Bienen School of Music subscription series are back

• Updated: February 16, 2023 – Álvaro Pierri 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 concert will be rescheduled for a future date.
• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

• Sir András Schiff (Oct. 9) is first of five artists to debut in Skyline Piano series
• Bandini-Chiacchiaretta Duo and Dalí Quartet debut March 11 in Segovia Guitar series
• Winter Chamber Music Festival debuts include Isidore String Quartet (Jan. 13) and Horszowski Trio (Jan. 20)
• Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel will return for 53rd season

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Eight Northwestern University debuts are in store for the 2022-23 season as the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music resumes its four guest artist subscription series showcasing a diverse lineup of talent from around the world.

Entering its seventh season, the Skyline Piano Artist Series (Oct. 9, 2022, to May 26, 2023) highlights pianistic virtuosity across six performances. Five of the six featured artists will make Northwestern debuts including the 2021 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize recipient Sir András Schiff and Yunchan Lim, the youngest ever gold medal recipient of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. 

The 26th Winter Chamber Music Festival (Jan. 6 to 22, 2023) takes audiences on a journey through past and present chamber music masterpieces over the course of three weekends. Artists debuting at Northwestern are double bassist Xavier Foley, performing with the Calidore String Quartet, Isidore String Quartet and the Horszowski Trio.

The Segovia Classical Guitar Series (Nov. 5, 2022 to April 8, 2023) features an array of global sounds from top musicians, this season augmenting its guitar offerings with performances on the lute and a string quartet appearance. Series highlights include a special program with the Bandini-Chiacchiaretta Duo and the Dalí Quartet celebrating the 102nd birthday of Astor Piazzolla.

Through his concerts with commentary, Jeffrey Siegel uncovers the inspiration behind piano masterpieces in a four-part Keyboard Conversations series (Sept. 30, 2022, to May 5, 2023).

Subscriptions for each of the four series are now on sale and may be purchased online at concertsatbienen.org, by phone at 847-467-4000 or in person at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive in Evanston, during ticket office hours.

Ticket office hours through Sept. 19 are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Beginning Sept. 20, ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Subscription series concerts are as follows:

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel

Sept. 30, 2022, to May 5, 2023
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston

The four-program series, entering its 53rd season on Chicago’s North Shore, features spirited performances and insightful commentary by Siegel.

Subscriptions for returning and new subscribers are available now; single tickets will be available starting Sept. 7.

The Power and Passion of Beethoven
7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, 2022

The program includes Beethoven’s early “Moonlight” Sonata and the late A-flat Major Sonata (Op.110), written after the composer had become completely deaf.

My Favorite Brahms
7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, 2022

Siegel presents a selection of passionate rhapsodies, charming waltzes and intimate intermezzos.

Musical Valentines
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, 2023

Love-inspired music of Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Mendelssohn is the focus of this pre-Valentine’s Day concert.

American Pianist Treasures
7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, 2023

Selections by American composers Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland and Gottschalk close out the 53rd season of Keyboard Conversations. 

Skyline Piano Artist Series

Oct. 9, 2022, to May 26, 2023
Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston

The six-concert series highlights dynamic artistry against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline. Five accomplished pianists make their Northwestern debuts this season including Sir András Schiff, Yunchan Lim, Angela Hewitt, Sara Davis Buechner and Stewart Goodyear.

Subscriptions for returning subscribers are available now; new subscriptions will be available starting Aug. 19; and single tickets will go on sale Sept. 16.

Sir András Schiff
3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022

A two-time Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Instrumental Soloist (without orchestra) and recipient of the Bienen School’s 2021 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance, Schiff is also the recipient of the International Mozarteum Foundation’s Golden Medal, Hungary’s Kossuth Prize, Germany’s Great Cross of Merit with Star, a Knighthood for Services to Music and an Honorary Doctorate from London’s Royal College of Music. Recitals and special cycles, including the complete works of Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Bartók, constitute an important part of his work. Founder of the chamber orchestra Capella Andrea Barca, Schiff also works closely with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. 

