Spring in Full Bloom

Ken Dulay
Apr 25
2 min read

Congratulations to all of our outstanding adult students that participated in our Adult Piano Recital on 4/18. This could not have been possible without our adult piano teachers, Sonya Ur and Zaira Castillo. A special thank you to our president, Martha Yelenosky for hosting such an awesome event for our adult students to showcase their talents and their musical progress.

Music Events in the Chicagoland Area:

On April 29, superstar pianist Yuja Wang showcases her extraordinary versatility as both soloist and conductor, leading the Mahler Chamber Orchestra from the keyboard. The program features Chopin’s radiant Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as Prokofiev’s bold Second Piano Concerto and his Classical Symphony, a vibrant homage to Haydn. A rare opportunity to witness one of today’s most captivating musicians in a dual role, this concert promises an unforgettable evening of virtuosity and artistry.

“With desire and passion,” Tchaikovsky writes on the score of his Fifth Symphony, and he’s as good as his word: It’s a work teeming with brilliant orchestral colors, stormy emotions and a fate motif that haunts each movement. Illinois native Conrad Tao is the soloist in Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto, the composer’s beguiling love letter to his wife and his native Hungary. April 30-May 3.

Katie: The Strongest of the Strong

Opera in the Neighborhoods returns for both school and public performances in the 2025/26 Season with Katie: The Strongest of the Strong. This powerful opera for young audiences is inspired by the true story of Katie Sandwina, a circus strongwoman who – beyond earning the title “the strongest woman in the world," and being a wife and mother – also helped to lead the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900s. With an all-female cast, Katie: The Strongest of the Strong is a wonderful way to introduce young people to opera and the important history of women’s rights. May 2-3

Faculty Performances and Recitals: