Music Institute of Chicago to Celebrate Movie Music With NOTES FROM HOLLYWOOD, 4/20

The Music Institute of Chicago partners with Dempster St. Pro Musica for "Notes from Hollywood," paying tribute to Hollywood movie music of the 1940s and '50s Sunday, April 20 at 7 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.

Leonard Slatkin serves as narrator, conductor, and pianist for this event, which also honors the memory of his parents, violinist Felix Slatkin and cellist Eleanor Aller, leading film and recording musicians of the era and founders of the Hollywood String Quartet. Slatkin leads a chamber ensemble comprising members of Dempster St. Pro Musica (most also members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) and the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, who perform work by Miklos Rozsa, Erich Korngold, Nino Rota, Enrico Morricone, Franz Waxman, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein. To acknowledge the close friendship between the Slatkins and Frank Sinatra, vocalist Tom Heitman performs selections from Sinatra's groundbreaking album Close to You, accompanied by string players using the original Hollywood Quartet orchestrations.

Proceeds from the concert benefit the Solti Foundation U.S., which mentors and provides financial assistance to young American conductors.

Founded by Chicago Symphony Orchestra Assistant Principal Oboist Michael Henoch, Dempster St. Pro Musica is a chamber music organization established to bring concerts of high quality and interest to the diverse population of Evanston. Musicians performing with Dempster St. Pro Musica are associated with many other outstanding chamber music ensembles locally and nationally and often are members of the Chicago Symphony and other world-class orchestras. They join together as colleagues to participate in projects that challenge their abilities and broaden their artistic horizons.

Leonard Slatkin is music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lyon, France. He previously served as music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. and as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. Slatkin's more than 100 recordings have won seven Grammy awards and earned 64 nominations. He received the U.S.'s prestigious National Medal of Arts and France's Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Founder and director of the National Conducting Institute and the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, Slatkin continues to conduct and teach at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and The Juilliard School.

The Music Institute of Chicago believes that music has the power to sustain and nourish the human spirit; therefore, its mission is to provide the foundation for lifelong engagement with music. Founded in 1931, the Music Institute has grown to become one of the three 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 of Community Schools of the Arts and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Each year, the Music Institute's teachers and arts therapists reach thousands of students and clients of all ages and levels of experience. The Music Institute opened a new location this fall at Fourth Presbyterian Church's Gratz Center in downtown Chicago. Other Music Institute locations include 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, creative arts therapy, and concerts through its Community School, Academy, Institute for Therapy through the Arts, and Nichols Concert Hall.

"Notes from Hollywood," co-presented by the Music Institute of Chicago and Dempster St. Pro Musica, takes place Sunday, April 20 at 7 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $10 for students, available at brownpapertickets.com/event/477602 or 847.905.1500 ext. 108. For more information visit musicinst.org.