Music Institute of Chicago Presents Piano-Cello Duo WarnerNuzova Tonight

The Music Institute of Chicago presents esteemed performers and ensemble-in-residence WarnerNuzova tonight, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.

World-renowned American cellist Wendy Warner and eminent Russian pianist Irina Nuzova have earned critical acclaim for their riveting performances. The performers’ contrasting cultures and traditions are at the core of the energy and insight of their interpretations. Their Nichols Concert Hall program includes two works by Ludwig van Beethoven—Variations on a theme from Handel’s Judas Maccabeus and Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69—as well as Leoš Janácek’s Pohádka and Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 119.

Moscow-born Irina Nuzova studied at Juilliard following rigorous training in Russia, while American Wendy Warner earned her renown as a soloist at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia under the baton and tutelage of the great Rostropovich. Warner and Nuzova first came together in 2008 out of a shared interest in performing canonical works that feature equal cello and piano parts, as well as commissioning unique arrangements and new music. As homage to their respective backgrounds, the women favor Russian and American repertoire, exploring The Commonalities and “dissonances” between the two cultural heritages.

The 2012–13 season marks the 10th anniversary of Nichols Concert Hall, originally designed by noted architect Solon S. Beman as the architecturally and acoustically magnificent First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in 1912 (celebrating its centennial). Restored in 2003, the building has become Nichols Concert Hall, a state-of-the-art, 550-seat performance space and music education destination, which annually reaches approximately 15,000 people and hosts a world-class chamber music series, workshops and master classes, student recitals, and special events.

Other highlights of the Music Institute’s 10th anniversary season at Nichols include a Billy Strayhorn festival featuring jazz great Terell Stafford in late October, the internationally acclaimed Pacifica Quartet in February, and pianist Sergei Babayan in April. Noteworthy annual events include Family Concerts in December and March; the Martin Luther King, Jr. concert with the Brotherhood Chorale in January; the Four Score Festival of contemporary music in March; and the third annual Emilio del Rosario Distinguished Alumni Concert, this year featuring violinist Rachel Barton Pine and pianist Matthew Hagle in May.

The Music Institute of Chicago believes that music has the power to sustain and nourish the human spirit; therefore, our mission is to provide the foundation for lifelong engagement with music. As one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation, the Music Institute offers musical excellence built on the strength of its distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services. Founded in 1931 and one of the oldest community music schools in Illinois, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Each year, the Music Institute’s world-class music teachers and arts therapists provide the highest quality arts education, reaching more than 10,000 students of all ability levels, from birth to 102 years of age, at campuses in Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Winnetka, and Downers Grove and through its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools. The Music Institute also offers lessons and programs at the Steinway of Chicago store in Northbrook and early childhood and community engagement programs throughout the Chicago area and the North Shore. The Music Institute offers lessons, classes, and programs through four distinct areas: Community School, The Academy, Creative Arts Therapy (Institute for Therapy through the Arts), and Nichols Concert Hall.

WarnerNuzova performs tonight, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students, available online or 847.905.1500 ext. 108. For more information visit musicinst.org.