Ravinia 2026 Issue 6

Beyond preparing these rising stars for the stage, the Steans Institute supports fellows throughout their artistic journeys. e Steans experience accelerates musicians’ professional trajectories, equipping them to establish prominent careers that eventually lead them back to Ravinia as featured performers. e 2026 season has proudly showcased several such alumni who have come full circle. One of the rst concerts of the summer featured pianist Jeremy Denk (Piano & Strings 1992) sharing the Martin eatre stage with violinist Joshua Bell. Since his time at the Steans Institute, Denk has risen to become one of America’s foremost musicians, was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship, and somehow found time between his musical pursuits to become a New York Times bestselling author. Pianist Inon Barnatan (Piano & Strings 2000, 2002, 2003) shared the stage with cellist Alisa Weilerstein in June. Described by e New York Times as “one of the most admired pianists of his generation,” Barnatan’s post-Steans successes have included serving as the inaugural Artist-in-Association of the New York Philharmonic and his current role as Music Director of La Jolla Music Society Summerfest. Israeli-born Barnatan has said that “the Steans Institute was really my gateway to coming to the United States in the rst place.” e ever-popular Tchaikovsky Spectacular that closed the CSO’s 90th summer residency showcased two Steans alumni. While Earl Lee (Piano & Strings 2007) focused on cello during his summer at Steans, he has since pivoted to conducting, taking the podium for the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, among others. e 2022 Solti Conducting Award winner currently helms the Ann Arbor Symphony, which, under his direction, has explored collaborations with artists like Jacob Collier (closing Ravinia’s 2026 season on September 23) and Chris ile. is performance marked his CSO debut, while it was violin soloist Stella Chen’s (Piano & Strings 2013, 2014) second appearance with the orchestra. Just ve years a er leaving Steans, Chen gained international recognition as the winner of the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, the rst American to do so since 1955. She has said of her time at Steans, “I learned so much. I got to play with incredible people. I treasure those summers.” In his July recital, Augustin Hadelich (Piano & Strings 2003) explored music ranging from Baroque to blues. Born in Italy to German parents, Hadelich has lived in the United States since 2004, when he returned to study at Juilliard the year a er his Steans summer. Hadelich has said that his experience at the Steans Institute “was a time of discovery.” He a rmed it was there that he fell in love with chamber music, which remains the foundation of his playing. Learn more at RAVINIA.ORG Steans Institute: Alumni in the Spotlight —Sara Swain RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 29