Yunchan Lim
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022

In June, at age 18, Yunchan Lim became the youngest-ever gold medalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, just three years after winning Korea’s IsangYun International Competition. He has performed across South Korea with the Korean Orchestra Festival, Korean Symphony, Suwon Philharmonic and Busan Philharmonic Orchestras. His inaugural tour as Cliburn winner will take him across four continents, with performance highlights including the Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society, Taipei’s National Concert Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as a recital tour in South America. His appearance in the Skyline Piano Artist Series marks his Chicago-area debut.

Angela Hewitt
7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

Angela Hewitt’s performances of the music of J.S. Bach have established her as one of the composer’s foremost interpreters in the present day. In 2020 she became the first woman to receive the City of Leipzig Bach Medal and was also awarded the Wigmore Hall Gold Medal, in recognition of her performances over the past 35 years in London’s prestigious chamber music venue. Conducting concertos from the piano, Hewitt has led the Toronto Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Copenhagen Philharmonic, among others. She was named Artist of the Year at the 2006 Gramophone Awards and Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2010 MIDEM Classical Awards at Cannes. Described as “one of the busiest pianists on earth” by London’s Evening Standard, Hewitt is founder and artistic director of the Trasimento Music Festival in Umbria, Italy, a music ambassador for “Orkidstra,” a Sistema-inspired social development program in Ottawa and serves as Chairman of the Jury (piano category) for the 2022 International Bach Competition in Leipzig. 

Sara Davis Buechner
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023

A Bronze Medalist at the 1986 Tschaikowsky Competition in Moscow and Gold Medalist at the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Sara Davis Buechner has appeared with top orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra. She has commissioned and premiered contemporary scores by such composers as Michael Brown, John Corigliano, Joaquín Nin-Culmell and Yukiko Nishimura. A proud transgender woman, Buechner appears as a speaker and performer at important LGBTQ+ events and has contributed interviews and articles about her own experience to numerous media outlets worldwide.

Yefim Bronfman
3 p.m. Sunday, April 2, 2023

Acclaimed for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings, 2010 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize winner Yefim Bronfman has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning in 1997 with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their recording of the three Bartók Piano Concerti. His prolific recording catalog includes two-piano works by Rachmaninoff and Brahms with Emanuel Ax, the complete Prokofiev concerti with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, a Schubert/Mozart disc with the Zukerman Chamber Players and the soundtrack to Disney’s “Fantasia 2000.” During the 2021-22 season he served as Artist-in-Residence with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

Stewart Goodyear
7:30 p.m. Friday, May 26, 2023

An accomplished concert pianist, improviser and composer, Stewart Goodyear received a Juno nomination for Best Classical Album for Soloist and Large Ensemble Accompaniment for his Rachmaninov recording. His recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” was selected by The New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015. Highlights of his 2021-22 season included debut performances at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and with Washington, DC’s National Symphony Orchestra.

Segovia Classical Guitar Series

Nov. 5, 2022, to April 8, 2023
Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston

This five-concert series, named for legendary guitar virtuoso Andrés Segovia, is entering its 29th season. Its 2022-23 programming features the Northwestern debuts of the Bandini-Chiacchiaretta Duo and the Dalí Quartet.

Subscriptions for returning subscribers are available now; new subscriptions will be available starting Aug. 19; and single tickets will go on sale Sept. 16.

Robert Barto
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022

A specialist in historical lute performance, Robert Barto was awarded first prize in the International Lute Competition in Toronto in 1984 and received the top instrumental soloist prize in the Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges, Belgium. Barto’s performances throughout Europe and North America have included recitals at the Festival of Flanders, the Utrecht Festival, Music Before 1800 in New York City and London’s Purcell Room. 

Berta Rojas
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022

Three-time Latin Grammy Award nominee Berta Rojas is the recipient of the National Order of Merit Don José Falcón and holds the title of Illustrious Ambassador of Musical Art to her home country of Paraguay. An associate professor at the Berklee College of Music, she is firmly committed to championing the music of the classical guitar, with a focus on the music of Paraguay and Latin America. Her latest album, “Legado,” was released in May.

