*Coming in September!

music, mind, and resilience

A Concert of Great Composers Who Struggled with Mental Illness

  • DATE/TIME:
        Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.

  • COST:
       Free of Charge

  • LOCATION:
       St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Mahon Hall — 393 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137

  • PERFORMERS:
       Violinist Yang Liu and pianist Olivia Tsai, performing works by Robert Schumann, Béla Bartók, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and Maurice Ravel


More than 170 years after Robert Schumann's struggle with severe mental illness, audiences are still moved by the beauty he created; the same is true of Johannes Brahms, who carried decades of quiet depression into some of his most searching music; Ludwig van Beethoven, who composed some of history's most celebrated works while confronting deafness, depression, and thoughts of suicide; Béla Bartók, who kept creating through exile, illness, and loss; and Maurice Ravel, whose later years were marked by neurological decline. On September 26, The Awakenings Project explores that intersection of creativity, struggle, and resilience in a special concert featuring internationally acclaimed violinist Yang Liu and pianist Olivia Tsai.





Yang & Olivia


An award-winning violin-piano duo whose thoughtfully curated performances bridge cultures and invite meaningful connection, from Ravinia Festival and the Kennedy Center to festivals across Brazil, Portugal, and China.



SPONSOR

Sponsored by The Awakenings Project. Special thanks to JCS Arts, Health, and Education Fund. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the Yang and Olivia Arts Foundation.







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