The Performing Arts Center Presents:

Valinor Trio

Date: May 31, 2026

Time: 5pm in the Studio Theater

Tickets: On Sale Now

The Valinor Trio, coached by GRAMMY-nominated Desirée Ruhstrat, unites violinist Cecilia O’Malley, cellist Gabriel Raviv, and pianist Joseph Gallwas. Ranking among Chicago’s foremost young soloists, the trio’s members have garnered acclaim on both the national and international stage.

Individually, they have collaborated with such prestigious ensembles as the Oistrakh Symphony, the Lakeview Symphony, the Elmhurst Symphony, the Lincoln Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the DuPage Symphony, the Highland Park Strings Orchestra, the SEEN Orchestra, and the TIMM Ensemble Orchestra of Todi, Italy. Over the past two years, all three musicians have been selected as finalists in the CSO Young Artist Competition, sponsored by the Crain-Maling Foundation. As a trio, they have been awarded grand prize in the ENKOR International Competition, first prize in the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, first prize in the American Virtuoso International Competition, and honorable mention in the Chicago National Chamber Music Competition. Most recently, they were semifinalists in the world-renowned Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Outside the rehearsal room, they share a steadfast friendship and enjoy simply spending
time together and adding to a bucket list of future group adventures. The name of their ensemble,
Valinor (the heavenly realm in J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings),
encompasses the trio’s conviction that music is capable of transporting listeners to the sublime.