Music Institute of Chicago Chorale Concludes 25th Anniversary Season with “25 Great Years” Concert June 10, Summer Sing-Alongs June–July

The Music Institute of Chicago Chorale, conducted by Daniel Wallenberg, concludes its 25th Anniversary Season with “25 Great Years,” presented by the Music Institute of Chicago Sunday, June 10 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. In addition, the Chorale invites music lovers to join them in song at two Summer Sing-alongs June 27 and July 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Institute’s Evanston East Campus, also 1490 Chicago Avenue.

“25 Great Years”

Highlighting audience favorites from the Chorale’s history, the program features madrigals by Monteverdi, Morley, and Gines de Morata; part songs by Haydn, Rossini, Schumann, Lauridsen, and Whitacre; selections from The Liebeslieder Waltzes by Brahms; Verano Porteño by Piazzolla; folk songs from Bulgaria, Canada, South Africa, and England; and show tunes by Ellington and Loesser.

Special guests at the concert are the Kotlyar-Shifrin Piano Duo—Irina Kotlyar and Gregory Shifrin. The duo has won several international competitions and has performed with orchestras around the world, including in Israel, Europe, and the U.S.

Daniel Wallenberg, conductor of the Chorale since 1987, noted, “Although our Chorale is Evanston-based, participants come from as far south as Chicago and far north as Zion and everything in between. Several members have been in the Chorale for more than 15 years, and a few have been members since its inception in 1986.” 

Summer Sing-alongs

The Chorale welcomes those who love choral singing to join them at two Summer Sing-alongs. On Wednesday, June 27, the group will sing Mozart’s Regina Coeli and Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, conducted by Frank Winkler. On Wednesday, July 25, the sing-along participants will perform Mozart’s Requiem, conducted by Daniel Wallenberg. Each sing-along has an optional free rehearsal the day before—June 26 and July 24, respectively—at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Institute’s Evanston East Campus, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Room 9.

Music Institute of Chicago Chorale

The Music Institute of Chicago Chorale is a community chorus that provides an opportunity for adult singers with prior experience to study and perform the best in sacred and secular choral music. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Chorale has one continuing goal: to perform the finest sacred and secular choral music with the highest of standards in a community setting. Under the leadership of Conductor Daniel Wallenberg, the Chorale has developed a wide range of repertoire, including motets, madrigals, part-songs, folk songs, and larger choral-orchestral works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Durufle, and many others. Throughout the years, the Chorale has collaborated with local choirs and symphony orchestras and has produced two fully costumed Elizabethan madrigal dinners. In addition, the Chorale has collaborated several times with the Music Institute’s voice faculty for concerts of opera and Broadway music.

Chorale conductor Daniel Wallenberg is also on the staff of the Chicago Children’s Choir, working with the In-School Chorus and After-School Programs for the Rogers Park and Humboldt Park Neighborhood Choirs, as well as its world-renowned Concert Choir with whom he toured Ukraine and the United States. He is the director of the junior and adult choirs at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation and the founder and artistic director of “Zemer Am,” the Chicago Jewish Choral Festival. A native of Bogota, Colombia, Wallenberg founded several adult and children’s choirs while living in Israel.

Music Institute of Chicago

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.

“25 Great Years,” celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Music Institute of Chicago Chorale, takes place Sunday, June 10 at 3 p.m. at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7 for students and are available at 847.905.1500 ext. 108 or at musicinst.org.

The Chorale’s Summer Sing-alongs take place Wednesday, June 27 and Wednesday, July 25, both at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Institute’s Evanston East Campus, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Room 9. The cost to participate is $10 per person; call 847.905.1500 ext. 127. Optional free rehearsals take place June 26 and July 24 at the same location.

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