Schedule of ticketed Events

JANUARY 2026

Ballaké Sissoko (Mali) & Derek Gripper (South Africa)
presented by worldclassmusic.live
Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30 PM
Ballaké Sissoko is the greatest kora virtuoso in the world with an ability to unlock every possible nuance on the instrument. Derek Gripper is changing the face of classical guitar and charting its very first African repertoire. 

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Ballaké Sissoko (Mali) & Derek Gripper (South Africa)
presented by worldclassmusic.live
Thursday, January 29 at 7:30 PM
Ballaké Sissoko is the greatest kora virtuoso in the world with an ability to unlock every possible nuance on the instrument. Derek Gripper is changing the face of classical guitar and charting its very first African repertoire. 

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FEBRUARY 2026

Apollo's Fire:  Winter Sparks from Bach & Vivaldi
Wednesday, February 4 at 7:30 PM
In this cozy winter program, Apollo’s Fire and Jeannette Sorrell set sparks flying in virtuoso works of J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, and more. Alan Choo and Susanna Perry Gilmore dazzle in Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins. Kathie Stewart takes the spotlight in a fiery chamber performance of Bach’s Orchestral Suite no. 2, while Debra Nagy is featured in a lively Vivaldi oboe concerto. Cellist HyunKun Cho steals the thunder in Marais’ famous Sonnerie de Sainte Geneviève, an imaginative showpiece evoking the sounds of church bells in Paris.

PRE-CONCERT CONVERSATION with oboist Debra Nagy, hosted by Robbie Ellis, 45 minutes before each performance.

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Chicago Duo Piano Winter Mini-fest: Faculty Concert
Friday, February 27 at 7:00 PM
Enjoy a concert of piano music for duo piano featuring MIC's award-winning piano faculty. The annual Chicago Duo Piano Festival Winter Mini-Fest kicks off with a special concert. Featuring: Inah Chiu and Sung Hoon Mo; Marie Alatalo and Daniel Baer; Elaine Felder and Milana Pavchinskaya; Xiao Min Liang and Yumi Kim; Soo Lee and Jeongmin Lee; and Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem performing works by Mozart, William Hirtz, Ned Rorem, Glück, Khatchaturian, and Liszt.

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MARCH 2026

One Composer, One Community Celebrates: Manuel María Ponce
Friday, March 3 at 7:30 PM 
Over the course of the academic year, students and teachers from across the Music Institute of Chicago will study and perform works by Ponce, culminating with a free, public concert.

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Rembrandt Chamber Musicians: The Trout with Henry Kramer and Sam Shuhan
Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 PM
Rembrandt Chamber Musicians welcomes renowned guest artists Henry Kramer, piano, and Sam Shuhan, double bass, for a program of lush Romantic masterpieces. The evening begins with Fauré’s dramatic and tender Piano Quartet in C minor, a work of lyrical elegance and emotional depth. Schubert’s beloved “Trout” Quintet follows, brimming with charm, warmth, and the composer’s signature melodic brilliance.

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Orion Ensemble
Sunday, March 15 at 7:30 PM
The Orion performs Beethoven's Trio in B-flat Major for clarinet, cello, and piano, Anton Arensky's Trio in D minor for violin, cello, and piano, and a new composition by composer Ephraim Champion.

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APRIL 2026

Friday, April 17 at 7:30 PM
Apollo's Fire: O Jeruselem! Crossroad of Three Faiths
Performed to full houses in New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Chicago, and Cleveland, “O Jerusalem!” is a colorful, uplifting, and timely program for our time – a loving exploration of the three peoples whose music and faith brought such vibrancy to the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

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Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 PM
Civitas Ensemble: For the Future
Join Civitas Ensemble for an exciting concert featuring the World Premiere of Quartet for a New Tomorrow, written by composer Jim Stephenson and featuring CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson. Stick around after the performance for a post-concert reception to meet the musicians and mingle with other guests!

