95th Anniversary Gala
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
120 East Delaware Place
Chicago, IL 60611
United States
The Music Institute of Chicago hosts its 95th Anniversary Gala on Monday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. at The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 East Delaware Place. Event highlights include the presentation of the prestigious Dushkin Award to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Cultural Visionary Award for Chicago to Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra, and the Colburn Award for Teaching Excellence to Marta Aznavoorian.
Learn more about this year's gala!
Honorary Chair is Alexandra C. Nichols, and Gala Co-Chairs are Carlos R. Cardenas and Shiraz Kotte. Proceeds from the Gala support excellence in teaching and performance at the Music Institute, upholding a standard and tradition that has evolved and thrived for nearly a century, and provide the single-largest source of funds for scholarships and merit-based aid, tuition-free community engagement, and neighborhood-based service activities. Each year the Music Institute positively impacts thousands of individuals of all ages and backgrounds from more than 100 Illinois communities and scores of Chicago neighborhoods.
The evening begins with a private cocktail reception, followed by an elegant dinner featuring performances by Music Institute students and faculty and a ceremony honoring the 2026 award recipients, all celebrating the Music Institute’s vision of cultivating a lifelong relationship with music for everyone. In honor of Dushkin Award recipient Lyric Opera of Chicago, baritone Finn Sagal, rising star and esteemed artist of Lyric’s Ryan Opera Center, performs with Grammy Award-winning pianist and Ryan Opera Center Music Director Craig Terry.
Established more than 30 years ago to honor the memory of the Music Institute’s visionary founders, Dorothy and David Dushkin, the Dushkin Award recognizes international luminaries in the world of music for their contributions to the art form as well as to the education of youth. Previous award honorees include Paquito d’Rivera, Marcus Roberts, Marin Alsop, Hilary Hahn, Zubin Mehta, Wynton Marsalis, Stephen Sondheim, Maestro Riccardo Muti, Yo-Yo Ma, and many others.
Your support makes life-changing scholarships and transformative music education possible!