Anniversary Gala

Music Institute of Chicago's 2020 Anniversary Gala

Monday, April 20, 2020 - CANCELED

A message from President and CEO, Mark George

With deep concern and heavy hearts, we have followed the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In order to help reduce the spread of the virus and due to the multiple bans and restrictive guidelines from the State of Illinois and others, we have canceled our April 20 Gala. 

We are devastated that we will not be able to join with friends and families to benefit our talented students through the Gala this year. It is our largest and most important annual fundraiser and enables the Music Institute of Chicago to offer merit scholarships and need-based financial aid, as well as to support our outreach and service activities in Chicago and other communities.  

Music Connects, Music Heals

Unfortunately, canceling the Gala does not eliminate the needs of our young students and our community. The Music Institute of Chicago understands music’s remarkable ability to heal and connect and has continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 crisis, delivering lessons and classes through interactive videoconferencing. As we navigate our way forward, the necessity to physically isolate is one of the biggest challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presents. What we do know is that music truly feeds the soul and helps keep our hearts and minds healthy. We need it now more than ever.

With that in mind, we ask you to consider a donation to the 2020 Anniversary Gala as a fully-tax deductible contribution to the Music Institute of Chicago.  In these challenging and uncertain times, our young students need you to remain at our side more than ever before. To help us meet that responsibility, the Board of Trustees of the Music Institute of Chicago has created the Nichols COVID-19 Support Fund and Chair Emerita Alexandra Nichols has seeded the fund with a personal gift.

The Music Institute of Chicago would appreciate any support you could provide to this fund, especially if you had planned to support the Music Institute of Chicago Gala.

Thank you!

For more information, please contact Development Assistant Dipti Patel at 847.448.8347.

DUSHKIN AWARD
Evgeny Kissin

CULTURAL VISIONARY AWARD FOR CHICAGO
Helen Zell

RICHARD D. COLBURN AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE
Arlene and Abraham Stokman
 

The Music Institute of Chicago Anniversary Gala brings together 400 influential business, civic, and philanthropic leaders. Guests enjoy an elegant evening featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and dinner with musical performances by some of the Music Institute’s talented Community Music School students and award-winning students from the Music Institute’s Academy for gifted pre-college musicians.

This critical event raises over $800,000 to benefit the Music Institute of Chicago’s commitment to high-level music education, scholarship and financial aid programs, and extensive outreach programs in the City of Chicago through ArtsLink.

Each year, the prestigious Dushkin Award, named for the Music Institute’s visionary founders, Dorothy and David Dushkin, is presented in recognition of an international luminary in the world of music for their contributions to the art form, as well as to the education of youth.