Community music school The Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) has announced that seven of their students will participate in the Chicago Youth in Music Festival, a biennial celebration including young musicians from Chicago and around the world, Jan. 14 – Feb. 4, 2013. The Chicago Youth in Music Festival is a collaboration between the Institute for Learning, Access, and Training at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago's music education organizations. In addition to gaining valuable orchestral experience, students will learn about the values expressed by the CSO's Citizen Musician initiative.
MIC’s participants are Tess Krope (Chicago), violin student of Marko Dreher; Nathan Walhout (Wheaton), cello student of Gilda Barston; Richard Li (Bolingbrook), cello student of Gilda Barston and Hans Jorgen Jensen; and Aaron Kollasch (Naperville), cello student of David Cunliffe, were chosen after a selective audition process. Kitsho Hosotani (Wilmette), violin student of Paul Vanderewerf, and Mira Williams (Chicago), viola student of Marko Dreher, have also been selected to participate in the Festival Orchestra. Tess Krope also will serve as Assistant Concertmaster
In addition, MIC student March Saper (Chicago), flute student of Meret Bitticks, was named a Student Ambassador. Ambassadors will welcome Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) members, participate in a workshop with YOA and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago about citizen musicianship, assist with production of community-based events, and attend the Festival’s culminating event Feb. 4 at Orchestra Hall.
The MIC students are part of the approximately 65-member Festival Orchestra comprised of Chicago-area high school students and select members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. The celebration also includes mentors from the Civic Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA), an international guest youth ensemble.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Music Director Riccardo Muti, YOA music director Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Civic Orchestra principal conductor Cliff Colnot are providing artistic leadership for the 2013 Festival.
The festival kicks off with an open rehearsal led by Muti on Monday, Jan. 14. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the Orchestra will join YOA members for a public reading session under the direction of Prieto. Each of these events will be at Orchestra Hall and are free and open to the public.
MIC will host a free and open to the public Festival event on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 11 am-12:15 pm at its Highland Park campus, 1991 Sheridan Rd. MIC's Academy director James Setapen will conduct the Academy strings and YOA musicians will perform in a side-by-side chamber orchestra reading session. Afterwards, YOA and community leaders will hold a panel discussion about how young people can become cultural entrepreneurs in their own communities.
The Festival will conclude with "A Celebration of Youth in Music", a free public performance under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto, on Monday, Feb. 4 at 8 pm at Orchestra Hall.
For more information about the MIC participants and Highland Park concert, please visit musicinst.org. A complete listing of Festival events is available at cso.org.
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