The NSCMF was founded in 2010 by concert violinist Vadim Gluzman and pianist Angela Yoffe in a quest to provide Chicago’s North Shore with musical experiences of the same caliber and quality as those found in Metropolitan Chicago and the great halls of the world, but within a very intimate and welcoming environment.
Through a carefully curated series of annual concerts and robust educational programs we provide a substantial and deeply meaningful community-based arts experience that is at once entertaining, life affirming, inspirational, and approachable.
NSCMF-The Music Makers was created with the purpose of fostering a greater vision of how the cultural health of an entire society can be profoundly impacted when art becomes an essential part of everyone’s life.
Each evening of our three-day festival follows an interesting theme, and offers audiences a wide range of classical and contemporary classical music they may not otherwise be exposed to. Our concerts serve as a meaningful and festive opportunity for neighbors and eager visitors alike to gather together, make new friends, experience new music, and to BE a culturally heathy community.
Through fundraising efforts we keep ticket prices affordable and provide reduced or complimentary tickets to children and lower-income individuals.
“The unparalleled emotional connection is unforgettable. At NSCMF everyone is COMMITTED to a level of quality you won’t find anywhere else and experience a tradition of excellence that is hard to find these days.” – Ilya Shterenberg, clarinetist
Our educational programming reaches beyond the usual in our collaborations with the International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA), the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and the acclaimed Betty Haag Academy of Music.
New in 2014, our Creative Learning Program at the Betty Haag Academy of Music unites the arts in an out-of-the-box method that inspires young students, ages 3 to 16, to be more culturally aware and well-rounded. This imersive program focuses on chamber music and fosters creative exploration within each student, making learning about the arts a fun and integral part of their lives.
International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA)
The North Shore Chamber Music Festival collaborates closely with the International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) and makes the seemingly impossible a reality by creating collaborative performance opportunities for musically talented children who refuse to let deafness be a handicap. These public performances are unparalleled in the life affirming inspiration they bring to our young performers, their families, and our audiences.
Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Ever year we are guests on a fun-filled musical program for the young patients at the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago that are broadcast into every room through the hospitals own “Skylight TV” network. The children actively particpate with the performers by calling into the studio “viewer line.”
Betty Haag Academy of Music
We also provide an important resource to many young musicians learning at the Betty Haag Academy of Music and offer them real opportunities to perform within a professional forum, in front of a large audience, with some of todays’ biggest names in classical music. We feel that these performances are seminal in convincing talented young players to follow a career in music. Even to those who ultimately will choose different paths, such an experience imparts a deeper sensitivity towards supporting classical music in adulthood, both financially and by offering their own children a much easier and natural access to music.
The Music Institute of Chicago Academy
Talented student chamber music ensembles from the Music Institute of Chicago Academy receive conservatory level master classes from our Festival Artists. Additionally they perform in the festival’s own Next Generation String Ensemble.
The Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund
The AFSF was created in 2015 to celebrate and perpetuate the legacy and spirit of Arkady Fomin: renowned violinist, beloved teacher, conductor, and longtime member of Dallas Symphony. The fund awards educational scholarships to talented college and pre-college musicians from around the world, mentoring their artistic development, and supporting them in the most formative years of their lives.
Read more about AFSF here.
In addition to these special collaborations with ICODA, the Lurie Children’s Hospital, the Betty Haag Academy, and the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, we have the unique advantage of being able to make the classical chamber music experience come alive with energy and excitement by offering our audiences intimate access to internationally renowned performers that other summer festivals and series cannot provide.
Our guest artists are simply the best in the world. Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, conductor Andrew Litton, cellist Wendy Warner, violist Paul Neubauer, clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg, and pianist Alessio Bax were among the artists who have made our festival concerts so exciting and memorable. These celebrated performers – all great friends – happily reunite each year to share with us passionate performances of chamber music at the very highest level. They also teach in our educational workshops throughout the year, providing North Shore music students with experiences that will help inspire them to further their musical studies.
In just 5 years our results are at once stunning and sustainable:
And this simply couldn’t have happened without the support of generous team of individuals, corporations, and organizations who believe in the value of what we are providing to the community, now and for the future.
And our return on your investment is both measurable and priceless.
Vadim Gluzman, Artistic Director
Angela Yoffe, Executive Director
Joseph Correia, Public Relations
Michael Volpert
Director of Artistic Planning
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York
Henry Fogel,
Dean Emeritus, CCPA at Roosevelt University; Consultant for orchestras
f. CEO, League of American Orchestras
f. President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
John Carey,
Managing Director at Amundi Pioneer Asset Management
Vladimir Spivakov,
Founder and Music Director
Moscow Virtuosi
National Philharmonic of Russia
Moscow International House of Music
President, Spivakov International Charity Foundation
Betty Haag-Kuhnke,
Founder and Director
The Betty Haag Academy of Music
Mary Galvin, Founder
The Stradivari Society
Michael Volpert, Director of Artistic Planning of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Director of The Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players
Waltraud Szeryng, Founder and President
Henryk Szeryng Foundation