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Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 PM
Chicago a cappella: Building American Pop
Step into a musical time capsule as we revisit the Brill Building era of the 1950s and ’60s with narrator Geoffrey Baer. These catchy, heartfelt songs capture the joy of everyday life and still strike a chord today.

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MAY 2026

Sunday, May 10 at 7:30 PM
Orion Ensemble: with Stephen Boe, viola and Mathias Tacke, violin
Featuring music from Bach, Schumann and Poulenc.

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Friday, May 15 at 7:00 PM
Rembrandt Chamber Musicians: Glinka Sextet w/ Marta Aznavoorian
Rembrandt Chamber Musicians will present an evening of vibrant and lyrical masterpieces, beginning with Glinka’s Grand Sextet in E-flat, featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Marta Aznavoorian. The program continues with Dvořák’s radiant String Quintet in G Major, a work brimming with warmth, charm, and Bohemian spirit. Together, these two works showcase the ensemble’s artistry and passion for bringing timeless chamber music to life.

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PAST PERFORMANCES...

September 2025

worldclassmusic.live presents: Goran Ivanovic, guitar (Croatia)
Wednesday, September 24 at 8:00 PM
Goran Ivanovic, Croatia's guitar master makes his first solo Chicagoland shows in 5 years! Goran Ivanovic is a genre-defying artist whose original compositions draw from a rich tapestry of influences — classical, Balkan, cinematic soundtracks and contemporary harmonic language. His music is rooted in the acoustic tradition, yet constantly evolving, blending intricate fingerstyle technique with deeply emotional storytelling.

Chicago a capella presents: ¡Cantaré!
Sunday, September 28 at 3:00 PM
Hear dynamic new works by Mexican composers—commissioned through Chicago a capella's ¡Cantaré! program and brought to life by their ensemble of ten singers. Pack your (musical) bags and head to Mexico to enjoy songs showcasing the vibrant voices of this beautiful country. 

Orion Ensemble with special guest: Stephen Boe, viola
Sunday, September 28 at 7:30 PM
The Orion Ensemble opens its 33rd season with a concert of fantastic chamber music joined by guest violist Stephen Boe. Featuring works by: Mozart, Huydts, and Brahms.

October 2025

Apollo's Fire presents: Purcell's Dido & Aeneas
Saturday, October 4 at 7:30 PM
Dido and Aeneas, the ancient Roman myth of love and betrayal, was recounted 2000 years ago in Virgil’s Aeneid – and still resonates today. The Trojan hero Aeneas lands on the shores of Carthage, where the beautiful and proud Queen Dido reigns. Just after winning her love, Aeneas suddenly departs – summoned by the gods. Was it destiny or betrayal? No composer has evoked this question with more poignancy than Henry Purcell, whose renowned 17th-century opera Dido & Aeneas is a gem of the baroque repertoire. The program includes sparkling instrumental dances from Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy-Queen.

Rembrandt Chamber Musicians present: Beethoven Septet
Sunday, October 5 at 7:00 PM
Rembrandt Chamber Musicians present an evening of vivid storytelling and classical charm. The program features Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20, Strauss’s playful Till Eulenspiegel Einmal Anders!, and Mozart’s Clarinet Quartet in B-flat Major. From elegance to mischief to romantic drama, this concert promises a rich and engaging musical journey.

Featuring: John Macfarlane, violin; Carol Cook, viola; Austin Fisher, cello; Alex Horton, double bass; Heesoo Kim, clarinet; William Buchman, bassoon; Fritz Foss, horn

worldclassmusic.live presents: Damir Imamovic Trio (Bosnia)
Saturday, October 11 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, October 12 at 6:00 PM

NOVEMBER 2025

Fall Fundraiser Concert
Sunday, November 2 at 3:00 PM
Don't miss a special afternoon including performances by MIC faculty, current students, and alumni, culminating with a community sing. Plus, enjoy conversation, sweet treats, family-friendly festivities and more - all in support of scholarship and financial aid at the Music Institute of Chicago.

