Music Institute of Chicago: 12/18: Duke It Out Nutcracker Visits “Indoor Voices"

The Music Institute of Chicago’s “Indoor Voices,” a free series of virtual visits with arts luminaries featuring conversation and occasional performances, returns with a new episode spotlighting the Music Institute’s annual holiday celebration, “Duke It Out Nutcracker,” Friday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m.   Music Institute Director of Performance Activities Fiona Queen will talk with John Schmitz, co-founder and artistic producer of Dance Chicago, which has collaborated with the Music Institute on “Duke It Out Nutcracker” since 2009. The episode also includes clips from past performances.   “Duke It Out Nutcracker” pairs the classical (Tchaikovsky) and jazz (Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn) versions of the holiday favorite, with music arranged by composer Jim Stephenson and featuring members of Axiom Brass and Music Institute ensemble in residence Quintet Attacca.

The “Duke It Out Nutcracker” episode of "Indoor Voices" is available free on Friday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m. at  musicinst.org/indoor-voices and will remain available on the Music Institute’s "Indoor Voices” YouTube page. All programming is subject to change.   Nichols Concert Hall Noted architect Solon S. Beman designed the architecturally and acoustically magnificent First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in 1912. In 2003, the building was sensitively restored to become Nichols Concert Hall, a state-of-the-art, 550-seat performance space and music education destination, easily accessible to numerous restaurants, on-street and metered parking, and the Davis Street CTA and Metra stations. The converted building, featuring a fully restored, 1914 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, received the Richard H. Driehaus Award for best adaptive use by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois.  Each year Nichols Concert Hall reaches approximately 15,000 people and hosts a world-class chamber music series, workshops and master classes, student recitals, and special events.    Music Institute of Chicago Founded in 1931, the Music Institute of Chicago leads people toward a lifelong engagement with music by providing widely accessible resources for high-quality music teaching, performing, and service activities—and harnessing the power of music to educate, inspire, and bring comfort to the communities it serves. Each year, the Music Institute provides personalized music instruction to more than 2,000 students, regardless of age, level of experience, or financial means, across eight Community Music School locations in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, and Winnetka. In addition, the Music Institute brings music education, arts curriculum integration, and professional development as well as music performance and engagement opportunities to thousands; offers scholarship opportunities to students in the Academy, a nationally recognized training center for highly gifted pre-college pianists and string players; and inspires more than 15,000 visitors annually at Nichols Concert Hall through performances, master classes, and special events.