A Festive Holiday Concert Sheridan Solisti and the Kingswood Choir

Buffalo Grove, IL – Susan Merdinger and the Sheridan Solisti Chamber Orchestra are thrilled to announce their collaboration with Kingswood United Methodist Church of Buffalo Grove and Deerfield, Illinois, for an exciting series of concerts in the 2024-2025 season. The first concert, titled the “Festive Holiday Concert,” will feature the Sheridan Solisti Chamber Orchestra performing with the combined choirs of Kingswood United Methodist Church.

The concert program promises a diverse lineup of beloved holiday and classical selections, including pieces from Handel’s Messiah, featuring sopranos Cantor Stefanie Greene and Felicia Patton. Other highlights include Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and A Christmas Festival, Ilya Levinson’s A Hanukkah Medley, Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with violinist Cyrus Forough, and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, with Susan Merdinger conducting from the piano. The evening will conclude with selections from Tchaikovsky’s cherished Nutcracker Suite.
Founded by Susan Merdinger, the Sheridan Solisti Chamber Orchestra held its debut concert in June 2019. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Merdinger persisted in her vision to establish a chamber orchestra.

Conductor and Steinway Artist Susan Merdinger is a distinguished concert pianist originally from New York, now a resident of Chicago’s North Shore for over 20 years. Chicago audiences may recognize her from her performances on WFMT, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series, and as a soloist with several local orchestras, including The Chicago Philharmonic, the Northbrook Symphony, and the Highland Park Strings. While Merdinger is celebrated as a soloist, her talent for orchestral conducting is less widely known. She honed her conducting skills during her undergraduate and graduate studies at Yale, under the guidance of mentors such as Robert Kapilow, Otto Werner Mueller, and Seymour Lipkin. Recently, she had the opportunity to conduct the Highland Park Strings from the piano in Mozart’s Concerto No. 25, as well as the North Shore Chamber Orchestra and a pickup orchestra for Make Music Chicago Day. “I always dreamt of being a conductor, as I think of the piano in terms of orchestral colors and sounds, and I truly enjoy collaborating with members of an orchestra,” says Merdinger from her home studio in Fort Sheridan, Illinois.
“For this Festive Holiday Concert, I am pleased to feature two exceptional vocal soloists and a violin soloist, along with the Kingswood Choir. This marks the first time I’ll conduct both a chorus and chamber orchestra together, and the music promises to be vibrant and uplifting, with a range from holiday classics to timeless classical favorites,” Merdinger adds.

Noted for the “fiery intensity” and “poetic vision” of his playing, Cyrus Forough is a laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Competition and a first-prize winner of the Milwaukee Symphony Violin Competition, among other honors. He has performed internationally in major concert halls and for dignitaries, and he and his wife, Steinway Artist Carolyn McCracken, won the United States Artistic Ambassador Program’s National Duo Competition, representing the U.S. across the Far East and South America. Forough has taught as a Professor of Violin at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh for over 20 years, as well as a visiting professor at both the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University. His students have won numerous national and international competitions and are members of professional orchestras worldwide.

With a rich tapestry of experience in musical theater, opera, and Jewish liturgical music, Cantor Stefanie Greene brings a heartfelt depth to her performances. Ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2022, where she also earned her Master of Sacred Music degree, Greene has dedicated her life to inspiring audiences with her artistry and passion for sacred music. A graduate of the University of Rochester, she pursued additional studies in music education and choral conducting at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as vocal performance at North Park University. Known for her warm, soaring soprano, Cantor Greene has graced stages across the U.S. and Europe in both operatic roles and art song recitals, captivating listeners with her blend of technical precision and emotional resonance. Before her cantorial ordination, she was a guiding voice at Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston, IL, served as Choir Director for a Lutheran congregation in Champaign, and, while living in Israel, acted as Assistant Conductor of the Jerusalem Youth Choir—a group devoted to fostering Jewish-Arab dialogue through music. Her devotion to Jewish choral music continues through her involvement with the Zamir Choral Foundation’s North American Jewish Choral Festival, where she was honored as a Conducting Fellow in 2019. Currently, she leads the Pittsburgh HaZamir Choir and is a frequent guest cantor at congregations across the country, where she shares her profound connection to Jewish heritage, lending her voice to worship and community gatherings in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and beyond.

Felicia Patton has sung in gospel choirs for most of her life and is a cherished figure in the Chicago music scene. After high school, she became a prominent local soloist, performing throughout the Chicago area. Patton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from North Park University and went on to obtain two graduate degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Known for her rich, soulful voice, she has captivated audiences across the United States with performances spanning gospel, soul, funk, jazz, and blues. For over eight years, Patton has been the lead vocalist of the Chicago Soul Revue, where her powerful, expressive voice has brought both authenticity and passion to each performance. In addition to her work with the Revue, she maintains a dynamic solo career, crossing genres and engaging audiences in a variety of musical styles. Patton also shares her love of music through teaching, offering vocal, guitar, and piano lessons at Muzicnet School of Music, and serves as Music Minister for Kingswood United Methodist Church, where she continues to inspire congregants with her vocal artistry and heartfelt musical leadership.

For December 22nd ticket purchases:
https://sheridanmusicstudio.com/event/5806068/700017876/a-festive-holiday-concert-with-susan-merdinger-sheridan-solisti-and-the-kingswood-choirs

For more information please visit:
www.sheridanmusicstudio.com
www.susanmerdingerpianist.com

Press Contacts:

Felicia Patton, Music Director, Kingswood United Methodist Church, Buffalo Grove
773-396-0375

Steven Greene, Music Director, Kingswood United Methodist Church, Deerfield
551-486-3495

Susan Merdinger, Conductor and Pianist

Cantor Stefanie Greene, Soprano

Cyrus Forough, violin

Felicia Patton, Soprano and Choir Director

Host or Publisher Sheridan Music Studio of Fort Sheridan