L’dor v’dor celebrates the legacy of Jewish-American composers through song on May 6
Blooming Under Blue Skies takes audiences on a compositional tour around the globe on June 3
Winners announced for NLM’s first Score Call Competition
CHICAGO, IL (April 7, 2026)
Nova Linea Musica (NLM), an innovative local chamber music series and new-music incubator, rounds out its successful second season this May and June with two varied concerts showcasing the many facets of contemporary music. As with all NLM concerts, both feature an NLM-commissioned world premiere. First, internationally renowned singers Soprano Arianna Zukerman and mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson join with pianist Jason Wirth for L’dor v’dor “from Generation to Generation” a concert celebrating the legacy and evolution of Jewish-American composers including a premiere by David Hanlon. Then, for the season finale, four-time GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Mak Grgić joins NLM Artistic Director and violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist Wendy Sutter, and violinist Rabia Brooke for Blooming Under Blue Skies a concert featuring compositional voices from around the globe including a world premiere by Chicago’s own Brazilian-born Clarice Assad. L’dor v’dor is Wednesday, May 6 and Blooming Under Blue Skies is Wednesday June 3. Both concerts take place at Guarneri Hall, 11 E Adams St.
Like all NLM concerts, both L’dor v’dor and Blooming Under Blue Skies, will begin at 6:30 p.m., enhanced with a pre-concert panel discussion at 5:45 p.m. and a catered post-concert reception where audiences can mingle with artists. Single tickets are $40 (with a limited number of discounted student tickets available) and include access to both the pre- and post-concert events. Tickets are now available at novalineamusica.org.
“In NLM’s first two years, we have been incredibly fortunate to present chamber music that ranges from solo piano and string quartet to percussion quartet and saxophone ensemble,” said NLM Founder & Executive Director Michele Mohammadi. “We are thrilled to present our first vocalists and our first guitarist on these final concerts of our second season. L’dor v’dor is a Hebrew phrase meaning “from generation to generation” and relates to the passing of tradition, culture, and history. This concert celebrates the legacy of Jewish-American composers and explores how traditions remain and evolve through these compositional voices. The world premiere by David Hanlon will utilize text from Psalm 39 which was specifically chosen by Arianna Zukerman and Heather Johnson to exemplify this theme.”
“To close out our second season, I am thrilled to join the extraordinary Mak Grgić and my esteemed colleagues Wendy Sutter and Rabia Brooke on stage for what will certainly be a lively concert perfect for the start of summer” said NLM Artistic Director Desirée Ruhstrat. “Blooming Under Blue Skies is a world tour wrapped up into a concert. Featuring music from composers from Turkey, Slovenia, Brazil, Argentina, the U.S.A. and more, this program presents a survey of contemporary music across the world. The final piece of the program will be a new commission from frequent NLM collaborator and Chicago star Clarice Assad.”
In addition to presenting a mainstage concert season, Nova Linea Musica is dedicated to championing emerging composers and the next generation of chamber musicians in the broader Chicago community. After a rigorous selection process led by GRAMMY-nominated composer Clarice Assad, three composers have been named winners of NLM’s first Score Call Competition: Graham Meyer, Joel Y. Hoo, and Jason Zhang. The composers were tasked with writing a piece for the NLM Piano Trio on the theme “Chicago.” Each winning composer worked with Assad to refine their pieces which will be premiered in a concert at The CheckOut on May 27. More information about the Score Call available HERE. Additionally, the final round for NLM’s first Chamber Music Competition will be held at Gottlieb Hall on May 18. The competition is open to ensembles in Chicagoland under the age of 25. The final round of the competition is open to the public and free to attend. The winning ensemble, announced at the competition, will win $2,000, while the second and third place ensembles will win $1,500 and $1,000 respectively. More information about the Chamber Music Competition HERE.
Concert Details
L’dor v’dor
World Premiere by David Hanlon
May 6, 2026 at Guarneri Hall
Nova Linea Musica proudly presents L’dor v’dor —“from generation to generation”—a moving tribute to the legacy and evolution of Jewish-American composers. Soprano Arianna Zukerman, mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson, and pianist Jason Wirth come together for an evening of vocal works that reflect cultural memory, resilience, and artistic innovation. The cornerstone of the program is Ki Ger Anokhi Imakh, an NLM commissioned world premiere by David Hanlon. Using text from Psalm 39:13-14, the piece was inspired by Hanlon’s grandparents who fled Austria in 1939 and gained asylum in the United States. In the composer’s own words, “Psalm 39 draws on that tradition of seeing the stranger in ourselves… We are obliged to empathize with the Stranger, not only because our ancestors were the Stranger, but because we are all visitors passing through the land of the living.” The program also features music by Leonard Bernstein, Laura Kaminsky, Ricky Ian Gordon, Laura Karpman, David Leisner, and Alex Weiser.
Featuring: Arianna Zukerman (soprano), Heather Johnson (mezzo-soprano), and Jason Wirth (piano)
Blooming Under Blue Skies
World Premiere by Clarice Assad
June 3, 2026 at Guarneri Hall
Nova Linea Musica’s season finale brings together vibrant voices from around the world in Blooming under Blue Skies, a night of bold premieres and cross-cultural resonance. At the heart of the program is the world premiere of a Nova Linea Musica commission for guitar, violin, and cello by Grammy-nominated composer Clarice Assad, whose music pulses with rhythmic vitality, expressive nuance, and Brazilian warmth. The evening also features Slovenian composer Leon Firšt’s shimmering Two Slovenian Songs, Turkish composer Hakki Cengiz Eren’s atmospheric Three Portals with guitarist Mak Grgić, and American composer David Ludwig’s April Variations, performed with Desirée Ruhstrat and Wendy Sutter. The program closes with a set of pieces by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla including Histoire du Tango, Café 1930 performed by Grgić and Rabia Brooke, Oblivion performed by Grgić, Ruhstrat and Sutter, and La Calle performed by Ruhstrat and Sutter before all four performers join forces for Libertango.
Featuring: Mak Grgić (guitar), Desirée Ruhstrat (violin), Wendy Sutter (cello), and Rabia Brooke (violin)
About Nova Linea Musica
Nova Linea Musica is a Chicago-based contemporary classical chamber music presenter, concert series, and new music incubator that launched its debut season in 2024. Led by Artistic Director Desirée Ruhstrat—a highly sought-after chamber musician in her own right—and Founder & Executive Director Michele Mohammadi, NLM’s mission is threefold: 1) to infuse the new-music ecosystem with the resources essential to the creation and presentation of new works, 2) to close the distance between composers, performers, and listeners, and 3) to elevate Chicago’s reputation as a world-class city for new music. For more information about Nova Linea Musica, visit novalineamusica.org.
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