[music]

Alexa Smith: Hello, I'm Alexa Smith. Tonight, performances by musicians from the Ravinia Steans Institute on this edition of the McGraw family's Young Artist Showcase.

[music]

Since 1978, the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation has generously underwritten the Young Artist Showcase. Just 10 years later, in 1988, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute was founded. The Steans Institute, named for Lois M. Steans, is a renowned international hub for young classical pianists, string players, singers and jazz musicians. Since its inception, over 1600 exceptional musicians have benefited from private coaching, master classes and performance opportunities, with many going on to achieve prominent careers in performance, leadership, and music education.

The artists receive full fellowships that cover all activities, including accommodations, meals and transportation. The goal is to create an inclusive community of artists to nurture the fellows during their tenure. Over the next two weeks, we'll hear performances from the strings and piano fellows in the program. Tonight, we'll start with the Ravel String Quartet in F Major. You'll hear fellows Stephen Kim and Anatol Tot on violin, Zechariah Mo on viola and Liav Kerbel on cello.

MUSIC - Ravel: String Quartet in F Major

[applause]

Alexa Smith: That was Stephen Kim and Anatol Tot on violin, Zechariah Mo on viola and Liav Kerbel on cello and Ravel's String Quartet in F major. This performance took place at Bennett Gordon Hall in 2024. You're listening to the McGraw family's Young Artists Showcase on WQXR. I'm Alexa Smith, and today we're featuring music from the Steans Institute Fellows, it's time for a quick break now. Then I'll be back with more performances by the talented 2024 fellows here on the McGraw family's Young Artists Showcase.

Welcome back. I'm Alexis Smith, and this is the Young Artist Showcase. Today, we have fellows from the piano and strings program at the Ravinia Steans Institute. The program for piano and strings is led by artistic director Midori with performances at Bennett Gordon Hall.

A distinction of the Steans Institute Summer Program is the opportunity for fellows to have an intimate learning environment. Each summer, the program accepts 15 artists in the program for jazz, 15 for the program for singers, and up to 35 for its largest program, the program for piano and strings. All programs are devoted to small group collaboration, and the piano and strings program focuses on chamber music.

The fellows on tonight's program hail from around the world, from China and Switzerland to right here in New York City. They've studied at the world's most prestigious conservatories, including the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and my alma mater, Manhattan School of Music. Next, we'll hear a stunning performance of the Haydn String Quartet, Op. 76 No 1. We'll hear violinist Karisa Chiu, Anatol Tot again on violin, Joseph Sterik on viola, and Yayan Lin on cello.

MUSIC - Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 1

[applause]

Alexa Smith: That was Karisa Chiu and Anatol Tot on violin, Joseph Sterik on viola and Yayan Lin on cello. You heard the Haydn String Quartet, Op. 76 No 1, with fellows from the Steans Institute of Music at the Ravinia Festival. That's a wrap for this week's edition of the McGraw family's young artist Showcase, which is generously underwritten on WQXR by The Harold W. McGraw Jr. Family Foundation. Here's Terry McGraw with more.

Terry McGraw: Good evening, everyone. It's great to be with you and it's always great being with the Young Artist Showcase and to hear these really wonderful and inspiring musicians as they continue to share their incredible gifts with us every week. I can't wait to hear the fabulous talent coming up on the showcase, and I am so pleased to be able to support the series all through its well over four decades on WQXR, and there's so much more to come.

Alexa Smith: Thank you, Terry. Many thanks to WQXR program producer Laura Boyman, and a big thank you to artistic director of the program for piano and strings, Midori and Steans Institute director Alejandra Valarino Boyer, and our generous program underwriter is The Harold W. McGraw Jr. Family Foundation. I'm Alexa Smith. Good night.

MUSIC - Beethoven: Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1.

 

Copyright © 2024 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.

New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.