November 5, 2023: Families in Concert

FAMILIES IN CONCERT

NICHOLS CONCERT HALL

November 5, 2023

FAMILIES IN CONCERT

RAFFLE

1 FOR $5 OR 5 FOR $20 FOUR GRAND PRIZE PACKAGES A SWEET SYMPHONY, valued at $359 • Two main Floor, Lower Balcony or Best Available tickets to a Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance at Symphony Center through June, 2024 • One pound of chocolate from Leonidas, Maitre Chocolatier in Central Avenue in Evanston • Chicago Ballet Arts gift certificate • One bottle of La Bastide Saint Dominique Chateauneuf du Pape A SYMPHONY OF INDULGENCE, valued at $357 • The Bienen School of Music, Winter Chamber Music Festival • Belgian Chocolatier Piron on Main St. in Evanston • Telegramme Chateauneuf due Pape 2011 EXPERIENCE EVANSTON, valued at $650 • Dance Center Evanston, $100 Gift Certificate to Winter/Spring Session • Downtown Evanston, $100 Downtown Gift Card • Evanston Arts Center, Gift certificate for $300 toward a class • Evanston Dance Ensemble, Gift certificate for 2 Tickets to “You Are Here” December 15-17 • Evanston Symphony Orchestra, 2 tickets to our Holiday Concert on December 3 • Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, 2 general admission tickets to 1 performance of any Theo production in their 2023-2024 Season LOSE YOURSELF IN LUXURY, valued at $200 • A Teddy Kosof Salon basket • Saint Joseph Appelation Saint-Joseph protege White Wine INDIVIDUAL RAFFLE PRIZE Be Optimal: 30 Minute Chinese Medicine Consultation with Dr. J.R. Heiz - $100 value

Be Optimal: 1 Free Foot Detox Session with Rosemarie Ansell “Sis” - $65 value

Be Optimal: 30 Minute Chiropractic Consult with Dr. Naomi Smith - $180 value

Be Optimal: 1 Free Dream Spa Light Therapy Treatment - $50 value

Be Optimal: 60 Minute Facial with Jenny Kane - $125 value

4 Honeymoon books, a waterbottle, and a satchel – valued at $100

Be Optimal: 1 Free 60-minute Reflexology Session with Antony Savio - $100 value

4 Harrymoon books, a waterbottle, and a satchel – valued at $100

Be Optimal: 1 Free BEMER Treatment - $50 value

Dear friends, Welcome to Families in Concert! We hope you enjoy the performances by more than sixty students, ages four through adult, who will be demonstrating various levels of musical development. Today's performance represents a cross section of MIC students from near beginners to polished performers, from young children to senior adults. This is what MIC is all about, a lifelong engagement with music.

Thank you for supporting this event and thank you for being here to cheer on our students and show your appreciation for MIC’s world-class faculty. You can share the experience with your friends and extended family by sending them the link to the livestream (scan the QR code on the cover and click the email icon).

Contributions to the Families in Concert fundraiser support faculty development, community programming, diversity initiatives, as well as the nearly $500,000 in scholarships and financial aid awarded each year. By donating, your family will help so many other families gain access to quality music education.

Financial aid is the key to making the exceptional teaching and resources of Music Institute of Chicago accessible to all families, regardless of economic status. It is also an integral part of our commitment to serving a diverse community of learners.

Without this support, many students and families would not be able to receive musical instruction and have their lives touched by the joy of making music.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and friends like you, financial aid provides opportunities for students of all ages and skill levels to develop a lifelong engagement with music and make music a regular part of their daily lives. Thank you for your generosity and the impactful role you have played by supporting this special event, MIC students, and each other.

Mark George Emily Abraham President and CEO Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs

FAMILIES IN CONCERT PROGRAM Sunday, November 5 » 3:00 pm Matt Boresi, emcee Lisa Zilberman, collaborative pianist

WELCOME Mark George, MIC President and CEO Darling River Monkey/Athabasca Monkey Joanne Martin Twinkle Variation A Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998) The Cello Song/Canción del chelo Yvonne M. Tait (1914-1993) Ants Song

Jeremy Sharp (b. 1986) Song of the Wind Folk Song Third Coast Suzuki Strings – Cello Program led by Bianca d’Avila do Prado and Philip Lee Leann Becerra Kelsey Becerra Alise Cedacero Rosas Hailee Cedacero Rosas Luis Coto

Lucas Gonzalez Sophia Gonzalez Joshua Kimsel-Perez Quetzalan Kitchell Emery Lopez

