Navy Pier is honored to announce a dynamic live presentation of WFMT’s Introductions, a classical music showcase, Saturday July 23 at 11am at Navy Pier’s Lake State in Polk Bros Park. The free program highlights the some of the nation’s most prestige classical youth artists.
“As part of WFMT’s ‘Introductions in the Community’ program, which inspires young musicians through peer-led experiences with live classical music, we are excited to bring Introductions – and the bright talents of these young performers – to Navy Pier and our WFMT listeners,” said WFMT President & CEO Sandra Cordova Micek.
“Navy Pier is thrilled to team with Chicago’s classical station WFMT to bring its wonderful Introductions live performance here for the first time,” said Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner. “This is the perfect project for the People’s Pier and its mission to be a hub for Chicago’s cultural community. It’s gratifying to add a classical music concert to our year-round schedule of free programming, especially one that serves as both a window unto this genre and a mirror that lets kids inspire other kids.”
This live performance will feature The Incendio Saxophone Trio. The group is made up of Alexander Procajlo on soprano, Zachary Solomon on alto, and Emma Phillips on baritone, hailing from Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park and Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park. Coached by Bryan Polacek, they won the Silver Medal in the Junior Wind Division of the 2022 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, one of the country’s most prestigious competitions for high school musicians.
Clarinetist Louis Auxenfans and violinist Henry Auxenfans will perform a duo, plus one solo piece each. Louis Auxenfans, 17, has performed twice as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, taking first place in both the 2018 American Protégé Concerto Woodwind Competition and Piano Competition. He is a clarinet student of Ms. Kai-Yun Lu. Violinist Henry Auxenfans, 15, won First Prize at the 2022 The President’s Own United States Marine Band Concerto Competition and 2022 NYIAA (New York International Artists Association) Violin Competition. He studies the violin with Frank Almond.
This first-time performance at Navy Pier will air and stream live on 98.7WFMT, wfmt.com, and the WFMT app. The series Introductions is WFMT’s weekly Saturday morning program that features talented pre-college classical musicians in the Chicago area. Soloists and chamber ensembles perform live in WFMT’s Fay & Daniel Levin Performance Studio. Large ensembles, including orchestras, choirs, and bands, are recorded at their home venues and broadcast at later dates. The program also features youth music competition winners. While many Introductions alumni pursue careers outside of music, some have gone on to study at some of the most prestigious music schools around the world and maintain careers as professional musicians. Introductions is made possible in part by Interlochen Center for the Arts, Kiphart Family Foundation, The Negaunee Foundation, and John Norwood Lee Bows.
