Ravinia 2023 Issue 6

GRITTANI (LINCOLN TRIO); PATRICK GIPSON/RAVINIA (STEANS TRIO); DONNA CONVERSANO (BOSTON BRASS); KYLE DUNLEAVY/RAVINIA (RSMI JAZZ); EMILY WALKER/RAVINIA (JAZZ MENTORS) in March. Pine also looks back at the influence of Black music and musicians on works in the historical canon, from Dvořák’s spiritual-influenced themes to the original dedicatee of Beethoven’s Ninth Violin Sonata. Lincoln Trio 20th Anniversary Celebration The Chicago-based Lincoln Trio—comprising violinist De- sirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe and pianist Marta Aznavoorian—has had a wealth of highlights over 20 years (so far!) performing together. Two of their recordings have been nominated for Grammy Awards, including the 2016 re- lease Trios from Our Homelands on Cedille, featuring works by composers who share their ancestry, respectively Frank Martin (Switzerland), Rebecca Clarke (England), and Arno Babajanian (Armenia). For its 15th season appearance at Ravinia, the ensemble presents the Second Piano Trios of Brahms and Turina— whose complete works for piano and strings they recorded in Bennett Gordon Hall in 2014 for Cedille—as bookends to Repair the World (Tikkun Olam) , a 2023 work written by Chicago composer Stacy Garrop in response to the horrific mass shooting in Highland Park during last year’s Fourth of July parade. The trio gave the world premiere in early July at the Highland Park Community House for survivors, family members of the victims, and city leaders. Steans Piano Trio Founded in 1988, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute is one of the world’s most sought-after summer artistic training destinations—as well as an incubator for long-lasting collaborations. Three alumni of RSMI’s Piano & Strings Program—violinist Eunice Kim, cellist Oliver Aldort, and pianist Xiaohui Yang—became the Steans Piano Trio in 2019, named in honor of their 2015 meeting place. After their inauguration at Ravinia, they returned to Chicago in 2021 for WFMT radio’s 70th Anniversary Day of Celebration; now back on the BGH stage, they will showcase their range as a trio with music by Haydn, Ravel, and Shostakovich. All three enjoy thriving individual careers as well: Aldort has been assistant principal cellist of the Boston Symphony since 2015, and Kim is a member of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Yang, who tied for first place at the 2017 Naumburg Competition, is a touring soloist who has appeared with the Milwaukee and New Jersey Symphonies and a staff collaborative pianist for RSMI Piano & Strings. Boston Brass Holiday Concert The brightness of a brass choir and the holidays just naturally seem to ring together. The Boston Brass quintet, which has performed in all 50 states and some 30 other countries, has been together more than 35 years. Trum- peter Jeff Conner may be the sole remaining original member, but the group has stayed true to its founding mission of combining musical education and reward- ing concerts. The quintet tours a popular holiday program each year that includes selections from its two yuletide recordings, Christmas Bells are Swingin’ and The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols . Ravinia on Tour: Alumni of the Steans Music Institute Ravinia on Tour began in 1998 with violinist Miriam Fried, then director of the RSMI Piano & Strings Program, bringing together an ensemble of notable alumni each spring for a nationwide series of concerts. This year, the Jazz Program hits the road for the first time—at this concert to kick off the tour, keep an eye out for a surprise guest set onstage alongside the featured alumni artists. Ravinia Jazz Mentors: Tribute to Wayne Shorter The Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program comprises eight of Chicago’s finest jazz artists working with Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play to not only give school performances and master classes but actively train an auditioned group of top Chicago Public High School student musicians in skills for future professional studies and music careers. Led by saxophonist Pat Mallinger, the ensemble pres- ents a concert tribute to visionary jazz composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, the jazz legend who died in March at age 89. Friday NOV 10 Friday NOV 17 2 EVENING SHOWS! Saturday DEC 9 Tuesday FEB 27 Saturday MAR 16 RAVINIA MAGAZINE • AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 18