Described by the Gramophone as a “magician, bewitching our ears” for his hauntingly beautiful sound, flawless command of the instrument and mesmerizing phrasing, Ilya Kaler is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1986), the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki (1985), and the Paganini Competition in Genoa (1981). Kaler is considered to be one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin today whose career ranges from that of a soloist and recording artist to chamber musician and professor.

Violinist Rachelle Puccini's performances offer an expansive look into what it is to be an accomplished musician; she performs actively as a soloist, chamber musician, and as a member of the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. But that's only the beginning of her work as a performer, and in a larger sense, as an artist. Her reflections on classical music past and future, how to listen and how to learn are only some of the subjects where you encounter her careful and well-informed perspective.

INSIDE OSC asked Rachelle about just two of these subjects — the first was about the film that she and Paul Hamilton are working on together. Our second question for Rachelle was inspired by the upcoming DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers, where young musicians have the opportunity to perform with The Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. Here's what Rachelle told us:

On January 31st, 2019, KAIA String Quartet will release their fifth album, Sureño, with a performance at The Fulton Street Collective (1821 W. Hubbard Street Suite 307 Chicago, IL 60622​). Sureño, which means "from the south", includes Ástor Piazzolla's Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) as well as works by Piazzolla's cellist and friend, José Bragato.

INSIDE OSC asked KAIA's Victoria Moreira, co-concertmaster of The Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, to tell us more about KAIA String Quartet and Sureño, and here's what she shared with us:

On January 22, 2019 Northbrook Symphony announced Music Director Lawrence Rapchak’s resignation after 17 devoted years with the organization to pursue new opportunities in communicating and sharing his passion for music, effective at the end of the current 2018/2019 season in June. Northbrook Symphony also announced today that its board of directors has unanimously chosen internationally acclaimed conductor Mina Zikri, founder and current music director of the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, to step into the position with the start of the symphony’s 2019/2020 40th anniversary season this fall. The 41-year-old will maintain his positions as Music Director of Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago and Resident Conductor of the Lira Ensemble.

It took a few centuries for the symphony orchestra to become what we know today, and one of the reasons why is that such rich and complex creativity needs a well-developed structure to support its inspiration. The ability of such a large group of musicians to perform so effectively together depends on many individual roles, and one of the most impactful is that of the Concertmaster. Yet as important as the Concertmaster is to the artistic success of an orchestra, the classical audience does not often get chance to hear much about what this role involves.

We asked Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago Concertmaster Dimitri Pogorelov to tell us more about this important role, and here's what he shared with us:

The legendary Mexican rock band El Tri is celebrating fifty years of founder Alex Lora’s influential musical journey. Originally one of the founding members of the band Three Souls in My Mind, that project led to the group El Tri, and on Wednesday, November 21 they are performing at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. The Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago is performing with them, bringing a symphonic dimension to the celebration, and the opportunity to share this celebration with the legendary rock band adds yet another dimension to the Orchestra’s vision of Music for All.

The performance begins at 7pm on November 21st at Aragon Ballroom (1106 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60640) and tickets are available from VivaTuMusica.com.

Patrick Tsuji is the principal flutist with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, and besides his evident proficiency, he brings something more to the orchestra. He has an active understanding of the importance of community in classical music, and is especially attentive to how this community dynamic is manifested in the ongoing process of education. Tsuji also has a uniquely refined ablity to enjoy the collegial aspect of orchestral music — that camaraderie that is the inevitable result of the close collaboration of a performing orchestra.

We asked Patrick to tell us more about his interest in education, and why he is so drawn to this aspect of classical music; his perspective is of real value to both those learning and those teaching. Here's what he shared with us about that, as well as his illuminating thoughts about why classical music can be so valuable.

Violinist and Concertmaster Dmitri Pogorelov brings a wide world of experience to all of his performances, the result of a journey as broad geographically as it has been musically. His journey to becoming the Concertmaster of the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago began in his native Russia, where at an early age he won a number of prestigious solo and chamber music competitions. He has performed extensively with orchestras in the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and Russia, and in chamber music concerts with many of the finest musicians in the world. As we look forward to Giving Tuesday, we wanted to ask some of the members of the Oistrakh Symphony community to tell us about what they feel that music has given to them. What Dmitri had to say was not only insightful, but quite inspiring as well.

Many of us seek experiences that give meaning, clarity, and richness to our lives. At the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, as is true for so many music lovers, we find that classical music offers these experiences. And we want to share this with you through our richly inclusive idea called "Music is Life."

"Music is Life" embraces the emotional, inspirational, and educational impact that classical music has on each of us. The Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago delivers “Music is Life” through performances with renowned and emerging soloists, mentorships with rising artists, and partnerships that feature new and exciting formats.