

WELCOME
SEASON FINALE//
May 17
CAFÉ MUSIC
CAFÉ MUSIC is a wildly entertaining evening of chamber music infused with classical, jazz, tango, and other unique styles from the 20th century. Gold medal winner at the Gurwitz International Piano Competition, Scott Cuellar teams up with poetic St. Louis Symphony cellist, Yin Xiong. They are joined by violin soloist and ACMS Director Eric Gratz.
"Electric . . . [the] performance extracted all the tensions, fun, and charm that can be found"
~THIRD COAST REVIEW
NEXT CONCERT



CAFÉ MUSIC
MAY 17, 2025 | 5PM
PianoForte Studios
Chicago, IL
The American Chamber Music Society presents:
CAFÉ MUSIC | Season Finale
CAFÉ MUSIC is a wildly entertaining evening of chamber music infused with classical, jazz, tango, and other unique styles from the 20th century.
Gold medal winner at the Gurwitz International Piano Competition, Scott Cuellar teams up with poetic St. Louis Symphony cellist, Yin Xiong. They are joined by violin soloist and ACMS Director Eric Gratz.
ABOUT

The American Chamber Music Society is deeply invested in inspiring and connecting with our local community. As one of the most intimate classical music experiences in Chicago, it is our honor to enrich our culture by performing repertoire ranging from centuries ago to the present, providing a variety of educational opportunities and offering tickets at a discounted price. There is nothing like sitting a few feet away from the best musicians in the world, especially when many of them are from your home town. I am confident the diverse and innovative programming of our events will leave you moved, exhilarated, and eager to return.
–– ERIC GRATZ, DIRECTOR
Since his concerto debuts at the age of 14 in the United States, Spain, and Portugal, American violinist Eric Gratz has been celebrated as a thrilling performer, combining an old world style with a modern musical intellect. Equally desired as soloist, concertmaster, chamber musician, and educator, he maintains a uniquely varied schedule that has taken him to four continents, performing in the world’s great concert halls with leading musicians of our time.
In 2013, at the age of 22, Gratz became the youngest Concertmaster in North America, accepting the post with the San Antonio Symphony. During his nine seasons with the orchestra, he took part in over a dozen world premieres, and appeared numerous times as soloist in a far-reaching repertoire ranging from Bach to Kurt Weill. Additional solo appearances include The Cleveland Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland, Lexington Bach Festival Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Euclid Symphony, Kings Symphony, McCall MusicFest Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony, with conductors Giancarlo Guerrero, David Danzmayr, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Akiko Fujimoto, Noam Aviel, Tito Muñoz, and Jeannette Sorrell. In demand as a Guest Concertmaster, he has appeared in recent seasons with the Santa Fe Opera, The Phoenix Symphony, and the Louisiana Philharmonic. He also served as Artist-in-Residence for the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle during the 2024-25 season.
Since 2024, Gratz has served as Director of the American Chamber Music Society in Chicago. A devoted interpreter of chamber music and recital repertoire, he appears at major festivals and concert halls around the world, including Mainly Mozart Festival, Maui Classical Music Festival, Castleton Festival, Austin Chamber Music, Dame Myra Hess Recital Series, Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts, Severance Hall, Auditorio Manuel De Falla, and the Kennedy Center. A former Artistic Director of the Olmos Ensemble, he maintains an active performing schedule with the San Antonio-based group. Among Gratz’s many collaborators, some have stood out as particularly memorable, including violinist Vadim Gluzman; cellist Julian Schwarz; pianists Anton Nel, Orion Weiss, Jeffrey Kahane, John Novacek, and Jon Kimura Parker; harpsichordists Jeannette Sorrell and Ian Pritchard; and members of the Vertavo, Pacifica, Mendelssohn, Formosa, and Fine Arts String Quartets.
As a recording artist, Gratz has appeared on several albums. His debut album of virtuoso works for violin and piano (Eric Gratz, with pianist ET Kim) was released in 2016 on his own label. It charted at #11 on Billboard Classical, making it the top independent release in the United States for its first week. He has subsequently recorded two other albums with the Olmos Ensemble, Olmos Live (2016) and Made In France (2019), performing works by Harbison, Prokofiev, and Ravel.
Gratz believes it is of the utmost importance to inspire the next generation of musicians, and currently serves on the faculty of North Central College. Since 2022 he has also served as an Apollo’s Fire Senior Teaching Artist-in-Residence at Southland College Prep in South Chicago. He has given masterclasses at various institutions in the U.S., as well as in Ecuador, Italy, and China. Since 2024 he has served as Valade Concertmaster Faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp. A proponent of utilizing new technology to help democratize education, he has recorded several hours of video courses for TONEBASE, focusing on the music of Kreisler, Ysaÿe, and Beethoven.
A prizewinner of national and international competitions, Eric Gratz holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and his former teachers include Cho-Liang Lin, William Preucil, Linda Cerone, Claudia Shiuh, and Cynthia Stuart. He plays a violin by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, c. 1840. For more information, please visit ericgratz.com.
VENUE INFORMATION
PianoForte Studios
1335 S. Michigan Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605
Parking:
We strongly recommend booking a parking garage space in advance through SpotHero.
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1220 S. Michigan Avenue Garage ParkMichigan Self Park Garage Entrance on Michigan Avenue
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1255 S. Michigan Avenue Garage Sky55 Entrance on S. 13th St
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1408 S. Wabash Avenue Open Air Lot Entrance on Wabash Avenue
Street parking is very limited, so it is best to plan ahead!
CONTACT US
Interested in sponsoring a concert, volunteering, or have a question? We want to hear from you!