Bienen faculty members Yuan-Qing Yu, Todd Levy, and Christopher Guzman, together with Yuan-Qing Yu's Civitas Ensemble colleagues — cellist Kenneth Olsen and Bienen alumnus Winston Choi (‘02 CERT, ‘08 DMus) — present an afternoon of chamber music for strings, clarinet, and piano.

Meet Chicago composers Jessie Montgomery and Shawn Okpebholo and listen to their two unique duets in a concert featuring Civitas Ensemble members Yuan-Qing Yu (Assistant Concertmaster of Chicago Symphony), Kenneth Olsen (Assistant Principal Cello of Chicago Symphony), Winston Choi (Head of piano department at Chicago College of Performing Arts), alongside guest musicians from the Chicago Symphony. We end the program with the beloved cello quintet by Franz Schubert.

Celebrate the most magical month of the year and the start of the winter season with this special concert presentation. Featuring performances by Lera Auerbach string quartet and renditions of Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata in G minor and Tchaikovsky Souvenirs de Florence.

Louise Farrenc, a woman in a man’s world: 19th-century musical Paris, was a celebrated pianist and composer. Farrenc produced a considerable number of chamber works and three symphonies as well as a large output of solo piano music. Her two piano quintets with the ‘Trout’ instrumentation were inspired by Hummel and Schubert. Come join us for this season finale to celebrate the spring and welcome the summer!

A feast of colorful Quintet works at S.P.A.C.E. Guest musicians So Young Bae and Weijing Wang Michal join Civitas Ensemble in Bartók’s and Dvořák’s piano quintets. Bartók composed his quintet at age 23, this post-romantic quintet is rarely heard because the composer didn’t want to publish it. Here is your chance to experience this wonderful early work by the Hungarian master.

Join Civitas Ensemble for a program featuring Esteban Batalán, Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony, in Saint-Saens' Septet for Trumpet, Strings and Piano. In addition, works by Boccherini and Chicago composers Jim Stephenson and Mischa Zupko will be performed. This concert will also feature a vivid conversation between the two esteemed composers (Stephenson and Zupko). Come hear them talk about their creations!

The piano quartet is a medium that adds more richness than a standard piano trio yet adds more sonic variety than a string quartet. The Civitas Ensemble, joined by violist Weijing Wang, presents a colorful piano quartet program. Mahler's unfinished Piano Quartet in A minor offers a glance into the composer's mindset, hinting at many of his large-scale works to come. This piece is followed by one of Mozart's most popular chamber works, the Piano Quartet No. 1. Rounding out the program is Strauss's impetuous yet rich Piano Quartet in C Minor.

The piano quartet is a medium that adds more richness than a standard piano trio, yet adds more sonic variety than a string quartet. The Civitas Ensemble, joined by violist Weijing Wang Michal, presents a colorful piano quartet program. Mahler’s unfinished Piano Quartet in A minor offers a glance into the composer's mindset, hinting at many of his large-scale works to come. This is followed by one of Mozart’s most popular chamber works, the Piano Quartet No. 1. Rounding out the program is Strauss’s impetuous yet rich Piano Quartet in C Minor.

Civitas Ensemble celebrates the holidays with a program featuring the three members of the Civitas Ensemble appearing as soloists, with an orchestral accompaniment played by strings. Ken Olsen opens the program with Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major. Then, Yuan-Qing Yu takes the stage with Schubert’s Rondo in A major for Violin and String Quartet. Lastly, Winston Choi performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major.

Please join Civitas Ensemble for our debut performance at the Rhapsody Theater, where we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of César Franck’s birth with a performance of his fiery, passionate Piano Quintet in F Minor. The program will also include Poulenc’s virtuosic Sonata for Violin and Piano, as well as Mozart’s Oboe Quartet featuring William Welter, Principal Oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.