The Akropolis Reed Quintet was founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan and is the first-ever ensemble of its makeup to win a Fischoff Gold Medal (2014) as well as the Grand Prize at the Plowman and MTNA national competitions. Hailed by Fanfare Magazine for its “imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality,” Akropolis has performed from Juneau to Abu Dhabi and has showcased at five national conferences. On …

Over its 25 years, the Orion Ensemble has been called one of the best and most steadfast chamber music ensembles in Chicago. Every season, the members of the group craft programs for audiences to experience the intimacy and magical collaborations that are the hallmark of great chamber music. Concerts in November 2018 featured a rarely heard work by Carl Frühling, …

Since its founding in 1983 under the name His Majestie’s Clerkes, Bella Voce has delivered its unique, disciplined choral performances to audiences in Chicago and environs. The name comes from the Italian for “beautiful voice.” For over thirty years, Bella Voce has cultivated the living tradition of choral music from the earliest chant to contemporary creations. For the 2018 holiday season, the …

The St. Charles Singers, founded in 1984, is a group of 40 professional musicians under the direction of Jeff Hunt. Recognized for their sublime interpretation of choral classics, the singers strive for excellence in every performance, sing with passion and demonstrate a sincere desire to create beauty, and connect with their audience. The 2018 “Candlelight Carols” program featured world premieres …

Founded in 2003, Camerata Chicago is a chamber orchestra equally at home in intimate settings as well as in larger chamber music venues, performing the rich tapestry of diverse chamber orchestral repertoire that includes newly commissioned works. Musicians and choristers presented the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Magnificat in Camerata Chicago’s Sacred Music Series in November 2018.

Wicker Park Choral Singers has quickly grown from a grassroots effort in the spring of 2008 to an established performing arts ensemble in the Chicago area, with repertoire ranging from Renaissance motets to contemporary works of today’s foremost composers. Its approximately forty members are passionate about making world-class choral music accessible to the community, and are committed to producing concerts that …

For 25 years, Chicago a cappella has created a tradition of holiday programs that contain songs you generally won’t hear anywhere else, in combinations that both calm the spirit and inspire the heart. The 2018 edition of “Holidays a cappella” honored the past, cherished the present, and looked forward to the future. Several selections featured composers and arrangers whose work …

Originally from Mexico City, Iván Reséndiz began his study of classical guitar at the age of sixteen. He has performed around the world in events such as competitions, university courses, and concerts. Reséndiz was chosen to represent Mexico as one of the ten international finalists in the World Guitar Competition in April 2012 in Serbia. Since 2011, he has directed …

From the heaven-storming timpani of the opening chorus, the Bach’s Christmas Oratorio unfolds with moving arias and inspiring chorales — performed with the power and passion by Chicago’s Music of the Baroque.

Pianist Joseph Kingma is quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso in the grand style. Known for both the beauty of his sound and the emotional intensity of his performances, he garners invitations from orchestras and performing venues across the country. Kingma was the first prize winner of the American Liszt Society’s inaugural Franz Liszt International Piano Competition held at …

Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque and the KAIA String Quartet, a rising star among American chamber ensembles, performed music from their new album on October 24, 2018, at the Old Town School of Folk Music. They presented works by Latin American masters, from Astor Piazzolla to Eduardo Angulo and Leo Brouwer, from Afro-Cuban to tango, from the Caribbean and Mexico to …

Under the direction of internationally acclaimed British conductor Jane Glover, Music of the Baroque occupies a special place in the rich cultural life of Chicago. Long recognized as one of the region’s top classical groups, MOB’s professional chorus and orchestra is one of the leading ensembles in the country devoted to the performance of eighteenth-century works. In September 2018, MOB’s …

Recognized as one of Chicago’s finest chamber music groups, the Orion Ensemble has been performing since 1992. With the possibilities inherent in its unique combination of instruments — piano, string trio and clarinet —  Orion offers exciting interpretations of standard repertoire, introduces audiences to rarely performed masterpieces, and inspires composers with commissions for new works. The ensemble opened its 2018/29 …

