A Symphony of Dreams: Sisters open music school in Palos Hills

The new Magical Keys Institute of Music in Palos Hills has opened to the community and sisters Kasia Szczech-Dlugosz and Karolina Szczech want to provide piano, violin, voice and harp lessons to youths and adults in the southwest suburbs. They have room for lessons including one that features paintings of famous composers. 

Two sisters are aiming to bring the power of music to the southwest suburbs.

Kasia Szczech-Dlugosz and her younger sister, Karolina Szczech, opened the Magical Keys Institute of Music at 7840 W. 103rd St., Palos Hills, about three weeks ago. They celebrated with a grand opening on Thursday, Sept. 26, to greet the community and encourage both youngsters and adults to take piano, violin, voice, and harp lessons.

“We are going to have adult and youth divisions,” said Kasia, a Palos Hills resident. “Kids from all over the southwest suburbs can come here. We would love to have youth and adult orchestras. I want to engage everybody.”

Kasia is a composer, pianist, and harpist. She graduated from DePaul University, where she studied composition under Christopher Jones and Seung-Won Oh. She earned a master’s degree in music education and is also the music director at St. Albert the Great Church in Burbank.

Karolina works alongside her sister at St. Albert as a violinist. The Burbank resident received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance and a minor in psychology. She completed her Suzuki method training at Southern Illinois University.

She previously graduated from the Chicago Academy for the Arts, studying violin and composition. Throughout the year, Karolina also teaches and performs at St. Fabian Church in Bridgeview as the children’s music director. She is an instructor at the Chicago Center for Music Education.

“We wanted to come to Palos Hills because we feel like this is home,” Kasia said. “We want to instruct youths and adults, and we would like to bring symphonies to Moraine Valley Community College.”

Their father, Stan Szczech, was an active participant in getting the music studio started. Their mother, Bernadette, was on hand to greet visitors at the grand opening. The sisters are also assisted by a loyal staff.

“Our dad is the one who made it all happen,” Kasia said with a laugh. “Everything we do is a family thing, whether it’s teaching or working with nonprofits.”

Stan said it took about four months to get the studio ready for students. The state-of-the-art studio includes rooms for sound, violin, and harp lessons. A piano is set up in another spacious room featuring images of famous composers.

Kasia’s husband, Tom, also supports the family business, playing bass.

When the sisters decided to open their business in Palos Hills, it was music to the ears of Mayor Jerry Bennett.

“They are very passionate and have a lot of energy,” Bennett said. “We are lacking a musical center in the southwest suburbs. We once had Musichorale in Oak Lawn, but it has since gone. This would really fill a void, especially if they can bring symphonies to Moraine Valley. They serve 35 communities.”

Both sisters have extensive résumés. Kasia is a member of the Chicago Arts Initiative and has collaborated with Studio MusikFabrik in Chicago and Darmstadt, Germany, during the International New Music Festival.

Karolina has premiered and performed works at Darmstadt, Omaha Under the Radar in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Emerald Coast Chamber Music Festival in Florida.

The sisters are passionate about providing lessons and organizing orchestras in the southwest suburbs. They currently have more than 40 members who perform and will be featured in upcoming concerts.

The Magical Keys Christmas Extravaganza 2024 will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22, at the Trinity Christian College Ozinga Chapel Auditorium, 6601 W. College Drive, Palos Heights. Kasia and Karolina will produce and direct the holiday performances. Tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com.

The sisters are inviting adults, children, and teens to take lessons at the Magical Keys Institute of Music. They can sign up for lessons or get involved in the theater program by visiting magicalkeysduo.com/instituteofmusic.

Lessons are available from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Kasia said those interested in lessons can stop by the institute during those times.

Along with Bennett, Palos Hills Aldermen Mike Price (1st), Phil Abed (4th), and Donna O’Connell (5th) attended the grand opening.

“We want to have a huge program with lots of kids and adults,” Kasia said. “We’re excited about this.”