- Community School
- Music lessons, classes, and programs for all ages and skill levels
- The Academy
- A comprehensive program for advanced pre-college musicians
- Creative Arts Therapy
- Expressive art therapies for children, adults, and families
- Cultural Events
- Concerts series and events in the critically acclaimed Nichols Concert Hall
- Central Administration
- 517 Green Bay Road Wilmette, IL 60091
- phone: 847.905.1500, ext. 180
- fax: 847.251.5391
- Evanston-East
- 1490 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201 - Campus Coordinator:
Timothy Mah - phone: 847.905.1500, ext. 100
- fax: 847.905.1502
- Evanston-West
- 2008 Dempster Street
Evanston, IL 60202 - Campus Coordinator:
Timothy Mah - phone: 847.905.1500, ext. 172
- fax: 847.905.1502
- Highland Park
- Music Arts School
477 Elm Place
Highland Park, IL 60035 - Campus Director:
Greg Deithrich - phone: 847.905.1500, ext. 146
- fax: 847.432.8478
- Lake Forest
- 40 East Old Mill Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045 - Campus Director:
Lisa Griffith - phone: 847.295.1640
- fax: 847.295.1341
- Lincolnshire
- 30 Riverwoods Rd.
Lincolnshire, IL 60069 - Campus Director:
Greg Deithrich - phone: 847.905.1500, ext. 145
- fax: 847.432.8478
- Winnetka
- 300 Green Bay Road
Winnetka, IL 60093 - Campus Coordinator:
Clark Carruth - phone: 847.905.1500 ext. 120
- fax: 847.446.3876
Locations and Contact
Central Administration
Central Administration includes offices for the president, development, finance and operations, and marketing. This building is conveniently located near the Wilmette station of the Union Pacific Metra Line North. Parking is available on the street and in adjacent lot. No lessons are offered at this location.
Evanston-East
Built as the First Church of Christ, Science in 1912 by acclaimed Chicago architect Solon S. Beman, MIC sensitively converted the building to a teaching and performance facility (Nichols Concert Hall) that opened in 2003. The lower level contains ten soundproof teaching studios and rehearsal rooms, a reading and listening library, and administrative offices. The upper level is the home of the elegant Nichols Concert Hall. With excellent acoustics and seating for 550, the hall is home to numerous student and faculty performances as well as guest-artist master classes and recitals. Nichols Concert Hall contains a completely restored 1914 E. M. Skinner pipe organ which is complimented by a 1930’s Kimball pipe organ for practice on the teaching level. Conveniently located in downtown Evanston, MIC’s Evanston-East campus is a short distance from the CTA purple line-Davis stop or Metra North Line Davis station.
Evanston-West
One of MIC’s newest campus locations, the Evanston-West facility is home to the musical theater program and 160-seat Dempster Street Theater. In addition to a well-equipped “black box” theater the campus includes large rehearsal rooms, a scene shop, lighting and sound booth, spacious lobby, and plenty of parking for both performers and audience members. Evanston-West is also home to MIC’s Institute for Therapy through the Arts, a creative arts therapy program offering drama, music, movement and visual arts therapies used to help those with psychological needs, developmental delay and physical challenges.
Highland Park
Founded in 1952 by pianist and teacher Mortimer Scheff, the Highland Park Campus (formerly the Music Arts School) has served generations of Highland-Parkers. In 2007, the Music Arts School merged with MIC. The school serves over 350 students and offers early childhood classes, group instruction in guitar, and private lessons for strings, piano, winds, and percussion. Located in downtown Highland Park, this charming Victorian-style campus offer easy street parking and is within short walking distance to the Metra North Line Highland Park station.
Lake Forest
Originally founded as the Lake Forest Symphony School in 1976, the Lake Forest Campus serves over 700 students through private instruction, ensembles, and the nationally acclaimed early childhood program “Music Together.” The school shares its beautiful wooded site on the Grove Cultural Campus with the Lake Forest Senior Center and the Sterling Hall Arts and Activities Center. The Lake Forest Campus has over 15 well appointed teaching studios as well as a performance space for school recitals. The school is located on the west side of highway 41, south of Old Elm and off of Ridge Road.
Lincolnshire
Located just off I-294, the Lincolnshire Campus is housed in the educational wing of the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit just south of Half Day Road (Route 22). The program offers both Suzuki and private instruction in strings, some wind instruments, and piano. Ample parking is available.
Winnetka
The oldest location of the Music Institute of Chicago, the Winnetka Campus resides on the grounds of the North Shore Country Day School. Built in 1955 and expanded in 1985, the school includes 26 teaching and rehearsal studios, 100-seat Thoresen Performance Center, and the school’s central administration. Ample parking is available on the grounds of the campus which is also easily accessible via the Indian Hill or Winnetka stations of the Metra North Line.