Academy Fellows Perform in Master Class Series at Harris Theater

The Music Institute of Chicago is proud to be a part of a new collaboration with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) and the Harris Theater.  This year CMS, the nation’s premier ensemble for chamber music, begins a three-year annual concert series and residency at the Harris Theater presenting its first-ever Chicago-based performance series.  In addition to three concert series performances this season, CMS has partnered with the Harris Theater and The Music Institute of Chicago to provide master class opportunities to some of Chicago’s finest young musicians, MIC's Academy Fellows.

Scenes From the January 26, 2012 Master Class

Academy Fellowship recipients will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform for and learn from CMS artists, considered by many to be the world’s most esteemed and influential classical musicians.

The first master class session was Thursday, January 26 at the Harris Theater.  Pianist Kate Liu worked with Wu Han; David Finckel worked with cellist Johannes Gray; and David Shifrin worked with violinists Laura Park, Alexandra Switala, Gallia Kastner, and Kelly Talim. All six Academy fellows also took part in a combined master class with Han, Finckel and Shifrin.  Additional master classes with other CMS artists and Academy fellows are scheduled for March 20 and May.

CMS Artistic Director David Finckel remarked, “The new partnership between the Harris Theater and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is promising and visionary, setting new standards for artistic collaboration. It is a unique venture that allows CMS to share programs and ensembles, assembled for devoted listeners at Lincoln Center, with the exciting and growing audience of the Harris Theater.” Artistic Director Wu Han added, “It's about making new friends, hearing new sounds, enlarging the musical worlds of all involved. We could not be more thrilled to be welcomed into Chicago's thriving musical scene, especially with one of the world's most innovative, inclusive and visionary venues as our host.”

The concert series opened Friday, January 27, 2012 at 7:30 pm with a program of clarinet trios featuring CMS Artistic Directors cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, recently named Musical America’s 2012 “Musicians of the Year.” The pair performed with former CMS Artistic Director and renowned clarinetist David Shifrin.

More About MIC Academy Fellows
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