Álvaro Pierri
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 -- NOTE: this concert will be rescheduled for a future date.

A two-time recipient of the Canadian Félix Award for Classical Album of the Year, Álvaro Pierri was awarded top prizes in the International Guitar Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the International Guitar Competition in Porto Alegre, Brazil; and the 18th International Competition in Paris. He has shared the stage with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra with Wojciech Rajski and the London Chamber Orchestra. 

Bandini-Chiacchiaretta Duo with the Dalí Quartet
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11, 2023

Guitarist Giampaolo Bandini and bandoneón player Cesare Chiacchiaretta formed a duo in 2002 with the aim of promoting the music of Argentina through two of its most representative instruments. They have performed in over 50 countries throughout the world, commissioning works by Leo Brouwer, Fernando Tavolaro and Maximo Diego Pujol. Joining the duo for a special program celebrating the 102nd birthday of Astor Piazzolla is the Dalí Quartet, silver medalist at the inaugural Piazzolla Music Competition and the recipient of Chamber Music America’s Guarneri String Quartet Residency.

Manuel Barrueco
7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, 2023

During his three decades of performing, Manuel Barrueco has appeared with major orchestras including the New World Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony. His international tours have taken him to such celebrated venues as London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie and Barcelona’s Palau de la Música, and his television appearances have included “CBS Sunday Morning,” A&E’s “Breakfast with the Arts” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” on PBS. Together with the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, he received a Latin Grammy Award for their performance of Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Inca Dances.” 

Winter Chamber Music Festival

Jan. 6 to 22, 2023
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston

The annual festival explores centuries of chamber music masterworks over the course of six performances in the month of January.

Subscriptions for returning subscribers are available now; new subscriptions will be available starting Aug. 19; and single tickets will go on sale Oct. 31. 

Calidore String Quartet with Xavier Foley, double bass
7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2023

The Calidore String Quartet is the recipient of a 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2017 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award and Grand Prize winner of the 2016 M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition. Highlights of their 2021-22 season included returns to Wigmore Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and debuts at the Library of Congress, 92nd Street Y and Harvard University as well as in The Hague and Antwerp. Joining the Calidore is double bassist Xavier Foley, a fellow Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and winner of the 2016 Young Concert Artist Auditions. Foley has appeared as soloist with the Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Sphinx Symphony and Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall. 

An Afternoon of Brahms
3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023

Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra present a selection of chamber music masterpieces concluding with Brahms’s celebrated Piano Quintet in F Minor. 

St. Lawrence String Quartet
7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2023

The Grammy Award-nominated St. Lawrence String Quartet’s 2021-22 season featured the premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s string octet “Ever Yours,” a collaborative work for string quartet and four “solo” string players. Other recent performance highlights include appearances with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony in John Adams’s “Absolute Jest” for string quartet and orchestra.

New Orford String Quartet
3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023

The New Orford String Quartet’s numerous honors include two Opus Awards for Concert of the Year and a 2017 Juno Award for Best Classical Album. Dedicated to promoting Canadian works, the quartet has performed major works by Glenn Gould, Sir Ernest MacMillan and Jacques Hétu and commissioned works by emerging composers including François Dompierre, Gary Kulesha and Airat Ichmouratov. Recent chamber music collaborations have included pianists Marc-André Hamelin and Menahem Pressler. 

Horszowski Trio
7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, 2023

Taking its inspiration from pianist Mieczysław Horszowski, who instructed the trio’s pianist Rieko Aizawa at the Curtis Institute, the trio’s repertoire includes music of Fauré, Granados, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Martinů and Villa-Lobos — composers who collaborated with Horszowski during his lifetime. The group has performed the complete cycles of piano trios by Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms and actively cultivates lesser-known masterworks from the trio repertoire by Arno Babajanian, Leonard Bernstein, Vincent d’Indy and Morton Feldman.

Jupiter String Quartet
3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023

The Jupiter String Quartet has received grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Their latest recording — a collaboration with the Jasper String Quartet featuring music of Dan Visconti, Felix Mendelssohn and Osvaldo Golijov — was released on the Marquis Classics label in 2021.