It is with resounding gratitude to and pride for the musicians of Chamber Strings that I announce their achievement of being named STATE CHAMPIONS of the 2016 Illinois High School Association's Solo and Ensemble Music Competition (Class A Division).  Among a field of 44 high school orchestra programs competing in the Class A Division throughout the State of Illinois on Saturday, March 5th, 2016, the musicians of Northside Prep's Chamber Strings emerged victorious.  

Thank you musicians for your dedication to and passion for music making.

Congratulations!

Click here for the official results.  

Congratulations to the student musicians of Chamber Strings for their stellar performances at the 2016 Illinois High School Association's Solo and Ensemble Music Competition. 

It's been a long day but preparing for the competition was well worth our time and effort.

​Here are a few pics:

Congratulations to Northside Prep's Chamber Strings for being named a finalist in the Kishi Bashi Performance Competition.  

Who is Kishi Bashi?  

Kishi Bashi is a music project created by Kaoru Ishibashi, a violinist, singer/songwriter and composer.  He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has toured extensively with Of Montreal, Regina Spektor and Sondre Lerche.  Click here to check out KB's Tiny Desk Concert from the Spring of 2012, recorded just a few days after I saw him perform in an intimate venue called Space in Evanston, Illinois.  KB's fan base has grown considerably in the last couple of years to the point where he now performs at large venues such as the Metro in Chicago 

​What is the Kishi Bashi Performance Competition?

In November, Kishi Bashi, in collaboration with D'Addario Music Company, announced a performance competition for school orchestras from across the United States. Participating schools were required to submit a video performance recording of 2 contrasting string orchestra arrangements from KB's recent album release String Quartet Live. 

This past Monday KB announced 4 finalists.  Northside Prep's Chamber Strings made the cut!  Other finalists include Grady High School (Atlanta, GA), Saratoga Springs High School (Saratoga Springs, NY), and Niles North High School (Skokie, IL).  

KB will announce the winner of the competition later this week.  Our fingers are crossed that he'll choose Northside Prep.  

The winning orchestra will perform with Kishi Bashi this spring and be awarded $5,000 worth of strings and accessories from D'Addario Music Company.  

Check out our video performance entry:

Thank you to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Yuan-Qing Yu and the Civitas Ensemble, and the Merit School of Music for providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Northside Prep orchestra students.  Yes folks, we met Yo Yo Ma.  What an incredibly kind and humble person who is approachable, affable and passionate about music and education. Sandwiched between a performance with the Civitas Ensemble and a 3 hour masterclass with youth musicians from the Chicago area, Yo Yo Ma took the time to meet with our students to share stories, impart life knowledge and take a few pictures.  

Here are a few pics:

Much gratitude and thanks to members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for visiting Northside Prep on Tuesday to perform and coach 11 student chamber groups in preparation for the 2016 IHSA Solo and Ensemble Competition.  

Civic's resident string quartet and string quintet began the morning with a performance of works by Schubert and Dvorak.  After a brief question and answer session, student chamber groups and their respective coaches proceeded into rehearsal sessions.
 
Thank you to James Hall, Coordinator of Civic Engagement Programs at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for working with Northside Prep to provide this wonderful opportunity for the young musicians of Chamber Strings.  

​Here are a few pics from the day: