The Music Institute of Chicago Announces 2022–23 Season at Historic Nichols Concert Hall

This year the Music Institute is celebrating Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) through its One Composer, One Community program.

By: Aug. 04, 2022
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The Music Institute of Chicago Announces 2022–23 Season at Historic Nichols Concert Hall

The Music Institute of Chicago's 2022-23 season at historic Nichols Concert Hall in downtown Evanston features a diverse lineup of artists performing classical, jazz, and gospel music.

Music Institute President and CEO Mark George said, "The diversity of this series connects with every part of our community. What every concert has in common is the excellence of the artists. The Nichols Concert Hall experience is vibrant and rich in musical traditions, truly something for everyone."

This year the Music Institute is celebrating Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) through its One Composer, One Community program, which focuses on the life and work of a single, often underrepresented BIPOC composer. Considered the single most significant creative figure in 20th century Brazilian art music, Villa-Lobos's unique compositional style synthesized contemporary European techniques with elements of national music. A prolific composer, Villa-Lobos penned more than 2,000 orchestral, chamber, instrumental, and vocal works. Three of this season's Nichols Concert Hall programs feature work by Villa-Lobos.

Cuarteto Latinoamericano

Saturday, October 15, 7:30 p.m.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, the season kicks off with the world-renowned Cuarteto Latinoamericano showcasing classical works from Central and South America and a quartet by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, the focus of the Music Institute's One Composer, One Community program this year. Celebrating 40 years as an ensemble, the multiple Latin Grammy Award-winning string quartet has premiered more than 100 new pieces and championed neglected musical gems by underrepresented composers. Cuarteto Latinoamericano presents a master class on the string quartets of Villa-Lobos on October 15 at 4 p.m., free and open to the public. This concert is presented in partnership with the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago.

Tammy McCann: Yes, Mahalia!

Saturday, October 29, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago jazz favorite and Music Institute Artist-in-Residence Tammy McCann pays homage to gospel pioneer and Chicago legend Mahalia Jackson. Yes, Mahalia! is a fresh and soulful reimagining of Jackson's music that captures the synergy of her unique sound and pairs it with the sonic power of big-band jazz.

Matthew Hagle: Brahms and His Contemporaries

Saturday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.

Pianist Matthew Hagle presents a program of late 19th and early 20th century piano miniatures, inspired by the Op. 118 piano pieces of Johannes Brahms. A Music Institute faculty member and alumnus, Hagle is a favorite of WFMT listeners and frequent collaborator with CSO musicians. He has appeared in concert throughout the United States and internationally in England, Australia, and Japan.

Duke It Out! Nutcracker

Saturday, December 10, 2 p.m.
Tickets $10

This unique Nutcracker performance pits the classical (Tchaikovsky) and jazz (Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn) versions of the holiday favorite in a spectacular side-by-side showdown. Curated by Dance Chicago, the program features members of Axiom Brass and Music Institute Ensemble-in Residence Quintet Attacca. The performance is a family-friendly 60 minutes and follows an interactive musical instrument petting zoo for kids at 1 p.m.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration-Free Concert

Sunday, January 15, 3 p.m.

Co-curated by Tim Rhoze, artistic director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, and the Music Institute, this annual tribute features scholarship students from the Music Institute, Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, and Ravinia's Reach Teach Play program joining Evanston musicians and actors. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss delivers remarks about Evanston's groundbreaking reparations initiative.



Reverón Piano Trio

Friday, February 17, 7:30 p.m.

The Music Institute shines a spotlight on classical music by Latin-American composers with the return of the Reverón Piano Trio, which co-curates the Music Institute's Latin-American programs. This trio of virtuoso musicians, originally from Venezuela, has emerged as the foremost advocates for the music of Latin-American composers through their performances, research, and composer commissions. Among the works on their program is Piano Trio No. 1 by Heitor Villa-Lobos, the focus of the Music Institute's One Composer, One Community program this year.

Marcus Roberts Trio

Saturday, April 15, 7:30 p.m.

Jazz returns to Nichols Concert Hall with the celebrated Marcus Roberts Trio. Recognized for its virtuosic style and a new approach to jazz trio performance that features each member equally, the trio has developed a reputation for having almost telepathic communication onstage, exhibiting lightning-fast musical reflexes and musical imagination.

Celebrating Music Institute of Chicago Luminaries:
Pianist Inna Faliks with the Academy Orchestra
Pianist Marta Aznavoorian with Quintet Attacca

Saturday, May 6, 7:30 p.m.

The season finale, which celebrates more than 90 years of teaching and performance at the Music Institute, features alumnae pianists Inna Faliks and Marta Aznavoorian-also Artist-in-Residence, Ensemble-in-Residence Quintet Attacca, and the award-winning musicians of the Music Institute's Academy Orchestra. Works include Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor, KV 466 and Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, KV 452, as well as Bachianas-Brasileiras No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos, the focus of the Music Institute's One Composer, One Community program this year.

Tickets for the Music Institute's 2022-23 season at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, are $50 for VIP seating, $25 in advance or via livestream, and $30 at the door, available at nicholsconcerthall.org or by phone at 847.448.8326.

All programming is subject to change. For the latest information regarding COVID protocols
or additional details, visit nicholsconcerthall.org.




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