Jonathan Biss, piano

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, op. 90
Janácek: In the Mists
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, op. 28, “Pastoral”
Janácek: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, “From the Street”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 39 in E major, op. 109

Returning to the stage where he made his Chicago recital debut at the Regents Park Discovery Concert in 2004, Jonathan Biss offers piano lovers an encore performance. In the last four years, the now 27-year-old virtuoso completed his tenure as the first and only American to participate in the BBC New Generation Artists program, won the 2005 Leonard Bernstein Award, and signed a two-year recording contract with EMI. Add an evening of extraordinary piano playing to the season by the "analytical poet" of the keyboard!

Mikhail Simonyan, violin
Alexei Podkorytov, piano

Schnittke: Suite in the Old Style
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, op. 94a
Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, op. 13
Ravel: Tzigane

Mikhail Simonyan is one of today's up-and-coming talents. Praised for his "breadth, lyricism and fleet technique" by The New York Times, as well a "flawless, liquid line and ravishing tone" by the Washington Post, Simonyan made his Lincoln Center debut at the age of 13 with the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (ARYO). Since then, he has earned numerous awards, including top honors at the All-Russia Competition in St. Petersburg, the Siberian Violin Competition, the Salon de Virtuosi in New York and the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Award.

Simonyan replaces Efe Baltacigil, who was originally scheduled to appear on this concert and is unable to perform due to illness.

Three-time Grammy-nominee Luciana Souza, raised in Brazil, grew up in a family of Bossa Nova composers. A respected composer and vocalist herself, she defies categories with her outstanding musicianship. Hear the artist critics have called "transcendental" as she brings her unique sound to Mandel Hall.

Bach: Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010
Ned Rorem: After Reading Shakespeare
Lewis Spratlan: Shadows
Paul Moravec: Mark Twain Sez

Newly composed works, Shakespeare excerpts and Mark Twain quotes are just part of this literary-themed evening. Matt Haimovitz, one of today’s most exciting young musicians, performs in the world-renowned Oriental Institute, known for its unique collections of artifacts from antiquity. Enjoy great music in this intimate setting, and meet the artist himself at a special post-concert reception.