Music Institute of Chicago Presents the Calidore String Quartet

The Music Institute of Chicago presents the Calidore String Quartet (CSQ) on Sunday, October 9, at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. The Calidore String Quartet, 2011 Grand Prize winners of the renowned Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, will perform Brahms' Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2; Shostakovich's Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73; and Wolf's Italian Serenade in G for String Quartet.

The Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition is one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind and is the largest in the nation and the world. The competition includes senior division (ages 18-35) and junior division (18 and younger) with more than 100 ensembles from more than 22 nations entering wind or string categories each year. The Calidori String Quartet triumphed over 48 competing ensembles in its category, garnering both the coveted Grand Prize and the Gold Medal in the Senior String Division.

Many of the Music Institute's musicians have successfully competed at Fischoff. "Through our Academy for gifted pre-collegiate musicians, we have been proud to win seven of the 12 top junior division medals at Fischoff during the past four years, including first place in 2008, 2009, and 2010," commented Music Institute President and CEO Mark George (himself a past Fischoff winner). "A performance by this year's Grand Prize winners complements our own students' fine achievements and gives our audiences an opportunity to hear some of today's most exciting young professional musicians."

About Calidore String Quartet
The Calidore String Quartet, which features violinists Jeffrey Myers and Pasha Tseitlin, violist Jeremy Berry, and cellist Estelle Choi, formed in 2010 at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music. Members of CSQ have collaborated with artists and ensembles including the Tokyo String Quartet, Cypress String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Paul Coletti, Midori Goto, Itzhak Perlman, Joseph Silverstein, Menahem Pressler, David Chan, Ronald Leonard, John Perry, and Nokuthula Ngwneyama. Calidore aims to present performances that share the passion and joy of string quartet playing. Using an amalgamation of "California" and "doré" (French for "golden"), the ensemble's name represents a reverence for the diversity of culture and the strong support it has received from its home base in California, the golden state.

About the Music Institute of Chicago
The Music Institute of Chicago believes that music has the power to sustain and nourish the human spirit; therefore, our mission is to provide the foundation for lifelong engagement with music. As one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation, the Music Institute offers musical excellence built on the strength of our distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services. Founded in 1931 and one of the oldest community music schools in Illinois, 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, our world-class music teachers and arts therapists provide the highest quality arts education to more than 5,000 students of all ability levels, from birth to 101 years of age at campuses in Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Winnetka, and Downers Grove. The Music Institute also offers lessons and programs at the Steinway of Chicago store in Northbrook and early childhood and community engagement programs throughout the Chicago area and the North Shore. Nichols Concert Hall, our education and performance center located in downtown Evanston, reaches approximately 14,000 people each year. Our community engagement and partnership programs reach an additional 6,500 Chicago Public School students annually. The Music Institute offers lessons, classes, and programs through four distinct areas: Community School, The Academy, Creative Arts Therapy (Institute for Therapy through the Arts), and Nichols Concert Hall.

The Calidore String Quartet performs Sunday, October 9 at 3 p.m. at MIC's Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students, available at musicinst.org or 847.905.1500 ext. 108.

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