Grand prize winners of the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Callisto Quartet was formed in 2016 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, bringing together four dedicated and passionate musicians who share a love for chamber music. The quartet was a prizewinner at the 2018 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and is the only American quartet selected to …

Chicago a cappella opened their 25th anniversary season with a musical tribute to their home city titled “Chicago, Chicago.” Multi-Emmy winner Geoffrey Baer of WTTW served as narrator alongside vivid projections illustrating Chicago’s past and present. Prepared by Principal Music Director John William Trotter, the 10-voice ensemble guided audiences through a Chicago time capsule.

Named “Orchestra of the Year” an unprecedented four times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras and winner of a 2010 Elgin Image Award, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra is now in its 67th season. The orchestra is respected for exceptional performances, innovative education programs, and community outreach initiatives. The ESO’s 2018-19 season opened with a program led by Music Director Andrew …

In August 2018, Access Contemporary Music presented the third annual Thirsty Ears Festival, Chicago’s only classical music street festival. It featured two days of stellar soloists and ensembles, alongside craft beer, food trucks, vendor booths and kid-friendly activities. Pianist Ariella Mak-Neiman presented a program including music of Bach, Debussy, and Brahms. Members of the Chicago-based Ursa Ensemble played Schubert’s Violin Sonatina …

Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices, over the past two decades the Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. The members of the quartet live in Bloomington, Indiana, where they serve as quartet-in-residence and full-time faculty members at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. This past summer, the …

With a celebrated career encompassing five decades, Pinchas Zukerman reigns as one of today’s most sought after and versatile musicians – violin and viola soloist, conductor, and chamber musician.  He is renowned as a virtuoso, admired for the expressive lyricism of his playing, singular beauty of tone, and impeccable musicianship, which can be heard throughout his discography of over 100 …

Founded in 1996, the Chicago Chamber Choir is passionately committed to creating a moving experience for audiences by performing exceptional choral music that celebrates the unlimited power of the human voice. The choir’s 40 singers come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are professional musicians, others are teachers, and still others have careers in fields as diverse as law and medicine. They are …

Pianist Jorge Federico Osorio has been lauded throughout the world for his superb musicianship, powerful technique, vibrant imagination, and deep passion. Highly revered in his native Mexico, Osorio resides in the Chicago area, where he serves on the faculty at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. He performed a wide-ranging recital on July 26, 2018, at Ravinia’s Martin Theater. Osorio’s  …

Violinist Miriam Fried and friends took the stage at Ravinia’s Martin Theatre to perform a program of chamber works by Mozart and Schubert. The program from June 28, 2018, marked the 30th anniversary of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, the conservatory at America’s oldest summer music festival. Each season, talented young musicians from around the world come together at RSMI to make music …

Founded in the fall of 1990, the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians features six of the most highly accomplished musicians in the Chicago area, including principal members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago orchestra. The ensemble’s expansive repertoire, ranging from historically informed performances of Baroque classics to contemporary works by local composers, has consistently garnered high praise and recognition. Hear the Rembrandt Chamber …

Opening night of the 2018 North Shore Chamber Music Festival at Northbrook’s Village Presbyterian Church was titled “Chopin in Paris.” The concert on June 13 featured a chamber version of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto. The performers were William Wolfram, piano; Vadim Gluzman and Lisa Shihoten, violins; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Ani Aznavoorian, cello.

During the 2017/18 season, the Pilgrim Chamber Players presented a concert of mostly Baroque music for the first time. Harpsichordist Jory Vinikour was joined by musicians who are Baroque specialists performing Bach’s great Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and a Trio Sonata. Vinikour presented a mini recital of harpsichord solos by the French composer Jean Philippe Rameau. The program also included a rarely heard …