February 8, 2018
PERFORMATHON IS BACK!


Performathon 2018 is a two-day musical and fundraising extravaganza featuring the  Alice S. Pfaelzer Tuition-free Conservatory. The event will be held on  Friday, February 23, 2018 and  Saturday, February 24, 2018 and will draw hundreds of music lovers, family members, and friends to Merit's halls to hear amazing music performed by Merit's most advanced students.

All Performathon proceeds support Merit's scholarship and financial fund - making high-quality music education accessible to thousands of children across Chicago.

Performathon is also the Merit Parent Association's largest fundraiser and will feature an ethnic food fair, raffle, and more! For more information, visit:  http://meritmusic.org/support-merit/special-events/performathon/.
 
All concerts will be held in the West Loop at Merit School of Music's Joy Faith Knapp Music Center.
PERCUSSION CONCERT FEATURING MERIT STUDENTS AND GRAMMY WINNERS
Four-time Grammy award-winning percussionist Matthew Duvall of Eighth Blackbird will perform a special, interactive concert, "Child of Tree," at Merit School of Music alongside 25 Merit musicians. 

The program will take place at 7:30 pm on Saturday, February 10 in Gottlieb Hall. Come support these  students who will have the amazing opportunity to perform with Matthew Duvall during this event. Purchase tickets  here.
CONGRATS, STUDENTS!

The following piano students of Elena Doubovitskaya participated in the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association Sonata/Sonatina Festival:

Gold medal winners:
               Milli Sanchez
               Kristopher Athey
               Antanina Tsikhanovich
               Yiqi Kuang

Silver medal winners:
               Kalea Villas
               Jessica Chen
               Rachel Hu
               Josh Gourdji
               Nicole Yu

Conservatory Senior Division Pianist, Joshua Mhoon, has been named as one of four finalists in the 2018 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition.  He will perform in the final round of the competition at Symphony Center on Saturday, March 3rd accompanied by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.  The winner will be announced later that day.  Good luck, Joshua!

EARLY CHILDHOOD
Saturday, February 10
Saturday 12:30 Music Masters 2 - Spring semester classes begin. Classes will be 70 minutes long and end at 1:40 pm each week.

Monday, February 12
11:00-11:45 am = Merit Storytime (Gottlieb Hall) 

These drop-in classes are free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required so bring your friends! Ms. Jan will be hosting Storytime in February. 

Monday, February 19
Spring session registration opens. 

Current families: Check your e-mail for your student's class recommendation and registration instructions. Register early- spots in classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis!

Saturday, February 24
No Early Childhood classes.

Listen to songs from class at home and on the go!  Sing and dance along to the Merit Early Childhood Spotify channel .

INSTRUMENTAL & VOCAL MUSIC
Monday, February 19
President's Day - all Merit classes will take place as regularly scheduled

PRIVATE LESSONS
Saturday, February 17
7:30 pm = Elena Doubovitskaya Piano Private Lesson 
  Recital (Gottlieb Hall)
MERIT MUSIC IN COMMUNITIES
Friday, February 23
Moving Everest/By the Hand Club world drumming program begins.
ALICE S. PFALEZER TUITION-FREE CONSERVATORY
Private Lesson Scholarship Competition Winners
1st Place - Alexandra Tong, Piano
2nd Place - Quincey Trojanowski, Bassoon
3rd Place -  Amelia Korbitz, Violin
4th place - Ada Liberzon, Piano
5th Place - Tully Marloft, Trumpet
Honorable Mention - Jeff Quan, Piano

Conservatory Concerto Competition Winners
1st Place - Steven Baloue, Viola
2nd Place - Alexandra Tong, Piano
Honorable Mention - Omar Tlatelpa Nieto, Trombone
Honorable Mention - Amelia Korbitz, Violin
Honorable Mention - Jeremy Nohel, Piano

Congratulations to our Concerto and Private Lesson Competition Winners!

Saturday, February 10
11:45 = Live from Gottlieb: John Corkill &  8th Blackbird

Saturday, February 17
11:45 = Live from Gottlieb: Kontras Quartet

F riday, February 23
7:30 pm = Performathon (Gottlieb Hall)


Saturday, February 24
9:00 am-6:00 pm = Performathon  (Gottlieb Hall & Foreman  
      Hall)


In This Issue
MPA Events
Performathon Food Fair Donations Sign Up 
To donate food for the Performathon Food Fair on February 23th & 24th, visit the sign-up link here. Non-perishable items can be dropped off.

Performathon Raffle Tickets
Raffle tickets in support of Performathon can be purchased here. Prizes this year include a Martin Guitar from the Reverb Foundation, Cubs tickets, and YoYo M portable bluetooth speaker from Cambridge Audio. 

MPA Meeting
There will be an MPA meeting in the Ann Monaco Community Room on Saturday, February 10 at 10 am.
Mandatory for Conservatory parents in advance of Performathon.



PIZZA DAYS
Thursday, Feb 8 | 4 pm
Saturday, Feb 10 | 11:30 am

To volunteer for Pizza Days and other upcoming events, visit the sign-up link  here .
Student Services Updates
Regular Office Hours
Monday - Thursday 
   2:30 - 6:30 pm
Friday 
   Closed
Saturday 
   10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday 
   Closed

Additional appointments available by request.

Families who continue to hold outstanding balances more than 90 days past-due will risk suspension from programming. Please speak to Jasmin Preciado at jpreciado@meritmusic.org or at 312-267-4468 as soon as possible if you need to work out an extended payment plan. 

Tuition Statements
Families will now be receiving monthly tuition statements via email as well as paper statements in the mail. Stop by Student Services to ensure we have the correct email address on file. If you would like to opt out of paper statements, please contact us at studentservices@meritmusic.org.
Library Notes
Library Open Hours
Monday
   Closed
Tuesday - Thursday
   4 - 7 pm
Friday 
   By appointment only
Saturday 
   9 am - Noon,  12:30 pm - 3 pm
Sunday
   Closed

Instrument Rentals
All Library payments must be paid in full at the time of instrument rental, renewal, or pickup.  No payment plans will be applied to accounts.

For appointments, instrument or rental questions, please contact  Annaeka Johnson via email.
CHRISTO REY CHOIR EVENT
Choir students from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School participated in their annual even, Las Mujeres de Cristo Rey on Thursday February 1st. It was a wonderfully fun night of music!
SOLO VOICE STUDENTS PERFORM FOR GILDA'S CLUB
Students from Merit's Solo Voice program gave a performance at Gilda's Club on Saturday, February 3rd. Gilda's Club is a Chicago organization that provides free programs for men, women, children, and their families and friends whose lives have been affected by cancer.
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Merit School of Music |  Joy Faith Knapp Music Center
38 S. Peoria St.,  Chicago, IL 60607 | 312.786.9428 | www.meritmusic.org
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