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During our new normal, IPO is reminded how much we love to share our music with our community. As you social distance – sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. We’ll see you in person as soon as we are able.
What are the IPO Musicians up to?
Enjoy these interesting videos from our IPO Musicians!
IPO Principal Cellist Jake Hanegan performing Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night).
IPO Bassist Alison Gaines explains the origins of her instrument and demonstrates bass repertoire.
IPO Timpanist Simón Gómez Gallego practicing on his makeshift ironing board timpani while his cat keeps him company.
IPO Cellist Ingrid Krizan presents a twist on the traditional cello repertoire.
IPO Principal Horn Lee Shirer makes prosthetics by day and plays french horn by night. See a virtual tour of his workshop and hear him play the french horn.
IPO Principal Keyboardist Marilyn Bourgeois performs Debussy’s “Reflets dans l’eau”.
IPO Timpanist Simón Gómez Gallego shows how he wraps his mallets for a concert.
Curious about the mallets? It takes Simón about one hour to make his mallets and he has to make new ones every two months. Making his own mallets helps Simon control what kinds of sounds he can produce.
Enjoy IPO Keyboardist Marilyn Bourgeois performs Brahms Intermezzo, Op. 119, No. 3.
Johannes Brahms composed more than twenty short pieces for piano during the years 1892-1893. He gave these pieces titles such as “Intermezzo,” “Capriccio,” “Ballade,” and “Rhapsody”. These beautiful pieces have been played by pianists and enjoyed for over 100 years. In the words of the renowned Brahms biographer Jan Swafford, “They lie in the tradition of miniatures by Schumann and Chopin, two masters Brahms knew as both performer and editor.”
Enjoy IPO Keyboardist Marilyn Bourgeois performs Brahms Capriccio, Op. 116, No. 3.
Enjoy these clips from the Annual Rising Star Showcase presented by the Friends of the IPO on March 8, 2020
About Kate Nelson
Kate Nelson, 17 years old, is a scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy. Kate’s teachers are Almita Vamos and Davis King. Kate began playing violin at age 6 with Suzanne Brookes Rickman. She performed with the Chicago Youth Symphony (CYSO) from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, she was awarded Honorable Mention at the CYSO Concerto Competition. In 2016 Kate was a “Rising Stars” performer. Kate performs regularly at Ravinia and Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston as well as in various cathedrals and churches. She has a diverse repertoire and has performed numerous times as a soloist at the United Center in Chicago and Notre Dame University’s Joyce Center, as well as at summertime festivals. In 2019 Kate’s quartet was a quarter-finalist at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Kate has attended music institutes at Bowdoin International Music Festival, Indiana University, the University of Michigan, and the Colorado Suzuki Institute. She has taken master classes with YoYo Ma, Lindsey Deutsch and the Vienna Quartet.
In this clip, Ms. Nelson is performing Polonaise de Concert No. 1 in D major, Op. 4 by Henryk Wieniawski (1852). Piano accompaniment provided by Dr. Lisa Kristina.