this weekend: special Northwestern edition

Northwestern University is where it's at for classical music this weekend, if you're in the Chicago area. Kaija Saariaho is in the midst of her residency as recipient of the $100k Nemmers Prize in Composition. On Thursday evening you can catch a performance of all of Saariaho's cello music, featuring the talents of the NU cello studio as well as famed new-music cellist Anssi Karttunen. Or, if you're in the mood for something a bit older, go to the other side of campus and check out the world premiere of an unpublished Ravel string quartet written in his student years (as well as the first movement of the famous quartet).

And Friday night, may I recommend NU's Contemporary Music Ensemble, performing works of Saariaho including the badass Graal Theatre with violinist Austin Wulliman and Amers, featuring my main man Russell Rolen (chair of the Music Marathon committee!) on cello.

Speaking of Northwestern University, you should all be plugging Music Marathon in the blogosphere and donating. More on that here.

I'll leave you with a video from last year's Marathon, of Corey Bertelsen, Michelle Kim, and Ben Melsky performing Nico Muhly's Clear Music


Edit: I'm an idiot and just realized that's actually not from Music Marathon. However, they did play it in Music Marathon, and it's an excellent performance, so I will let it stand.