Nova Linea Musica Concerts Scheduled for September and October 2025, at Guarneri Hall

Chicago’s Nova Linea Musica (NLM), an innovative local chamber music series and new-music incubator, begins its second season with a pair of exciting concerts held at NLM’s resident venue Guarneri Hall at 11 E. Adams St.

In line with NLM’s mission to present at least one world premiere at every mainstage concert, both performances will feature a world premiere performance of a work created via NLM’s unique and prolific commissioning program.

Conrad Tao, an Illinois native and local favorite, kicks off the season with a piano concert titled Echoes and Algorithms that explores the past, present, and future of human/machine relationships and includes the world premiere of an NLM commissioned piece by Chicago-based composer Chris Mercer. Echoes and Algorithms is Wednesday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m..

Owls– a uniquely inverted string quartet with two cellos and one violin-performs the second program titled Rare Birds that spans from François Couperin to Chick Corea including an NLM commissioned work by Gabriella Smith, on Wednesday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m..

“We’re thrilled to bring Conrad Tao back to NLM to kick off our second season,” said NLM Artistic Director Desirée Ruhstrat. “Our audiences are in for a treat, both Tao and Owls put on incredibly engaging performances, and both are presenting unique programs including our latest NLM commissioned world premieres.”

Like all NLM mainstage concerts, both performances will be enhanced with a pre-concert panel discussion and a catered post-concert reception where audiences can mingle with artists. Single tickets for both concerts are $40 (with a limited number of discounted student tickets available) and include access to both the pre- and post-concert events.

In addition to the two aforementioned performances, this fall, NLM will begin a partnership with Chicago’s newest live music venue, Access Contemporary Music’s, The CheckOut (4116 N Clark St.), where NLM is sponsoring the stage, to be named the Nova Linea Musica Stage at The CheckOut.

NLM Artists-in-Residence violinist Rabia Brooke and pianist Lam Wong will perform at the ribbon cutting ceremony for The CheckOut on September 12. Brooke will also promote the partnership between NLM and The CheckOut by performing at Access Contemporary Music’s annual Thirsty Ears Festival on Saturday, August 23, with a program that includes Chicago composer Clarice Assad’s, Anthology of Emotions – a piece commissioned by NLM. NLM’s first full-length concert at The CheckOut will be Saturday, October 25, and will feature Brooke and pianist Nathan Canfield performing a program of old and new music including the Chicago premiere of Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s, The Intense Microscope that Sorrow Lends alongside works by J.S. Bach, Leoš Janáček, Johannes Brahms, and Giuseppe Tartini.

“Building on our successful first season, we are looking forward to diving into our second season with a full calendar of events,” added NLM Founder & Executive Director Michele Mohammadi.  “We are delighted to be back at Guarneri Hall as our resident venue this season while expanding our footprint in the city through our new partnership with The CheckOut.”

For additional information on the 2025 fall performances by NLM, see novalineamusica.org.