2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition: live coverage

The Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition is an annual fixture for chamber groups from the Chicago area. Every May, young musicians and their families drive out the Skyway to South Bend, Indiana to compete in one of the nation’s most prestigious music competitions. For the second year in a row, the Fischoff organization is running their event online due to the pandemic. This weekend on Introductions, Robbie Ellis will be live in the WFMT studio spinning recordings that Chicago-area groups have made as their competition entries. What’ll he play? Depends on what the judges say! Tune in live and leave your comments with the Ask The Host form. Revisit last year’s Chicago-area medalists, the Dasani String Quartet and the Purple Hippopotami Flute Quartet, broadcast May 16, 2020. Playlist John Bennet: Weep O Mine Eyes The Bone Rangers: Owen Riordan, 15, trombone; Deaglan Sullivan, 17, trombone; Padric Sullivan, 14, trombone; Calleigh Riordan, 14, bass trombone Coached by Tim Riordan through Merit School of Music, Chicago. Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat, Op. 76, No. 4, Sunrise: I. Allegro con spirito Carmen Quartet: Veronica Rokicki, 18, violin; Katherine Nelson, 18, violin; Kimberly LaFranzo, 18, viola; Eytan Raviv, 18, cello Coached by Sang Mee Lee through the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, Evanston. Astor Piazzolla: Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: Veraño Porteño Golden Trio: Sofia Radovic, 15, violin; Ian King, 16, double bass; Miriam Kessler, 16, piano Coached by Lyudmila Lakisova through Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Highwood. Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto Sprezzatura Quartet: Nazeeh Shahid, 16, violin; Chance Inouye, 15, violin; Tristan Zhu, 14, viola; Kevin Hernandez, 13, cello Coached by the Black Oak Ensemble: Desirée Ruhstrat, Aurélien Fort Pederzoli, and David Cunliffe, through the New Music School, Chicago. Jonathan Bailey Holland: Forged Sanctuaries: II. Hypnosis of Tides Ardente String Quartet: Ella Saputra, 16, violin; Ruth Kim, 16, violin; Julie Kim, 16, viola; Haoming Song, 17, cello Coached by Mathias Tacke through Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Highwood. Alberto Ginastera: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20: I. Allegro violento ed agitato Quartet Feroce: John Lee, 16, violin; Vincenzo Zuppardo, 16, violin; Sean Lee, 18, viola; Samuel Du, 18, cello Coached by Mathias Tacke through Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Highwood. Adolphe Wouters: Adagio and Scherzo: I. Adagio Encore Flute Quartet: Alexandra Adrowski, 16, flute; Elizabeth Pierzina, 17, flute; Elise Scherrer, 15, flute; Rachel Soukup, 16, flute Coached by Cynara Pierzina through Encore Music Academy, Crystal Lake. Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F-sharp minor, Op. 50: I. Spiritoso Zephyr String Quartet: Isabel Chen, 18, violin; Esme Arias-Kim, 15, violin; Sidney Lee, 17, viola; Mia Wimbiscus, 17, cello Coached by Rodolfo Vieira through the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, Evanston. Erwin Schulhoff arr. Matt Fowler: Divertissement: VI. Florida SQT: Alex Procajlo, 16, soprano saxophone; Zach Solomon, 15, alto saxophone; Evan Stanton, 18, baritone saxophone Coached by Bryan Polacek through Victor J. Andrew High School, Tinley Park. Herman Beeftink: Birds: II. Flight The Purple Hippopotami Flute Trio: Emma Westerfield, 17, piccolo; Katherine Chen, 16, C flute; Hannah Xie, 18, alto flute

Om Podcasten

Introductions is WFMT’s weekly Saturday morning program that features talented pre-college classical musicians in the Chicago area. Soloists and chamber ensembles perform live in WFMT’s Levin Performance Studio. Large ensembles, including orchestras, choirs, and bands, are recorded at their home venues and broadcast at later dates. The program also features youth music competition winners. While many students who appear on Introductions pursue other careers, some have gone on to study music at some of the most prestigious music schools around the world and pursue careers as professional musicians.