From Bach to Balkans

Join us on an exciting and eclectic musical journey. Travel from the baroque period to the present with the Black Oak’s arrangements of ethnic tunes and beloved melodies of the past. 

The seeds of the Black Oak were planted in 2011 when the ensemble first performed for a standing room only audience in Chicago’s prestigious Music in the Loft Series.  According to John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune,  “The flamboyant vitality of the originals lived on in the arrangements as well as the expert performances.” 

The founding members, Croatian guitar virtuoso Goran Ivanovic and the Lincoln Trio’s violinist Desirée Ruhstrat and cellist David Cunliffe, continued their collaboration with performances at the Latino Music Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Mayne Stage, WFMT Radio, and Windy City Live. In addition, the Ravinia Festival chose the ensemble as their guest artists on the Ravinia tour from Barcelona to Monte Carlo.

2014 saw the addition of violinist/violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli of the Spektral Quartet and the formal naming of the quartet, Black Oak, a beautiful tree native to their home state of Illinois.  

Beautiful Music, Improvised Live

Joel Garten is a pianist, improviser and composer whose work is intense yet contemplative; a meeting of Keith Jarrett and Morton Feldman. At the nexus of experimental Classical music and avant garde jazz, Garten creates heartfelt music that marries sonorous repetitive rhythms with fluid melody and dissonance. He is very experienced in what he does; he has been improvising music for more than two decades. 

Feel free to email joelgarten@gmail.com


Toronto-based tango ensemble founded in 2013 by Argentinian Bassist Alberto Munarriz, American Violinist Rebekah Wolkstein, Canadian Pianist Tom King and Serbian Accordionist Branko Džinović, Payadora performs their own arrangements of traditional and contemporary tango music by composers such as: De Caro, Pugliese, Troilo, Salgan, and Piazzolla, as well as new commissioned compositions.

Marilyn Gilbert is following