Duo Piano Fest Features Award-Winning Artists

The Music Institute of Chicago celebrates the 35th anniversary season of its Chicago Duo Piano Festival featuring four concerts and two master classes July 7-16 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. In addition, pianists age eight and older may apply to participate in the festival's education program, directed by Festival Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem and Program Director Katherine Lee. Registration is available at musicinst.org/cdpf23; deadline is June 1.

Said Neiweem, "Throughout the years, we have presented many of the world's most noted duos: Anderson and Roe, Tal and Groethuysen, the Paratore and Contiguglia Brothers, to name a few. Our competitions have helped foster the careers of many young duos."

"I'm especially proud of all the friendships and partnerships that have been formed through the festival," said Aebersold, "and how many students have returned faithfully during the years. Our festival has commissioned important new works for piano duo and achieved a truly international status."

The schedule of events taking place at Nichols Concert Hall and via livestream follows:

Gala Opening Concert
Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem: "Bringer of Jollity"
Friday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Festival Co-Founders and Music Institute Piano Duo in Residence Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem kick off the Festival's 35th anniversary season with celebratory works for four hands by Schubert, Brahms, Holst, Richard Strauss, Chabrier, Milhaud, and Ravel.Guest Duo Master Class
Inna Faliks and Daniel Schlosberg
Sunday, July 9 at 1 p.m.

Guest Duo Concert
Inna Faliks and Daniel Schlosberg: Mahler's Symphony No. 6
Sunday, July 9 at 4 p.m.
The program includes the complete Symphony No. 6 by Mahler, arranged for piano four hands by Alexander Zemlinsky.

Inna Faliks, an alumna of the Music Institute, has performed thousands of recitals and concerts throughout the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Daniel Schlosberg has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as featured soloist and in numerous chamber music concerts.

Guest Duo Concert
Duo Amadeae: Gershwin's An American in Paris
Friday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Duo Amadeae-Esther Park and Sun-A Park-perform "Americana!," a program that includes a new arrangement of Gershwin's An American in Paris by Logan Skelton.

Duo Amadeae was the first prize winner and recipient of the Director's Award at the Music Institute's Chicago International Duo Piano Competition in 2016. Esther Park has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States as well as Asia and major European cities. Sun-A Park is an enthusiastic chamber musician, solo recitalist, and orchestral collaborator and has earned top prizes at international competitions.

Guest Duo Master Class
Duo Amadeae: Esther and Sun-A Park
Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m.

Called a "duo piano mecca" by Pioneer Press, the world-renowned Chicago Duo Piano Festival was founded in 1988 by Music Institute of Chicago faculty members and piano duo in residence Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem. Its mission is to foster a deeper interest in the repertoire, performance, and teaching of music for piano, four hands and two pianos, in a fun and supportive atmosphere. The Festival offers summer and winter events, which include coachings, master classes, concerts with special guest artists, and student recitals for students youth through adult. In addition, the festival organizes periodic duo piano competitions that draw young professionals from around the world.

Faculty Concert
Tuesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Music Institute piano faculty perform a mixed program of works for piano duo. Performers include Elaine Felder and Milana Pavchinskaya, Inah Chiu and Sung Hoon Mo, Louise Chan and Susan Tang, Maya Brodotskaya and Olga Ulitsky, Xiaomin Liang and Jue He, Marie Alatalo and Weiwen Ma, and Matthew Hagle and Mio Isoda-Hagle.

The 35th anniversary Chicago Duo Piano Festival takes place July 7-16 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

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