Orion Ensemble with special guests: Stephen Boe, viola and Mathias Tacke, violin
Sunday, November 2 at 7:30 PM
The Orion Ensemble continues its chamber music series with a program featuring works by Joseph Haydn, Phillip Glass, and Arthur Bliss.

worldclassmusic.live presents: Lily Henley
Thursday, November 6 at 8:00 PM
When singer, fiddler, and songwriter Lily Henley set out to make an album of Sephardic Jewish ballads set to new melodies, she was looking for her own way to interpret a critically endangered tradition. On Oras Dezaoradas, Henley highlights the Ladino language, a threatened tongue that fuses old Spanish with Hebrew, Arabic, and Turkish elements that is spoken by less than 100,000 people in the world today. Known for her expressive songwriting, gifted fiddling, and bell-like vocals, Henley brings new life to these songs and the independent female characters in them—drawing from a well so deep that disparate listeners all feel a connection to their own heritage.

Nichols Concert Hall presents:  Matthew Hagle, piano
Saturday, November 8 at 7:30 PM
Jesters and Gargoyles: Humor, Imagination, and Virtuosity in the Piano Repertoire
What happens when a great composer’s imagination takes a strange turn? Each of the works on this program has a streak of humor, oddity, or capriciousness in its makeup, turning the structure and discipline of traditional classical forms and styles on its head. The wily and surprising humor of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 16 in G Major leads to a more chaotic picture in Bartok’s Suite Op. 14 and Alkan’s Le Festin d’Esope, finishing with Chopin’s intense and exciting Scherzi. 

DECEMBER 2025

worldclassmusic.live and The Freight present: The Arab Blues
Wednesday, December 3 at 8:00 PM
The Arab Blues traces an innovative and ecstatic trajectory between the call of tradition and the response of the diaspora. The basis of their art is the Turath, the canon of classical Middle Eastern compositions and improvisational techniques! Rami Gabriel plays guitar, oud and buzuq, while Karim Nagi plays riqq and tublah, at least. The Arab Blues is an original expression of immigrant artistry with passionate musicality and a revolutionary attitude.

Civitas Ensemble presents: Woodwinds in Winter
Friday, December 5, 2025 at 7:30 PM

JANUARY 2026

Rembrandt Chamber Musicians: Philippe Quint plays Chausson
Friday, January 16 at 7:00 PM
Internationally acclaimed violinist Philippe Quint and celebrated pianist Jessica Choe join Rembrandt Chamber Musicians for an unforgettable evening of French and Swiss masterworks. The program opens with Bloch’s evocative Three Nocturnes for piano trio, followed by Debussy’s sensual and spirited Violin Sonata in G minor. The concert culminates in Chausson’s richly expressive Concert for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, a tour de force of Romantic color and intensity.

Artists: Philippe Quint, violin; John Macfarlane, violin; Emily Nebel, violin; Carol Cook, viola; Calum Cook, cello; Jessica Choe, piano

23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Concert
Sunday, January 18 at 3:00 PM
This annual tribute to the historic American leader features performances by Music Institute students and community partners. This year's celebration includes a keynote address given by Dr. Jonathan Bailey Holland, dean of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, where he is also the Kay Davis Professor of Music.

The program also features Hearing in Color (with a world premiere composition by Abisola Toukourou) and their vocal ensemble Chroma, Evanston Children’s Choir, Reach Teach Play, Chicago Musical Pathways, and the Evanston Art Center, among others.

Chicago a capella presents: Holidays a capella
Saturday, December 13 at 7:30 PM
Warm up your holidays with songs that glow with the comfort of hearth and home. Enjoy a signature mix of cherished classics and rare discoveries—from frosty favorites to festive music from sunnier corners of the world.
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