Luciana Murillo-Leon Julieta Murillo-Leon Luna Murillo-Leon Alexandra Mateos Zaid Mateos

Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Prelude Lavie Huang, cello Avi Friedlander, teacher

PRESENTATION OF TEACHER OF NOTE AWARDS Mark George and Emily Abraham Soledad for Two Pianos Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) The Zhaust Allison Zhang and Jonny Faust Soo Young Lee, coach

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, No. 4 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) In the Hall of the Mountain King for 8 Hands and 2 Pianos Chloris Duo & The Zhaust Clair He, Chloe He, Allison Zhang, and Jonny Faust Soo Young Lee, coach Sonata No. 3 I. Adagio

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) David Zampa, saxophone Lisa Zilberman, piano David Fivecoate, teacher

Csárdás Vittorio Monti (1868-1922) Julia Kim, violin Elizabeth Vaughan, piano Sang Mee Lee, teacher Etude in Ab, Op. 25, No. 1

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Helena Sprajcer, piano Elaine Felder, teacher Intermezzo, Opus 118, No. 2 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Audra Wilson, piano Daniel Baer, teacher Etude Op. 60, No.7 Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853) Armin Nortin, guitar Jeremiah Benham, teacher Allegro

Joseph-Hector Fiocco (1703-1741) Irina Liu, violin Lisa Zilberman, piano Julie Bickel, teacher

Persistent Rhythm Avery Tin, piano Christina Tio, teacher

Martha Meir (b. 1936)

Gavotte in G minor Johann Sebastian Bach Witches' Dance Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) Suzuki Violin Ensemble led by Ashley Pensinger-Sok Guhan Chandramouli, Leo Pensinger-Sok, Alissar Slifo, Anna Somin, Jacob Zhao Piano Trio in Eb Major, Op. 1 No.1 II. Adagio cantabile

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Trioscuro Mingshi Xia, violin Simon Updegraff, cello Ethan Zheng, piano Elaine Felder and Stefan Kartman, coaches Peace I Leave with You

How Love Returns

Amy Beach (1867-1944) RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal (b. 1954)

Music Institute Chorale Daniel Wallenberg, conductor • Gregory Shifrin, collaborative pianist SOPRANO Roberta Barry Sharon Bussell Roberta Cooper-Meyer Miriam Davidson Marcia Kazurinsky Susan McCracken Margaret Macdonald Carla Owens RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal Karin Sconzert

ALTO Dawn Frase Maureen Hickey Andrea Katz Carol Liner Abby Rudoff Ann Silberman Lynn Vogl Michelle Vogl

TENOR Jeff Collins Michael Grider Zalman Usiskin BASS Jonathan Dunmore Timothy Mah Aaron Roberts John Tingley

ANNOUNCEMENT OF RAFFLE WINNERS Shenandoah

American Folk Song (arranged by Jay Althouse)

“I Know Things Now” from Into the Woods Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)

Evie Hsu, soprano Lisa Zilberman, piano Barbara Ann Martin, teacher

TEACHER OF NOTE AWARDS We are excited to announce the inaugural Families in Concert Teacher of Note awards.

The Teacher of Note Awards were created to bring our community together to honor and express appreciation to the people who live our mission every day: MIC’s internationally-acclaimed, awardwinning faculty.

The award recipients represent the excellence of the entire MIC faculty and demonstrate dedication, enthusiasm, and inspiration in their teaching. With these awards, MIC embraces the participation of each and every member of our community. Together, we honor excellence in teaching.

2023 Teacher of Note Award Recipients Christina Tio and Bianca d’Avila do Prado

Christina Tio Dr. Christina Tio earned her piano performing and teaching diplomas, BA (Hons) and MMus in Piano Performance in the United Kingdom at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Reading University respectively, as a student of Frank Wibaut of Royal Academy of Music in London. Her interest in musicology, and the award of a scholarship led her into musicological research with Nicholas Cook, under whose guidance, she completed her PhD in Musicology at the University of Southampton, UK. Dr. Tio first began teaching the piano at age 14, and maintained a studio throughout her own schooling. Before moving to Chicago, she taught at various colleges and universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, including Universiti Malaya (UM), University College Sedaya International (UCSI), and the National Academy of Arts (ASWARA).

