You Will Not Forget MIDORI

MIDORI, one of the greatest violinists of our time, debuts on the Wheaton College Artist Series Monday, November 13, 2024 at 7:30 PM. The program features the violinist performing a violin concerto by Robert Schumann and a “Romance” by Ludwig von Beethoven, both in collaboration with the acclaimed Festival Strings of Lucerne. While the orchestra’s name is widely known and celebrated, MIDORI is considered by critics and admirers as a “global artist.” There’s nothing like a recording project to finetune interpretations of great masterworks, and the collaboration between MIDORI and the Festival Strings has accomplished just that. Now they bring their artistry and imagination together on tour for an exclusive Chicago area appearance in Wheaton on November 13.

This will be an evening to enthrall classical music lovers, but it’s much, much more. For people who are weary of over-amplified sound and unintelligible lyrics, hearing MIDORI with the Festival Strings of Lucerne will be like discovering an oasis where light breezes blow and emotionally rich artistry allures the senses with beautiful melodies, inventive harmonies and rhythms that don’t cause the heart to palpitate. Sometimes, the silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves. In Edman Chapel, you will be enveloped in this unforgettable experience, only possible with live music.

MIDORI has earned the title of global artist for a reason. Her concert debut was at the tender age of 14 at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein conducting. When she broke two strings, she stunned the audience because she just kept going!

Douglas Yeo (then Bass Trombonists of the Boston Symphony) witnessed the whole thing and later wrote:

"But the big story of that concert was violin soloist Mi Dori (now Midori). A child prodigy, she, at the age of 14, performed Bernstein’s Serenade for violin and orchestra. That in itself was a remarkable accomplishment. But the headline over the New York Times review of the concert screamed, “Girl, 14, Conquers Tanglewood With 3 Violins.” In the Serenade’s fifth movement, Midori’s violin popped a string. Hardly missing a beat, she exchanged her violin with the violin of BSO concertmaster, Malcolm Lowe. She continued playing on Malcom’s violin and then it happened again—another string popped. Midori then exchanged Malcolm’s violin for acting associate concertmaster Max Hobart’s violin, and the performance concluded to thunderous applause. I have never seen anything like that happen before or since, and the concert catapulted Midori to international fame."

Her accolades are too many to count—Juilliard Pre-College program, Aspen Music Festival and School, Carnegie Hall debut at 19, University of Southern California faculty, and performances with major orchestra virtually everywhere on the face of the earth. The list goes on and on. Now Wheaton is being woven into her story.

But there’s more to this global artist than meets the ear. First and maybe foremost, she has an educator’s heart. In 1992 at the age of 21, she founded MIDORI & Friends, a non-profit foundation to bring music to underserved communities in New York City and in Japan. Additionally, MIDORI is insatiably curious about her world. While maintaining her rigorous concert schedule, she took five years to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender studies at New York University. In addition to USC, she has taught at Curtis and Oxford University. Her honors have piled up with every major distinction you can imagine, culminating most recently with MIDORI being a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors.

Suffice it to say that hearing MIDORI will be an experience that allows you to experience first-hand this artist with a garment of greatness about her. Hear MIDORI live with Daniel Dodds and Festival Strings Lucerne at the Wheaton College Artist Series November 13, 2023, 7:30 PM in Edman Chapel. Tickets are available at tickets.wheaton.edu.

PROGRAM

Honegger Pastorale d’été

Dubugnon Caprice IV “Es muss sein!”

Schumann Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23

—Intermission—

Beethoven Romance in F major, No 2

Beethoven Symphony No. 7, op. 92