Luminarts Cultural Foundation announces 2022 Classical Instrumentalist Fellows
More than $2 million in direct funds have been bestowed upon Chicago-based artists since 2012.
APRIL 12, 2022 - CHICAGO - Luminarts Cultural Foundation (Luminarts) is honored to name saxophonist Joseph Connor, pianist Qi Kong, and violinist Rannveig Marta Sarc as its 2022 Classical Instrumentalist Fellows. Each of the three possess exceptional skills that distinguish them from a field of more than 70 classical musicians who competed for one of the nation’s most coveted Fellowships.
Three $10,000 Fellowships are granted in the categories of piano, string instruments, and wind instruments. For a decade, Chicago’s most talented classical composers and performers have competed for Luminarts’ prestigious Fellowship awards. A Luminarts Fellowship marks the beginning of a long-term commitment to a Fellow’s craft. In addition to the initial $10,000 award, Fellows gain access to professional and creative resources and additional project grants for 10 years.
Luminarts Cultural Foundation has supported exemplary young artists for more than a decade. This year’s Classical Instrumentalist Fellows add to a rich history of artistic excellence and add to Chicago's unique, vibrant arts community.
- Jason Kalajainen, Luminarts Cultural Foundation Executive Director
Joseph Connor is a graduate of Northwestern University and Lawrence University and is a current doctoral candidate at Northwestern University. He has performed throughout the United States and abroad in solo, chamber, and ensemble settings at iconic venues such as Chicago Civic Opera House, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, Carnegie Hall, Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall (Zhongshan Park Music Hall), and others. He has performed with Symphony Orchestras in Oshkosh, La Crosse, Fox Valley, and Manitowoc as an ensemble player. Since relocating to Chicago, Mr. Connor has presented masterclasses and lectures at Lawrence University, Northwestern University, Webster University, and serves as saxophone instructor at Merit School of Music.Visit Joseph Connor’s Luminarts profile here.
Qi Kong is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Yale University and is a current doctoral candidate at Northwestern University. His accolades include first prize winner of the 2021 Northwestern University Concerto Competition and the esteemed Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Scholarship Competition. Heralded by the New York Times as possessing a uniquely “elegant and sensitive” technique, Mr. Kong has showcased this talent on renowned stages throughout the world, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Shanghai Concert Hall. Mr. Kong aspires to introduce more people to a pantheon that includes Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner, Brahms and Chopin whose timeless works were created in an era affectionately referred to as The Golden Age. Visit Qi Long’s Luminarts profile here.
Rannveig Marta Sarc is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she received both a Bachelor and Master of Music as well as earning a Kovner Fellowship.She has performed as a soloist with, among others, the Icelandic Symphony, Slovene Philharmonic, and Iceland Youth Symphony Orchestra. Since relocating to Chicago, Ms. Sarc regularly performs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony and Civic Orchestras, is concertmaster at Chicago Civic Orchestra, and a faculty instructor at the Merit School of Music in Chicago’s West Loop. Visit Rannveig Marta Sarc’s Luminarts profile here.
About Luminarts Cultural Foundation
Luminarts Cultural Foundation (Luminarts) cultivates Chicago’s vibrant arts community by supporting exemplary young artists through its competitive programs that offer financial awards, artistic opportunities, and mentoring that bridge the gap between education and career.
Luminarts welcomes talented young artists of all social, economic and cultural backgrounds. As a young visual artist, musician, vocalist, or writer from the Chicago area, we invite and encourage you to compete for grants, creative opportunities, and to become Luminarts Fellows.
Luminarts Cultural Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Visit Luminarts.org for more information or to contribute.
Ryan Arnold
Erika Force
