Piano Forte: Stenzl Piano Duo Headlines Music Institute of Chicago's Winter Mini-Fest
By Marielle Shaw in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 25, 2014 5:15PM
We have it on good authority that music makes better people. There are enough studies on the positive effects of music to stretch from here to the moon, we’d wager, and we've got our own anecdotal evidence to add to that. The Music Institute of Chicago is a multi-campus, multi-faceted school that teaches music to people of all ages and all levels of ability, and coming up in a few short weeks, they’re providing an amazing opportunity for piano students to learn from some of the best, offering them master classes, recital opportunities, coaching and some truly amazing concerts. The institute kicks off its Chicago Duo Piano Festival Winter Mini-Fest March 6-9.
If you’re not an ivory-tickler yourself, but you’d like to see some spectacular artists, then come prepared to hear something special. The headline event for the festival is in Evanston at Nichols Hall Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. and features Hans-Peter and Volker Stenzl, a perfect piano pairing that’s received accolades the world over, not the least of which was the New York Times, which praised them as “brilliant and lucid, rich in nuance and power.” If you’re not familiar with the format, this involves two people, four hands and 88 keys. While that may seem like it’d lighten the load, the concentration, cooperation and complexity required to keep things together, let alone to really make a piece sing, makes this something you ought not to miss. The brothers plan on performing works by Schubert, Mozart, Bach-Busoni and Ravel. Tickets are $30 for individuals but there are discounts available for seniors and students.
In addition to the Stenzl Piano Duo, the MIC will feature a Family Music Day on March 15 that starts at 11 a.m. with an open house and “Instrument Petting Zoo” and features a concert by Blair Thomas and Company. That event is $5 a person and tickets and more information can be found here.
Check out all the events during the festival- there’s lots to do, hear and see. A full schedule of events is available on the MIC website. And if you've ever had a yearning to learn to play an instrument, make this the year you do it. Stroke a Steinway or strum a Gretsch, find what fits you and sign up for classes.