Civitas Ensemble's core members (from left) are Winston Choi (piano) and CSO musicians Yuan-Qing Yu (violin) and Kenneth Olsen (cello). For their next recital, they will be joined by CSO musicians Youngji Kim on violin and Wei-Ting Kuo on viola.
The Civitas & Friends program Nov. 3 at the Driehaus Museum is a natural fit for its surroundings.
To complement the museum’s current exhibit of the work of 19th-century American sculptor Emma Stebbins (1815-1882), CSO violinist Yuan-Qing Yu has programmed a concert of music by 19th-century women composers.
Yu, along with CSO cellist Kenneth Olsen and pianist Winson Choi, will perform Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s Piano Trio in D Minor. On the second half, they will be joined by two friends, CSO musicians Youngji Kim on violin and Wei-Ting Kuo on viola, to perform the Piano Quintet in F-sharp Minor by Amy Beach.
“They’re really fantastic pieces, which is why we chose them,” Yu said. “There were lots of female composers in that period, but they were eclipsed by male dominance.” She describes Beach, an American composer, as “very romantic, really melodious. It fits quite well with Fanny Mendelssohn.”
The Civitas Ensemble, a piano trio at its core, frequently recruits other musicians for its performances. It will present four concerts this season, and the concert at the Driehaus, 50 E. Erie, will be its third there since the museum bought and repurposed the next-door Murphy Auditorium.
Greg Stall, the museum’s director of public engagement, said that the added venue has allowed the museum to present a much fuller lineup of concerts and to develop community partnerships across the city. “There’s a new enthusiasm not just for the music, but for the venue itself, which allows music to be heard in a more intimate way.”
Programming across different art forms, he said, helps give visitors “a greater appreciation for both the exhibit and the music, but also empathy for these artists, realizing that they had lives of their own.”
The museum focuses on the art, design and architecture of the Gilded Age, so the Stebbins exhibit was a natural fit, Stall said. The sculptor (at left) was celebrated during her lifetime, but fell into obscurity later, so the exhibit is a chance to “restore her to her rightful place.”
Yu said she has not yet had a chance to check out Stebbins’ sculpture, but she will. “I like to see what we’re supporting,” she said. “It’s always good to have the whole picture.”
Yu, a member of the Chicago Symphony since 1995 and now the CSO’s assistant concertmaster, said, “Most CSO musicians love to play chamber music. It gives us more autonomy.”
It also represents a way for her to get to know her colleagues better. Kim is new to the CSO this year, which is why Yu invited her by email to perform on this chamber music program before they had met in person. Meanwhile, Kuo has played with Civitas many times. “I love the way we make music together,” Yu said, “especially with people who think alike.”
Along with museums, the group has always made a point of playing in other nontraditional venues.
“Music is such an important part of well-being. We use it to celebrate or grieve,” Yu said. “In hospitals, we can provide patients and families with a respite from stress. In senior homes, lots of people will tell us how they used to play an instrument, and it’s really rewarding.
"I bring students to play with me, partly to give them opportunities to know that their music means something. There are so many dots we can connect.”
Concert tickets include admission to the museum, which will be open at 5 p.m. before the recital at 7 p.m.. Or ticketholders may visit later, during the museum’s public hours.
