

Premiere: String Quartet by Joel Thompson
Featuring Fellows of the Piano & Strings Program
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DateJuly 20, 2025
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VenueBennett Gordon Hall
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Public Gates12:15 PM
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Ticket PricesFree General Admission with Advance Ticket
This talk is presented in-person only and will not be broadcast on the livestream.
Join Piano & Strings Artistic Director Midori and composer-in-residence Joel Thompson for a prologue to this afternoon’s performance by Steans Institute artists.
Expand your experience of the music and the Piano & Strings fellows’ artistry with Midori and Joel providing insights about his new string quartet, commissioned by Steans.
Learn More about Joel Thompson
Midori and Joel Thompson will begin presenting this talk at 12:45 p.m. in Bennett Gordon Hall.
There will be an interval of at least 15 minutes between the talk and the concert.
The beginning of the livestream may be delayed while the in-person audience enters the venue or due to event production needs. Thank you for your patience.
Program and featured artists are subject to change. While we strive to keep the information on this page up-to-date, modifications may occur at the performance.
Recordings of livestreams are available on Ravinia’s YouTube channel later in the season. Some performances may be omitted due to licensing restrictions.
The pre-concert talk is not livestreamed. This stream will begin with the concert program.
Know Before You Go
Getting to Ravinia: Parking, Rideshare & Train
Free Parking Onsite • Free Metra UP-N Train
Park in the West Parking Lot at 201 Ravinia Park Rd. The lot opens at the listed “Public Gates” time.
The South Parking Lot will only accommodate guests with disability parking placards or Ravinia Priority Parking Passes due to anticipated traffic for other events today.
Park and Ride shuttles are not in service for this event.
Alert your driver: Uber, Lyft, and other car services must use one of the following parking lots to drop off and pick up guests.
- West Parking Lot (201 Ravinia Park Rd)
- Braeside Train Station (10 N. St. Johns Ave) — ¼ mile walk from Ravinia
- No drop-offs or pick-ups are allowed on public streets. If Highland Park Police or Ravinia staff redirect traffic, please follow those instructions.
Ride the Metra Union Pacific North Line train to and from our main entrance for free with your Ravinia ticket.
More Train Info
Views of the Stage
Bennett Gordon Hall is an indoor venue. The stage is not visible from any location on the Lawn, nor is audio from the performance broadcast to the Lawn.
About the Performance
The Piano & Strings Program at the Steans Institute focuses on interpreting classical sonatas and chamber music through deep collaboration in small groups. Each season, about 30 violinists, violists, cellists, and pianists come together for an immersive experience. They engage in intensive rehearsals and receive guidance from leading artists, who help them refine their craft and enhance their interpretive skills and creative insights.
In addition to a series of public master classes that focus on growing the fellows’ experience and interpretations of specific repertoire, the musicians participate in several afternoon and evening concerts presented during the summer, featuring the artists in varying instrumental and personnel groupings across the season.
This performance features the world premiere of a string quartet by Joel Thompson, commissioned by the Steans Institute. Thompson received the American Prize in 2018 in recognition of his well-known choral work Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence in 2023. A member of the Blacknificent 7 composers collective, Thompson has also been Houston Grand Opera’s first-ever full-time Composer-in-Residence since 2022.
Performers
Zi Yang Low, violin
Boha Moon, violin
Haerim Oh, violin
Muyan Yang, violin
Miranda Werner, viola
Andrew Ilhoon Byun, cello
Jakob Giovanni Taylor, cello
Jiaxun Yao, cello
Nan Ni, piano
Yuki Yoshimi, piano
Program
Cécile Chaminade: Piano Trio No. 1 in G minor, op. 11 Zi Yang Low, violin; Jiaxun Yao, cello; Nan Ni, piano Joel Thompson: String Quartet No. 1 (premiere; commissioned by the Steans Institute) Boha Moon, violin; Muyan Yang, violin; Miranda Werner, viola; Jakob Giovanni Taylor, cello –Intermission– Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, op. 8 Haerim Oh, violin; Andrew Ilhoon Byun, cello; Yuki Yoshimi, piano
Program and featured artists are subject to change.