Dr. Tio is a regular session presenter. Recent conference presentations include the 2019 Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) Leadership Retreat, 2019 ISMTA Conference, and the 2022 MTNA Virtual Conference. She presents regularly at local Music Teacher Association monthly meetings including the Naperville MTA, CAMTA, NSMTA (with an upcoming presentation in February 2024), and WSMTA. In 2018, Dr. Tio served as a piano master class clinician at the biennial SAA Teachers Conference in Minneapolis. She enjoys teaching and mentoring students, parents, and fellow teachers at workshops and summer institutes around the US, as well as in Singapore.

Passionate about the Suzuki philosophy, Dr. Tio considers Parent Education and developing musicality her forte. She enjoys a thriving piano studio characterized by excellence and joy, where music making is appreciated as a lifelong endeavor. Her students frequently receive awards at local, regional, national, and international competitions and have appeared on the nationally broadcast NPR radio program From the Top. Students of Dr. Tio also perform extensively in the community to warm critical acclaim. Her students have performed at SAA Conferences in Minneapolis (2014, 2016 & 2018), Alice Millar Chapel at Northwestern University, IL (2017), Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall (2019, 2021), Merkin Hall in Kaufman Center in New York (2019), Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Germany (2021), the MTNA Virtual National Conference (2022), and at Koerner Hall in Toronto (2023).

Aside from in-person lessons and group classes, Christina also teaches online lesson to students in Kansas City, Colorado, and California aw well as in the UK and Singapore. She has been a homeschool mom since 2013 and lives in Skokie with her husband and son.

Bianca d’Avila do Prado Brazilian cellist, pedagogue, and composer Bianca d’Avila do Prado is a cello faculty member at the Music Institute of Chicago and online instructor for the University of Idaho Preparatory Division. At MIC she teaches Suzuki and traditional cello, coaches chamber music, and coordinates the Third Coast Suzuki Cello Program for the Evanston community.

She is often invited to teach in workshops and festivals in Brazil and in the United States and performs as a guest musician with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Prado holds a Master’s degree in Cello Performance and String Pedagogy from Illinois State University, where she studied under Dr. Adriana Ransom and Dr. Cora Swenson-Lee.

At ISU, she worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the ISU String Project and was the ISU Symphony’s principal cellist. She continues her cello and Suzuki pedagogy studies with Dr. Tanya Carey.

Ms. Prado actively works on making Brazilian music for strings accessible and performed in the United States and had articles about Brazilian pedagogical works published by the Scroll and the American String Teacher magazines. Her composition Brazilian Habanera for strings is being published as part of the Mosaic Collection. In 2023 she was commissioned by the Cello Teaching Repertoire Consortium to write an intermediate piece and composed Suite Pequenina for cello solo. She is also one the five string composers selected to be part of the New Canon Project’s first cohort and is working on a new piece for string orchestra that will be premiered at the ASTA conference in 2024. Her article Setting Habits for Success: How Being a Suzuki Student Can Transform Your Child’s Brain was published by the American Suzuki Journal in 2021.

Suzuki Education at MIC Avi Friedlander, Director, Barston Suzuki Center Sarah Montzka, Associate Director, Barston Suzuki Center

SUZUKI COMPONENTS Private Lessons

MIC’s Barston Suzuki Center offers one of the Midwest's largest and most comprehensive Suzuki programs. The internationally recognized Suzuki method is based on the philosophy of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki that talent and musicianship can be developed in any child.

Repertoire Classes

MIC's 42 Suzuki faculty members have taken specialized training endorsed by the Suzuki Association of the Americas and provide the highest quality private and group class instruction for piano, violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, guitar, harp, and recorder.

Third Coast

Suzuki Sundays Workshops Festival Concerts

Suzuki Strings Chicago Suzuki Institute

Third Coast Suzuki Strings Third Coast Suzuki Strings at the Music Institute of Chicago is a program that provides equitable access to MIC’s renowned Suzuki Education platform by transcending socio-economic and geographic barriers.

Third Coast Suzuki Strings provides tuitionfree violin, viola, and cello lessons for children and youth using the Suzuki method.

Students study with highly trained Suzuki faculty during weekly private lessons and group instructional sessions for 34 weeks during the school year and 6 weeks in summer.

In addition, all students receive fully subsidized instrument loans and repertoire books and have free access to the full slate of performances at Nichols Concert Hall, workshops and master classes, recitals, MIC’s ‘Suzuki Sundays’, and the nationally renowned Chicago Suzuki Institute in the summer. Parents and guardians are actively involved in all aspects of the child’s musical development and receive specialized training to be a ‘home teacher.

At present, Third Coast engages 15 Chicago-based and 30 Evanston-based students.

