Performances

J.S. Bach, Violin Partita no. 3 in E Major

Clarice Assad, Anthology of Emotions

Jennifer Higdon, Smokey Mountain Air

Nathan Milstein, Paganiniana

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World Premiere of Niloufar Nourbakhsh's The Intense Microscope That Sorrow Lends

Violinist Rabia Brooke brings her expressive playing to the CheckOut for an evening that bridges beloved classics with Giuseppe Tartini Devil's Trill, Leoš Janáček Violin Sonata, Johannes Brahms Sonata No 1 in G Major, Sarasate Carmen Fantasy paired with bold new sounds by Niloufar Nourbakhsh with the Chicago Premiere of The Intense Microsope that Sorrow Lends. Joined by Chicago pianist Nathanial Canfield, Brooke will explore a program that moves fluidly between lyrical beauty and exhilarating experimentation.

From time-honored favorites to freshly minted works, expect a performance that revels in contrast: intimate melodies alongside sharp-edged harmonies, familiar voices reframed in surprising ways.

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Threads of Melodic Silence brings together a program of rich and reflective works performed by the NLM Piano Trio: Rabia Brooke (violin), Haddon Kay (cello), and Lam Wong (piano). The evening features the world premiere of a Nova Linea Musica commission by Chicago’s own Stacy Garrop, written especially for the ensemble. Also on the program are Colors Through Piano Trio by Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, and Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 28 by Lera Auerbach—a work of vivid emotional contrasts that evokes the spirit of both Bach and Shostakovich.

Nova Linea Musica’s Artist-in-Residence series continues with Beyond the Art of Measures, an evening that celebrates the artistic journey from idea to realization.

Violinist Rabia Brooke gives the world premiere of Art Measures for Violin and Piano, a Nova Linea Musica commission by Jennifer Higdon, one of America’s most acclaimed composers and a three-time GRAMMY Award and Pulitzer Prize winner. The work traces the evolution of a creative idea—from the first spark of inspiration through the shaping and refinement of form—capturing both the mystery and physicality of the artistic process. Higdon honors the vital role performers play in bringing new music to life, measure by measure. The program also includes a meditative work by Shelly Washington's Peace for violin and piano along with the virtuosic Anthèmes 1 Pierre Boulez.

Sam Rosenthal performs four works for viola and piano: Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel or "mirror in the mirror" which unfolds through endlessly repeated piano fragments, gently echoing the viola’s serene lines; Keoni Bolding’s Paraphrase Act II; and two pieces by GRAMMY AWARD winner Michelle Barzel Ross, including Where Things Weigh Nothing at All and a commission by Nova Linea Musica. Collaborative pianist Lam Wong, joins both these artists in this compelling celebration of sound and creation.

Featuring: Rabia Brooke (violin), Sam Rosenthal (viola), and Lam Wong (piano)

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