A Prism of Shared Stories

The people and places that mould us. The music that connects us.

The stories that shape us refract through music like light through a prism. AWE Chicago 2026 explores how sound carries memory, place, and identity, and how music becomes a meeting point between composer, performer, and community. This is where our humanity collides, in listening, in sharing, and in the act of making meaning together.

Across four programmes, the festival follows music shaped by landscape and city, by migration and belonging, and by personal and collective history. From the open skies of Wyoming and the gentle waters of Kawhia Harbour to the inner passions and confessions of our hearts, to the folk traditions of Eastern Europe, and the musical crossroads of Vienna, each concert traces a different map of influence and connection. New Zealand composers stand alongside European masters and American voices, revealing the ways culture flows across borders and generations through sound.

AWE Festival Chicago Artists include AWE Artistic Director and violinist Benjamin Baker, violinist Risa Hokamura, violist Jordan Bak, cellist Julia Yang, pianist Janice Carissa and the celebrated British clarinetist Julian Bliss.

Visit the source link below for concert dates/times, program, and venue information.