Music Institute Chorale Daniel Wallenberg, conductor Gregory Shifrin, pianist Since it's founding in 1987, the Chorale has one continuing goal: to perform the finest sacred and secular choral music with the highest of standards in a community setting.

Under the leadership of Conductor Daniel Wallenberg, the Chorale has developed a wide range of repertoire, including motets, madrigals, part-songs, folk songs, and larger choral-orchestral works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Duruflé, and many others. Throughout the years, the Chorale has collaborated with local choirs and symphony orchestras and has produced two fully costumed Elizabethan madrigal dinners. In addition, the Chorale has collaborated several times with the Music Institute’s voice faculty for concerts of opera and Broadway music.

The Academy Founded in 2006, the Music Institute of Chicago Academy is a nationally recognized training center for highly gifted, pre-college pianists and string players. The Academy provides a comprehensive musical education for students who aspire to be professional musicians. A carefully assembled faculty includes internationally recognized teachers and performers with a passion for developing young talent and an established track record of student achievement.

Academy Chamber Music The Academy's robust chamber music program has resulted in numerous national competition gold, silver, and bronz medals. The Academy presents four chamber music concerts each year. Piano and string duos, piano trios, and string quartets perform at Nichols Concert Hall ini Evanston and at Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel at Lake Forest College. Academy Chamber groups perform at high profile cultivation events, fundraisers, and civic events throughout the Chicago area.

Matt Boresi, emcee Matt Boresi is the Director of Arts Integration for Music Institute of Chicago, where he brings learning about the arts, and learning through the arts, to partner classrooms throughout Chicagoland. Matt teaches theatre, opera, and musical theatre at University of Illinois, Carthage College, and Lake Forest Academy.

In addition to his work as an educator, Boresi is a librettist (lyricist/playwright) whose works include the popular operas "The Last American Hammer," "The Filthy Habit," and the award-winning "Tales from a Safe Distance," which lead the new era of streaming original opera film in the COVID era.

You may have seen Matt on Chicago television representing Chicago Parent magazine on ABC, WCIU, and more. He lives in Evanston with his wife, Northwestern voice professor Melissa Foster, and his daughter, eleven-year-old actress Viva Boresi.

Lisa Zilberman, piano Lisa Zilberman has been a member of the Music Institute’s piano faculty since 2000. She earned her master of music and bachelor of music degrees from DePaul University and studied at the Stolyarsky Music School in Odessa, Ukraine. She is a collaborative pianist at DePaul University, a Russian diction coach for Chicago Opera Theater, and an accompanist for Chicago Chorale.

THANK YOU! The Music Institute of Chicago gratefully acknowledges the following people and organizations for making this event possible.

FAMILIES IN CONCERT HOST COMMITTEE Kathy Nordmeyer, Renée Parquette, and Zal Usiskin

OUR GENEROUS RAFFLE DONORS Be Optimal Salon • Belgian Chocolatier Piron Bienen School of Music • Chicago Ballet Arts • Chicago Symphony Orchestra Downtown Evanston • Evanston Art Center • Evanston Dance Ensemble Evanston Symphony Orchestra • Teddy Kosof Salon Leonidas, Maitre Chocolatier • Kathy Nordmeyer • Renée Parquette Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

OUR FACULTY, STAFF, PERFORMERS, AND VOLUNTEERS A very special thanks to our amazing faculty, Families in Concert performers, their families, and all the staff and volunteers who have helped make this day special.

FAMILIES IN CONCERT DONORS The following list recognizes friends and supporters who contributed to Families in Concert 2023. We are grateful for gifts of all sizes to support our mission.

As of November 3, 2023 $5,000 - $10,000 Anonymous Renée Parquette* $1,000 -$4,999 Paul Abersold, in honor of Claire Aebersold Neiweem Linda Goldstein, in honor of Dr. Soo Young Lee Courtney Holohan* and Wesley Mueller, in honor of Sarah Montzka Alexandra C. Nichols* Barbara and Peter Sereda* Lee Anne* and Richard Stoddart Scott* and Areta Verschoor, in honor of Dr. Soo Young Lee $500 - $999 Jennifer and Robin Bienemann, in honor of the Families in Concert Leadership Audra Wilson* $250-$499 Anonymous Ann Treadway and Dennis Arouca, in honor of Shelley Kiefer Riva Branch Mark George* and Elizabeth Calihan Libby and Bill Graham Matthew Hagle Jennifer Hanson Eleanor Husman Jennifer Ko Suzanne Lavin, in honor of Bianca D'Avila Do Prado Candice Lawler, in honor of Dr. Ching-yun (Cloudia) Huang Jeanne Mueller, in honor of Patrick O'Malley Marcia Slomomitz, in honor of Nina Wallenberg

