Music Institute of Chicago Laureates to Perform at Jacob's Pillow, 6/25-29

This summer the Music Institute of Chicago's prestigious Trio Solaris, comprised of the Institute's top Fellow Laureates, will travel to the internationally renowned Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts, to perform live alongside Trey McIntyre Project (TMP) in The Vinegar Works: Four Dances of Moral Instruction, a Harris Theater-commissioned work. Trey McIntyre Project will present its final six performances at Jacob's Pillow, June 25-June 29, in a program that will include The Vinegar Works and Mercury Half-Life, a ballet set entirely to the music of rock band Queen Thanks to the generous support of a Harris Theater benefactor, all travel-related costs for the members of Trio Solaris will be covered during the trip.

The Vinegar Works, a collaboration between TMP and the Music Institute, is based on the writings and illustrations of Chicago-born author Edward Gorey, set to Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor and performed by Trio Solaris. The project is the last new work created by choreographer Trey McIntyre for the full-time dance ensemble. The company announced earlier this year that it will transition to a new creative direction under McIntyre's leadership.

Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, home to America's longest-running dance festival, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Noted dance writer Jennifer Dunning has called the Pillow "the dance center of the nation, possibly the world."

Ella Baff, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival said, "This engagement will offer a wonderful experience for these talented young artists, and undoubtedly a rewarding opportunity for us. Part of our work at the Pillow is to introduce new ideas and new people to the greater arts community. This is a chance to do both with a new generation of professionals."

Trio Solaris features violinist Gallia Kastner, 17, gold medal winner of the 2013 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; cellist Nathan Walhout, 16, a 2014 Ars Viva Symphony Concerto Competition winner; and pianist Andrew Guo, 15, a first prize winner of the Society of American Musicians Competition.

"The work between the Music Institute of Chicago and Trey McIntyre Project embodies some of the core principles of our mission, bringing together a seasoned artist with the newest generation of musical talents," said Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater. "The extraordinarily deserving musicians of Trio Solaris will have a chance to shine among the world's best. It will be a tremendous artistic and professional opportunity for them, and a distinct delight for Jacob's Pillow audiences to see The Vinegar Works in its full glory, accompanied by live musical performances from these gifted artists."