Jennifer Koh, Time For Three, Lionel Hampton Tribute Among Presentations At Nichols Concert Hall

The Music Institute of Chicago announces the 2018-19 season of its Faculty and Guest Artist Series, featuring classical, jazz, and multi-genre artists; holiday programming for families; and a collaboration with the Bach Week Festival. All concerts take place at the historic Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in downtown Evanston.

Opening Night: Jennifer Koh, violinist-solo concert
Saturday, September 15, 7:30 p.m.
The acclaimed Music Institute alumna and Glen Ellyn native returns to play a program featuring two solo works by Bach, juxtaposed with a contemporary piece for solo violin by John Harbison. Critics have described her playing of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas as intense, beautifully shaped, and mesmerizing. "Koh's arresting tone and emotional interpretations of Bach are a perfect fit for the acoustics of Nichols Concert Hall," said Music Institute President and CEO Mark George.

Chicago Duo Piano Festival: Susan and Sarah Wang Piano Duo
Friday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
On the eve of its National Duo Piano Competition, CDPF presents the Taiwanese-American twin sisters, who have won the prestigious ARD International Two Piano Competition in Munich, second prize in the world-renowned Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition, third prize in the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Preis in Berlin, third place in the 4th International Piano Duos Competition in Bialystok, Poland, and second prize in the Ellis National Duo Competition in the United States.

"Spooktacular" Concert and Haunted Open House
Sunday, October 28, 3 p.m.
The Music Institute invites families to a Halloween outing, featuring scary music, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera and Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, performed by the Music Institute's faculty, followed by a haunted musical open house at 4 p.m. Costumes are welcome!

Callisto Quartet
Saturday, November 10, 3 p.m.
Fresh from their Grand Prize-winning performance at the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Callisto Quartet debuts at Nichols Concert Hall with a program featuring Schubert's String Quartet in C Minor, D 703; Bartók's String Quartet No. 6; and Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 59, No. 2. Callisto also performs the Chicago premiere of Cantos by one of Spain's most prestigious young composers, Francisco Coll. Formed in 2016 at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), Callisto was a prize winner at the 2018 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and was the only American quartet selected to compete in the 2018 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, winning third prize in the Grand Finals.

Family Event: Duke It Out!
Saturday, December 8, 2 p.m.
General admission: $5
The Music Institute presents an unusual version of The Nutcracker, alternating music from the classical (Tchaikovsky) and jazz (Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn) scores with choreography curated by Dance Chicago. Musicians include members of Axiom Brass and Music Institute Ensemble-in-Residence Quintet Attacca in a performance that runs a family-friendly 60 minutes, followed by a festive holiday reception with refreshments and a photo booth with the artists.

Inna Faliks: "Story of a Pianist"
Sunday, February 10, 3 p.m.
This program traces, in music and words, Faliks' journey from Odessa, in the former Soviet Union, to the freedom of the United States and a life in music. The Music Institute alumna and head of piano at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA tells her incredible story while playing music of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Gershwin, and much more.

Paul Barnes, pianist and chanter: "Love and Death and Resurrection in the Musical Vision of Philip Glass, Franz Liszt, and Ancient Chant"
Sunday, March 10, 3 p.m.
Pianist Barnes has created a powerful musical meditation on the ways in which humanity grapples with death. Beginning with the story of Orpheus, the program connects the music of Franz Liszt, Philip Glass, and a world premiere by Victoria Bond with Byzantine chant, as it artfully explores the hope for the destruction of death and of life eternal.

Time for Three
Sunday, April 7, 3 p.m.
The young, dynamic trio Time For Three-violinist/vocalist Nicolas (Nick) Kendall, violinist/vocalist Charles Yang, and double bassist/vocalist Ranaan Meyer-breaks boundaries with its performances and defies traditional genre classification, performing works from Bach to Brahms to bluegrass to the Beatles.

Lionel Hampton Birthday Celebration featuring Joe Locke and Tammy McCann
Saturday, April 20, 7:30 p.m.-Hampton's 111th birthday
The Music Institute's annual jazz event celebrates the late American vibraphonist and bandleader in an exuberant program featuring performances by Music Institute Artist-in-Residence Tammy McCann; jazz vibraphonist Joe Locke, voted number one vibist by Downbeat magazine's Critics' poll; vibraphonist Thaddeus Tukes, a graduate of Chicago's Whitney Young Magnet High School; and members of the Music Institute's Jazz Studies faculty.

Academy Orchestra with the Bach Week Festival and piano soloist Sergei Babayan
Sunday, April 28, 3 p.m.
The Music Institute's Academy Orchestra and members of the Bach Week Festival Orchestra join forces for a program of Baroque concertos and dances, directed by Richard Webster and James Setapen and featuring pianist Sergei Babayan in a celebration of mentorship combining professional and extraordinary student musicians. All performances take place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue
in Evanston. Admission, except where noted, is $50 for VIP seating,
$40 for adults, $25 for senior citizens, and $15 for students.
Tickets are available at musicinst.org/nichols-concert-hall
or by calling 847.905.1500 ext. 108. All programming is subject to change.
For more information, visit musicinst.org. 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. For more information, visit musicinst.org.