Music Institute of Chicago Announces Gala Benefit

Celebrating more than 90 years of advancing innovation, access, and excellence in music education, the Music Institute of Chicago will host its annual Gala Benefit on Thursday, June 2 at 6 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 E. Delaware Place. The evening begins with a cocktail reception, followed by an elegant dinner and awards ceremony, including presentation of the Dushkin Award to violinist Hilary Hahn, the Cultural Visionary Award for Chicago to Nancy and Scott Santi, and the Colburn Award for Teaching Excellence to Dr. Tanya L. Carey.

The Music Institute is hosting this event with Gala Co-Chairs Carlos R. Cárdenas, Hans and Denitta Germann, and Rick Waddell. Honorary Gala Chairs are Peter Dushkin, Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols, and Deborah Rutter.

Proceeds from the Gala Benefit provide the single-largest source of funds for financial aid and scholarships, tuition-free community engagement and schools programming, and neighborhood-based service activities that positively impact thousands of individuals of all ages and backgrounds each year.

Musical performances throughout the evening include talented students from the Music Institute's Community School, including senior oboist Zachary Allen, a recent Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Award recipient; cellist Gabi Raviv; an array of talented Suzuki string students; and a Jazz Studies faculty Dixieland Band. Also performing are award-winning students from the Music Institute's renowned Academy for gifted pre-college musicians, featuring violinist Katya Moeller, who has entertained audiences across the globe; pianist Noah Kim, a finalist in the CSO Young Artists Competition; and string quartet and piano chamber music ensembles.

The prestigious Dushkin Award, established more than 30 years ago and named for the Music Institute's visionary founders Dorothy and David Dushkin, recognizes international luminaries in the world of music for their contributions to the art form as well as to the education of youth. Past recipients include Zubin Mehta, Wynton Marsalis, Stephen Sondheim, Maestro Riccardo Muti, and Yo-Yo Ma, among others.

This year's Dushkin Award recipient, three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn, melds expressive musicality and technical expertise with a diverse repertoire guided by artistic curiosity. Her barrier-breaking attitude towards classical music and her commitment to sharing her experiences with a global community have made her a fan favorite. Hahn is a prolific recording artist and commissioner of new works, and her 21 feature recordings have received every critical prize in the international press. She was named Artist in Residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in 2021. A former Suzuki student, she released new recordings of the first three books of the Suzuki Violin School in 2020, in partnership with the International Suzuki Association and Alfred Music. Her Instagram-based practice initiative, #100daysofpractice, has helped demystify the typically grueling and isolating practice process, transforming it into a community-oriented, social celebration of artistic development. Since creating the hashtag in 2017, Hahn has completed the project three times under her handle, @violincase, and fellow performers and students have contributed nearly 500,000 posts.

The Cultural Visionary Award for Chicago recognizes individuals who make an indelible impact on the community through their philanthropic, civic, and cultural leadership. This year's honorees, Nancy and Scott Santi, have been friends of the Music Institute for nearly two decades. Scott is chairman and CEO of Illinois Tool Works, one of the Music Institute's largest sponsors and a corporate supporter for more than 25 years. He has served on several corporate boards including W.W. Grainger and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, while his nonprofit service includes board seats with the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, and Big Shoulders Fund, as well as the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Ravinia Festival. Nancy, an educator by background, serves as a trustee for the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, a board member for PAWS Chicago, and a member of the Women's Board at Lyric Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Art Institute of Chicago, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago. Together the couple has been instrumental in the success of the ITW David Speer Academy and are currently chairing the 20th Anniversary Fund for the LEARN Charter School Network, a partner of the Music Institute's ArtsLink Program.

The Music Institute presents its Richard D. Colburn Award for Teaching Excellence to Dr. Tanya L. Carey, a member of the Music Institute's cello faculty since 2005, instructing cellists of all ages in the Suzuki program as well as the Academy. In addition to her daily teaching in Chicago and as a guest master clinician, she has trained hundreds of cello teachers around the world, ensuring that her high standards in cello pedagogy are shared with present and future generations. She is a past president of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and an artist-teacher at Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts. She has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic and Eastman Rochester and Rochester Civic Orchestras and has appeared as a recitalist and chamber musician at Tully and Carnegie Halls. She is the author of the Cello Playing is Easy Series, a highly comprehensive and pragmatic guide for teachers and players.

The Music Institute of Chicago is grateful to ITW for its sponsorship of this event.

Event Details:

The Music Institute of Chicago's Gala Benefit
takes place Thursday, June 2 at 6 p.m. at
the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 East Delaware Place.
Individual tickets are $550; table sponsorships are $5,500-50,000.
For tickets or to make a gift, please visit musicinst.org/gala22.

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