AWARD-WINNING CHAMBER ENSEMBLE IMANI WINDS PERFORMS FEB. 24 AT NICHOLS CONCERT HALL

 AWARD-WINNING CHAMBER ENSEMBLE IMANI WINDS PERFORMS FEB. 24 AT NICHOLS CONCERT HALL

The Music Institute of Chicago presents Grammy-nominated quintet Imani Winds performing “Black and Brown, a celebration of composers of color” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.

This trailblazing ensemble offers a playlist that includes traditional chamber music repertoire and newly commissioned works that reflect important historical events, as well as current times. Composers on the program include Paquito D’Rivera, Wayne Shorter, Billy Taylor, Damien Geter, and works that have been commissioned as part of the Legacy Commissioning Project, including socially conscious music by Andy Akiho reflecting on mass incarceration and a work by Carlos Simon celebrating iconic figures of the African-American community.

Imani Winds has spent more than a quarter century making music and has been nominated twice for Grammy Awards. The quintet has toured to virtually every major chamber music series, performing arts center, and summer festival in the U.S. They regularly perform in prominent venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. Their international presence includes concerts throughout Asia, Brazil, Australia, England, New Zealand, and Europe.

Nichols Concert Hall Presents 2023–24 season continues
March 9: Curtis on Tour featuring Music Institute alumnus violinist Benjamin Beilman and more
March 23: Titus Underwood “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
April 27: Time for Three

Cost is $60 preferred, $40 standard, and $30 value. To purchase, visit nicholsconcerthall.org or call 847.448.8326. Livestream viewing is available at $49 for the season, $15 per event at nichols-concert-hall.ticketleap.com. All programming is subject to change.

Nichols Concert Hall
Noted architect Solon S. Beman designed the architecturally and acoustically magnificent First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in 1912. In 2003, the building was sensitively restored to become Nichols Concert Hall, a state-of-the-art, 550-seat performance space and music education destination, easily accessible to numerous restaurants, on-street and metered parking, and the Davis Street CTA and Metra stations. The converted building, featuring a fully restored, 1914 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, received the Richard H. Driehaus Award for best adaptive use by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. Each year Nichols Concert Hall reaches approximately 15,000 people and hosts a world-class chamber music series, workshops and master classes, student recitals, and special events.

The Music Institute of Chicago leads people toward a lifelong engagement with music through unparalleled teaching, exceptional performances, and valuable service initiatives that educate, inspire, and build strong, healthy communities. Since its founding in 1931, the Music Institute’s commitment to innovation, access, and excellence has served as an important community resource and helps to ensure music is available to everyone. Each year, the Music Institute provides personalized music instruction to more than 1,500 students, regardless of age, level of experience, or financial means, across eight Community Music School locations in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, and Winnetka, as well as online. In addition, the Music Institute brings music education, arts curriculum integration, professional development, and music performance and engagement opportunities to thousands in the Chicago area; offers scholarship opportunities to students in its Community School and its Academy, a nationally recognized training center for highly gifted pre-college pianists and string players; and welcomes more than 15,000 visitors annually for performances, master classes, and special events at Nichols Concert Hall.

The Music Institute of Chicago is grateful for the support of these annual institutional supporters: Thomas W. Dower Foundation, Paul Galvin Memorial Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, The Irving Harris Foundation, ITW, The Neguanee Foundation, John D. & Alexandra C. Nichols Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Sargent Family Foundation, and many others. We acknowledge the generous support of the Highland Park Community Foundation and the Evanston Arts Council, a city agency supported by the City of Evanston; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

All programming is subject to change. For information, visit musicinst.org.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.