Music Institute of Chicago Presents Peter Seidenberg Tonight

The Music Institute of Chicago welcomes alumnus and cellist Peter Seidenberg, with pianist Hui-Mei Lin, for a performance tonight, November 16 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

The program features Little Suite, a world premiere written for this performance by composer and fellow Music Institute alumnus David Macdonald. Seidenberg and Lin also perform Stravinsky's Suite Italienne, Dvorak's Silent Woods, Dvorak's Rondo, Britten's Solo Suite No. 1, and Louise Beach's Song for a Maiden Voyage.

Peter Seidenberg, who began his studies at age six with Nell Novak of the Music Center of the North Shore (now the Music Institute of Chicago), has performed throughout Europe, the U.S., and Asia. He made his solo debut in 1983 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has since appeared as soloist with Century Orchestra of Osaka (four years as principal cellist), New American Chamber Orchestra, De Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Soloists, and the Eastman-Rochester Philharmonic. He was a founding member of the Elements String Quartet and has played with members of the Cleveland, Tokyo, Juilliard, and Emerson Quartets. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master's degree from the New England Conservatory, both with the highest honors. He is currently cellist for the Oracle Trio, the Queen's Chamber Band, and the New York Chamber Soloists.

Hui-Mei Lin, a native of Taiwan, received her bachelor's degree from the Hartt School of Music, earned the William Petchek full scholarship to the master's program at the Juilliard School, then received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. She made her New York solo debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as the winner of the Artists International Competition, and she has toured to Italy, Canada, and various cities in Taiwan. She is on faculty at the Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

David Macdonald holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Manhattan School of Music, an M.F.A. from SUNY Purchase, and a B.A. from St. John's College. He is a co-director of the Locrian Chamber Players contemporary music ensemble. Commissioners of his music include The Elements Quartet, The Queen's Chamber Band, the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet, and Zero Gravity. His works have been performed by The Chappaqua Orchestra, by Collegium Westchester, on The Hartford Commissions Concert (in Merkin Hall), by Genealogies (in Rock Hall, Philadelphia), by The OWU NOW festival (Ohio), and on recitals in Chicago, Santa Fe, Israel, and Taiwan. He regularly contributes music to productions of The Actors' Company Theater in New York. He teaches at The Manhattan School of Music in the Theory and Composition Departments and is the director of music at Pleasantville Presbyterian Church in Pleasantville, New York.

Other highlights of the Music Institute's 2013-14 season include a triple bill of Quintet Attacca, Axiom Brass, and Music Institute President and CEO Mark George on piano March 1; pianist Inna Faliks May 3; and organist Nathan Laube May 17.

Music Institute of Chicago

The Music Institute of Chicago believes that music has the power to sustain and nourish the human spirit; therefore, its mission is to provide the foundation for lifelong engagement with music. Founded in 1931, the Music Institute has grown to become one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation. Offering musical excellence built on the strength of its distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Each year, the Music Institute's teachers and arts therapists reach thousands of students and clients of all ages and levels of experience. The Music Institute opened a new location this fall at Fourth Presbyterian Church's Gratz Center in downtown Chicago. Other Music Institute locations include Evanston, Winnetka, Lincolnshire, Lake Forest, and Downers Grove. In addition, the Music Institute is proud of its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools through its Arts Link program. The Music Institute offers lessons and classes, creative arts therapy, and concerts through its Community School, Academy, Institute for Therapy? through the Arts, and Nichols Concert Hall.

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