Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) is an international artist development program for young professional classical pianists and string players, classical singers, and jazz musicians, all of whom are devoted to uniquely honing and advancing their talents as collaborative artists. Since opening its doors, RSMI has offered coachings, masterclasses, and performance opportunities to over 1,600 exceptional musicians, many of whom have cultivated highly visible and successful careers in performance, artistic leadership, and music education.
This summer marks esteemed violinist Midori’s first summer as Artistic Director of RSMI’s Piano & Strings Program. Midori succeeds acclaimed violinist Miriam Fried, who had held that position since 1994, following the tenures of the late Robert Mann (1988) and Walter Levin (1989–93).
About her appointment, Midori said, “I am very much looking forward to being involved in RSMI in this new capacity. Working with young musicians has been central to my career, and this program is one of the most important of its kind in the music field.”
RSMI musicians perform roughly two dozen programs during the summer season on their home stage, the purpose-built Bennett Gordon Hall. All concerts are open to the public and are a mix of free and ticketed events. Most performances are also live-streamed or later uploaded to Ravinia’s YouTube channel.
Bridges Competition: Now in its sixth year, Ravinia’s 2024 Bridges Composition Competition performances spotlight its winners, who merge the genres of jazz and classical chamber music in their new works. The June 11 program will feature the world premieres of the three winning entries: Boxes in the Attic by Emiliano Lasaksy, Mirror, Floating on the Water by Zhengtao Pan, and 8UY1N9 by Jason Mountario. The winning pieces are premiered by an ensemble mainly comprising RSMI alumni.
Jazz Grandstand: Musicians from RSMI’s Program for Jazz showcase their talents in an evening of original charts on June 18, all composed and workshopped during their one-week residency at Ravinia, led by faculty members Billy Childs, Rufus Reid, and Steve Wilson.
Piano & Strings Concerts: During their intensive five-week RSMI residency, Piano & Strings fellows will be featured across three masterclasses and ten concerts throughout the summer, including specially curated programs by faculty members and pianists Ricardo Castro and Julian Martin, themed around the music of Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel, respectively. Masterclasses and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on July 3, 5, 7, 11–14, 16, 19–21, and 23–24; all events will be live-streamed, except the curated July 13 and 23 concerts.
Vocal Concerts: The three-week residency of fellows in the Program for Singers offers masterclasses and six performances spotlighting the breadth of vocal song repertoire. Highlights include August 17’s Mentor In Torment: The Complicated Friendship of Franz Schubert and Johann Mayrhofer, a program curated and hosted by art song scholar Graham Johnson that showcases the fruitful influence that Mayrhofer’s knowledge and guidance had on Schubert’s development; August 10’s Songs For Ode to Joy, a program curated by dramaturg and RSMI faculty member Cori Ellison that explores the iconic piece's timeless credo from its ancient roots to contemporary paradigms; and an August 24 concert of American Songbook classics, curated by Ravinia Jazz Advisor Kurt Elling. Masterclasses and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on August 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 21, and 24; all events will be live-streamed except the curated August 10, 17, and 24 concerts.
The Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) is an international artist development program for young professional classical pianists and string players, classical singers, and jazz musicians, all of whom are devoted to uniquely honing and advancing their talents as collaborative artists. Since opening its doors, RSMI has offered coachings, masterclasses, and performance opportunities to over 1,600 exceptional musicians, many of whom have cultivated highly visible and successful careers in performance, artistic leadership, and music education.
This summer marks esteemed violinist Midori’s first summer as Artistic Director of RSMI’s Piano & Strings Program. Midori succeeds acclaimed violinist Miriam Fried, who had held that position since 1994, following the tenures of the late Robert Mann (1988) and Walter Levin (1989–93).
About her appointment, Midori said, “I am very much looking forward to being involved in RSMI in this new capacity. Working with young musicians has been central to my career, and this program is one of the most important of its kind in the music field.”
RSMI musicians perform roughly two dozen programs during the summer season on their home stage, the purpose-built Bennett Gordon Hall. All concerts are open to the public and are a mix of free and ticketed events. Most performances are also live-streamed or later uploaded to Ravinia’s YouTube channel.
Bridges Competition: Now in its sixth year, Ravinia’s 2024 Bridges Composition Competition performances spotlight its winners, who merge the genres of jazz and classical chamber music in their new works. The June 11 program will feature the world premieres of the three winning entries: Boxes in the Attic by Emiliano Lasaksy, Mirror, Floating on the Water by Zhengtao Pan, and 8UY1N9 by Jason Mountario. The winning pieces are premiered by an ensemble mainly comprising RSMI alumni.
Jazz Grandstand: Musicians from RSMI’s Program for Jazz showcase their talents in an evening of original charts on June 18, all composed and workshopped during their one-week residency at Ravinia, led by faculty members Billy Childs, Rufus Reid, and Steve Wilson.
Piano & Strings Concerts: During their intensive five-week RSMI residency, Piano & Strings fellows will be featured across three masterclasses and ten concerts throughout the summer, including specially curated programs by faculty members and pianists Ricardo Castro and Julian Martin, themed around the music of Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel, respectively. Masterclasses and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on July 3, 5, 7, 11–14, 16, 19–21, and 23–24; all events will be live-streamed, except the curated July 13 and 23 concerts.
Vocal Concerts: The three-week residency of fellows in the Program for Singers offers masterclasses and six performances spotlighting the breadth of vocal song repertoire. Highlights include August 17’s Mentor In Torment: The Complicated Friendship of Franz Schubert and Johann Mayrhofer, a program curated and hosted by art song scholar Graham Johnson that showcases the fruitful influence that Mayrhofer’s knowledge and guidance had on Schubert’s development; August 10’s Songs For Ode to Joy, a program curated by dramaturg and RSMI faculty member Cori Ellison that explores the iconic piece's timeless credo from its ancient roots to contemporary paradigms; and an August 24 concert of American Songbook classics, curated by Ravinia Jazz Advisor Kurt Elling. Masterclasses and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on August 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 21, and 24; all events will be live-streamed except the curated August 10, 17, and 24 concerts.
