Liu returns to Nichols Concert Hall fresh from her triumphant bronze medal at the prestigiousFryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, where she also received the Mazurka Prize. Liu and the Academy Orchestra perform Chopin's poetic and technically brilliant PianoConcerto No. 2 in F minor, conducted by Academy Director James Setapen.

Nichols Concert Hall
Noted architect Solon S. Beman designed the architecturally and acoustically magnificent First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in 1912. In 2003, the building was sensitively restored to become Nichols Concert Hall, a state-of-the-art, 550-seat performance space and music education destination, easily accessible to numerous restaurants, on-street and metered parking, and the Davis Street CTA and Metra stations. The converted building, featuring a fully restored, 1914 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, received the Richard H. Driehaus Award for best adaptive use by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. Each year Nichols Concert Hall reaches approximately 15,000 people and hosts a world-class chamber music series, workshops and master classes, student recitals, and special events.

Music Institute of Chicago
The Music Institute of Chicago is dedicated to transforming lives through music education. Founded in 1931, the Music Institute has grown to become one of the largest and most respected community music schools in the nation. Offering musical excellence built on the strength of its distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Pre-collegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS). Each year, the Music Institute's teachers reach thousands of students of all ages and levels of experience. Music Institute locations include Chicago, Evanston, Winnetka, Lincolnshire, Lake Forest, and Downers Grove. In addition, the Music Institute is proud of its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools through its Arts Link program. The Music Institute offers lessons and classes, and concerts through its Community Music School, Academy, and Nichols Concert Hall.

All performances-except the March 3 concert, which takes place at Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut Street in Chicagotake place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. Tickets, except where noted, are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students, available online or 847.905.1500 ext. 108. All programming is subject to change. For more information, visit musicinst.org.