April, 2025
Chicago Philharmonic Presents Artist in Residence Njioma Grevious
Event Details
Chicago Philharmonic Presents
Artist in Residence Njioma Grevious
Njioma Chinyere Grevious, Violinist
Chamber Musicians of the Chicago Philharmonic
Scott Speck, Principal Conductor & Artistic Director
Date: Thursday April 17th
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
Venue: Murphy Auditorium – Chicago, IL
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This concert is free! Registration is required. A suggested donation is encouraged to support Chicago Philharmonic’s community programs.
Description:
On Thursday, April 17, Chicago Philharmonic presents Artist in Residence Njioma Chinyere Grevious, a quickly rising classical music star known for her passionate and virtuosic talent. Among Grevious’ many accolades, she is the winner of the Robert F. Smith First Prize award in the Senior Division of the Sphinx Competition, a 2024 Avery Fischer Career Grant winner, and one of Classic FM’s 2024 Rising Stars.
Grevious is joined by chamber musicians of the Chicago Philharmonic and Artistic Director Scott Speck for her Artist in Residence showcase, kicking off her three-year residency with the orchestra. The concert will showcase The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, Piazzolla’s tango-inspired response to Vivaldi’s Baroque Four Seasons 244 years after its creation. Also featured is an intimate performance of Tchaikovsky’s romantic Serenade for Strings.
“Grevious plays with a sensitive and supple bow arm, deep in the core of the violin’s strings for a tone that is both strong and active — a big sound that never gets stuck in its own power.”
– Nicholas Jones | San Francisco Classical Voice | October 1, 2024
Community Engagement:
This concert will not only mark the beginning of Njioma’s artist residency with the Chicago Philharmonic but will also serve as a powerful platform for community engagement.
As part of her weeklong residency with the Philharmonic, Njioma will engage with hundreds of Chicago students, visiting and performing at Chi Phil AMP partner schools on the South and West Sides, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Polished Pebbles, and more. In addition to performing, she will meet with students, answer their questions about music, and share her experiences as a professional musician.
Unable to attend the evening concert? Join us earlier in the day, from 12:30-1:30 PM for a free student concert, open to the public. All are welcome to attend!
Program:
Astor Piazzolla The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
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- Invierno Porteño (Buenos Aires Winter)
- Verano Porteño (Buenos Aires Summer)
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48
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- Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo — Allegro moderato. …
- Valse: Moderato — Tempo di valse.
- Élégie: Larghetto elegiaco.
- Finale (Tema russo): Andante — Allegro con spirito.
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Violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious | TAKING NOTE
About Njioma Chinyere Grevious, Violinist
Described as “superb” by the Chicago Classical Review, violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious is a winner of the prestigious 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has been praised for her expressive tones and elegant playing, recently earning accolades for a “dazzling performance” with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC.
A passionate and versatile solo, chamber and orchestral musician, Njioma is a graduate of The Juilliard School and a winner of its John Erskine Prize for scholastic and artistic achievement. In 2023, Njioma won the Grand Prize of the Concert Artist Guild (CAG) and the Young Classical Artist Trust (YCAT) CAG Elmaleh Competition, as well as the Robert F. Smith First Prize and the Audience Choice awards in the Senior Division of the Sphinx Competition. In 2022, she was the winner of concerto competitions at the University of Delaware and the Newark Symphony Orchestra. Njioma was also a winner of the Music Academy of the West Keston-Max Fellowship to study and perform in the London Symphony Orchestra in November 2022. She won First Prizes for Performance and Interpretation in the 2018 Prix Ravel in Fontainebleau, France.
During the 2024/25 season Njioma debuts as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with the Sphinx Virtuosi. She will also appear with the Florence Symphony, in a return to the Chicago Philharmonic as the inaugural Artist in Residence and in recitals across the United States that include the Strathmore Mansion, Cal Performances, the Mesa Arts Center, Kaufman Music Center, Pepperdine and the Seattle Chamber Music Society. In the spring, she will undertake a YCAT UK tour including a debut concert at Wigmore Hall in London. Njioma has previously appeared with the Boston Pops, Minnesota Orchestra, Western Michigan Symphony and the Salisbury Symphony, among others.
