Music Institute of Chicago to Present 29th Annual Chicago Duo Piano Festival

The Music Institute of Chicago presents its 29th annual Chicago Duo Piano Festival July 7-16.

In addition to offering students coaching, lectures, master classes, and recitals, the Festival includes five public events at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, in Evanston, featuring guest duo the Park Sisters, Festival Founders/Directors Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem, and Music Institute piano faculty, all performing duo piano repertoire.

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Public performances:

Gala Opening Concert: Duo Amadeae/the Park Sisters-Friday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Esther and Sun-A Park won the Grand Prize and the Director's Prize at the 2016 Chicago International Duo Piano Competition, which included a field of 18 piano duos representing 14 countries. Their program includes Mozart's Two Piano Sonata in D Major, K. 448 and Liszt's "Don Juan" Fantasy.

Esther Park has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States as well as Asia and major European cities, including the Houston Symphony, Yale Philharmonia, Corpus Christi Symphony, Filharmonia Pomorska of Poland, Orchestra Filarmonica of Romania, Shanghai Philharmonic of China, Shreveport Symphony, the Juilliard Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony. She gave a five-city recital tour in Korea and has performed at the Juilliard Theater in NYC, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Halls' Weill Recital Hall, Salle Cortot in Paris, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Palau de la Musica in Spain and on the Kum-Ho Music Society's Prodigy Series. She was the winner of the 52nd Kosciusko International Competition and the Gina Bachauer Competition.

Sun-A Park has received international recognition in several competitions, including 1st prize at the 61st Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition (New York) and top prizes at the 58th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, the New York International Piano Competition, and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. Her concerto engagements have included performances with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, San Marino Republic Orchestra, Haydn Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Albany Symphony, and the Symphonic Orchestra of Castilla y León. She has appeared at Alice Tully Hall and Benaroya Hall in the United States, National Dublin Hall in Ireland, Sejong Arts Center in Korea, the Miguel Delibes Cultural Center in Spain, and the Sendai Cultural Center in Japan.

FREE Master Class-Saturday, July 8 at 10 a.m.
Guest duo the Park Sisters lead a master class

Duo Piano Dialogues-Sunday, July 9 at 3 p.m.
To spotlight the unique repertoire for two pianists at one and two pianos, the Music Institute presents Duo Piano Dialogues, a series of performances with commentary featuring the Music Institute's piano duo in residence and Festival Directors Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem as performers and speakers. The topic for this second installment is "The Literary Liszt." Pieces include Mazeppa, Mephisto Waltz No. 1, and Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude. A reception takes place following the performance.

Faculty Extravaganza Concert I-Tuesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Faculty Extravaganza Concert II-Friday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m.
In this popular event, members of the Music Institute and Chicago Duo Piano Festival performance faculty perform a mixed program of duo piano favorites.

The July 11 program includes a special performance of Bela Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion by Andrea Swan and Fiona Queen, pianos; Joshua Graham, timpani; and John Corkill, percussion. Other works include William Bolcom's Garden of Eden, performed by duo Louise Chan and Susan Tang, and Rachmaninoff's Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, performed by three duos: Irene Faliks and Maya Brodotskaya, Mio Isoda and Matthew Hagle, and Sung Hoon Mo and Inah Chiu.

Performers for the July 14 program, to be announced, include Elaine Felder and Milana Pavchinskaya, Mio Isoda and Matthew Hagle, Katherine Lee and Soo Young Lee, Mark George, Keiko Alexander, Grace Juang, Gregory Shifrin and Yeeseon Kwon.

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All concerts take place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Except where noted, tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $10 for students and are available at 847-905-1500, ext. 108.

Called a "duo piano mecca" by Pioneer Press, the Chicago Duo Piano Festival was founded in 1988 by Music Institute of Chicago faculty members Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem. Its mission is to foster a deeper interest in the repertoire, performance, and teaching of music for piano, four hands and two pianos, in a fun and supportive atmosphere. The festival offers coaching, master classes, concerts with special guest artists, and student recitals for students age 12 through adult. In June 2017, CDPF presents the Chicago National Youth Competition for Piano Duos, a national competition open to young piano duos age nine to 18 currently studying and residing in the United States. Application deadline is April 15, 2017. In June 2016, the festival sponsored the Chicago International Duo Piano Competition.

Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem, artists in residence and faculty members at the Music Institute, enjoy an international career as proponents of music for both piano duet and two keyboards. TheWashington Post has described them as "consummate practitioners of pianism, in complete sympathy with and understanding of each other and Schubert," and Gramophone Magazine called their Schubert recordings "utterly charming." The duo has appeared with orchestras internationally, including the Chicago Philharmonic and the Vienna Tonkünstler. They have performed in recitals throughout the U.S. and Europe. Recent concerts include a 25th anniversary celebration concert at Merkin Hall in New York, an appearance at the Gina Bachauer Festival in Salt Lake City, and two recitals in Odessa, Ukraine. Aebersold and Neiweem have commissioned significant new works for the piano duo, including pieces by Joseph Turrin and Patrick Byers. The duo's CDs on the Summit label include Four Hand Reflections and music of Brahms and Schubert. In 2011, they presented two concerts broadcast live on WFMT to celebrate the Liszt bicentennial and organized the "Liszt 200" International Duo Piano Competition at Nichols Concert Hall.

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.

Photo of Duo Amadeae/the Park Sisters courtesy of the Park Sisters.