Sarah Tepper David* and Eileen Zampa Cecile Zhang, in honor of Matt Hagle and Horacio Contreras $100 - $249 Anonymous (3) Anonymous, in honor of the Abraham family Emily Abraham, in honor of Noralyn Baroja, Avi Friedlander, Philip Lee, Dorothy Jean Lloyd, and Julia Wen Christine Aznavoorian Susan Bridge Elaine Felder Todd Florin, in honor of Avi Friedlander Erin Fusco, in honor of Lisa Zilberman Bela Glantsman Elizabeth Gross, in honor of Erica Anderson and Barbara Drapcho Camille Mathes Kathy Nordmeyer Devvora Papatheodorou Schreier Vikram Raghavan* Kathryn Schoenbrod, in honor of Milana Pavchinskaya Cynthia Soledad Lynn Vogl Weifang Wang $1 - $99 Anonymous (3) Mira Ahn Erica Anderson Ann Chang Lisa Bishoff Cornell Chris Hasselbring Peiqing Liang * MIC Trustee

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

THE MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

TRUSTEES

leads people toward a lifelong engagement with music through unparalleled teaching, exceptional performances, and valuable service initiatives that educate, inspire, and build strong, healthy communities.

Scott Verschoor, Chair Alexandra C. Nichols, Chair Emerita Timothy J. Patenode, Treasurer Barbara Sereda, Secretary Lee Anne Stoddart, Vice Chair Carlos R. Cárdenas, CPA Hans Germann Daniel Hahn Courtney Holohan Kay Mabie Yana Nedvetsky Renée Parquette Vikram Raghavan Jim Stone Ross Updegraff Zalman Usiskin Audra Wilson David Zampa Florian Zettelmeyer Tao Zhu

LIFE TRUSTEES John J. Berwanger Mitzi Freidheim Brooks Morgan Rachel Barton Pine Betsey L. Puth Priscilla F. Richman William N. Topaz

EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEES Jennifer Koh Nina Kraus Christopher Rintz Deborah F. Rutter

Since its founding in 1931, the Music Institute’s commitment to innovation, access, and excellence has served as an important community resource and helps to ensure music is available to everyone.

Each year, the Music Institute provides personalized music instruction to more than 2000 students, regardless of age, level of experience, or financial means, across eight Community Music School locations in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Winnetka, as well as online.

In addition, the Music Institute brings music education, arts curriculum integration, professional development, and music performance and engagement opportunities to thousands in the Chicago area; offers scholarship opportunities to students in its Community School and its Academy, a nationally recognized training center for highly gifted precollege pianists and string players; and welcomes thousands of visitors annually for performances, master classes, and special events at Nichols Concert Hall.

For more information: musicinst.org • 847.905.1500

S E A S O N S P O N S O R S

NICHOLS CONCERT HALL 2023-2024 The Music Institute of Chicago is grateful to all its funders and partners, whose generous support helps us to entertain, inspire, and educate through live music performed by both new emerging artists and the most established artists of our time.

Special thanks to these annual institutional funders: Thomas W. Dower Foundation, Paul Galvin Memorial Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Irving Harris Foundation, ITW, Neguanee Foundation, John D. & Alexandra C. Nichols Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Sargent Family Foundation, and many others.

We acknowledge the generous support of the Illinois Arts Council Agency as well as the support of the Highland Park Community Foundation and the Evanston Arts Council, a city agency supported by the City of Evanston; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Thank you to our technical sponsor

This program is partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Sponsorship opportunities range from concerts and performances, to the annual Gala, special capital projects, and community engagement initiatives. For more information contact the Development Office: 847.448.8323.

We believe that everyone deserves the chance to be musical.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC EDUCATION? • Providing an outlet for creative expression • Building practice skills, concentration, and confidence • Benefitting from individualized learning and mentorship • Offering a chance to excel outside of academics or the workplace • Making lifelong friends and memories • Increasing an appreciation for music and the arts The Music Institute of Chicago has been providing children and adults with high-quality music education for almost a century.

With 7 campus locations and over 150 highly qualified teachers teaching more than 40 instruments, we have the honor of turning thousands of students into music makers every year.

EVERY GIFT YOU MAKE IS A GIFT OF MUSIC FOR ANOTHER STUDENT. micfamilies.swell.gives