A founding member of the Abeo Quartet, Njioma recently completed graduate studies with Ryan Meehan and the Calidore String Quartet at the University of Delaware where she was also a fellow in the inaugural Graduate String Quartet in Residence Program. Abeo is the Third Prize winner of the 2023 Bad Tölz International String Quartet Competition. In 2022, Abeo won First Prize and the Audience Favorite Prize at the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition and was invited to participate in the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition. The quartet was also a finalist in the 2022 Young Concert Artists competition and has been a winner of Silver Medals in the Chesapeake International and Fischoff chamber music competitions. Abeo has appeared on WQXR Midday Masterpieces and WETA Classical Radio as well as in performances in the Schneider Concert Series, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, Emerald City Music, in Montreal, and Oslo, Norway, and in residence at the Glenstone Museum, where they premiered “Moonshot” by Alistair Coleman. At Juilliard, the quartet studied under the tutelage of the Juilliard String Quartet and has also been coached by members of the Alban Berg, Quatuor Ebene, Takács, Artemis, Brentano, Miró and Emerson quartets.
Njioma is a member of New York City’s Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has been invited to perform in numerous series and festivals including the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla ChamberFest, Jupiter Chamber Players, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, North Shore Chamber Music Festival, Chiarina Chamber Players, CMSCV, ChamberFest Cleveland, Music@Menlo, Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Montreal International String Quartet Academy, Meadowmount, Fontainebleau Schools, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
For many years, Njioma was a scholarship recipient through Boston’s Project STEP string training program for Black and Latino youth and at the time also earned summer study scholarship assistance through Winsor Music. Her principal teachers have also included Ronald Copes, James Buswell, Irina Muresanu, Mariana Green-Hill and Farhoud Moshfegh. Njioma, who began studying the violin at the age of 4, has since performed in numerous volunteer concerts with her siblings and many others. As a Juilliard Gluck Fellow she performed regularly for the medically vulnerable, retirees and children. Njioma has taught composition and collaboration to NYC elementary and middle school students from underrepresented communities through the Opportunity Music Project.
Learn more at www.njiomagrevious.com.
About Scott Speck, Principal Conductor
With recent performances in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, Scott Speck has inspired international acclaim as a conductor of passion, intelligence, and winning personality. Scott Speck was named Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Chicago Philharmonic in June of 2013 and has been Music Director of the Joffrey Ballet since 2010. He has become a frequent guest for the Chicago Symphony’s family concerts. His work with Chicago Philharmonic earned him the award “2021 Conductor of the Year” from the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
Scott Speck is the co-author of two of the world’s bestselling books on classical music, Classical Music for Dummies and Opera for Dummies. These books have received stellar reviews in both national and international press, have garnered enthusiastic endorsements from major American orchestras, and have been translated into twenty languages. His third book in the series, Ballet for Dummies, was released to great acclaim as well. For more information visit www.scottspeck.org.
About Chicago Philharmonic
Founded in 1989 by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic Society is dedicated to reimagining the orchestra concert experience. With nearly 200 musician members and a unique system of musician governance, Chicago Philharmonic is recognized as one of the most versatile, innovative, and ambitious orchestras in the country.
Chicago Philharmonic proudly collaborates with the world’s greatest artists across multiple genres. Past partnerships include Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, Kishi Bashi, The Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Tank and the Bangas, William Basinski, American Ballet Theatre, Ryan Speedo Green, and more.
Since Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 honoree Terell Johnson became Executive Director in 2021, the orchestra has continued to expand its artistic reach and push the boundaries of symphonic performance. Notable recent milestones include a history-making debut at Lollapalooza as the first orchestra to perform at the festival, a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut with Sleeping At Last, and a world premiere tribute to Whitney Houston at Ravinia Festival. From groundbreaking live film concerts to dynamic collaborations with today’s most exciting artists, Chicago Philharmonic remains at the forefront of innovation and inclusion in the city’s performing arts landscape.
This program is supported by:
The National Endowment for the Arts
Paul Kreider
Alzenia Project
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
