Ravinia 2025 Issue 4

STRIDING STRINGS BYKYLEMACMILLAN WHEN LEADERS ASSUME NEW POSTS, one often sees them immediately shake things up and put their stamp on how their organizations function. But when Midori took over the Piano & Strings Program at the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Insti- tute last summer, the famed violinist had no desire to make big changes to an educational offering that another respected vio- linist, Miriam Fried, had overseen for 30 years. ¶ “It’s a pro- gram that has worked very well,” Midori said. “Miriam Fried left it in such a pristine condition. The reputation of this place is due to the work she has done. She has raised the level. My interest is to preserve the conditions that have been created here—a high level of artistry and a strong sense of commu- nity.” ¶ It also helped, of course, that Midori has nothing to prove. The 53-year-old has an international reputation as not only one of the top violin soloists of the past 40 years but also one of the leading string pedagogues of her time. In addition to holding an endowed faculty position at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia since 2018, as well as joining The Juilliard School’s faculty this fall, she also regularly leads master classes all over the world and mentors young players in myriad other ways. ¶ Piano & Strings, which has 27 fel- lows this summer—10 violinists, five violists, seven cellists and five pianists—is one of four programs, along with Jazz, Singers, and Bridges (a cross-genre offering for composers), that oper- ates under the auspices of Steans. Each draws emerging artists who are typically finishing undergraduate studies and begin- ning their professional careers. “This is a very important time,” Midori said. “It’s part of the formative years of a musician. To have that access, to share my work with them, it’s really some- thing that is so meaningful to me, so I’m very happy to be here.” RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 15