Get ready, Chicago! The Symphony Center is set to host an electrifying series of events that celebrate the brilliance of Béla Bartók, among other classical giants. From the powerful orchestral landscapes of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra to Alexandre Kantorow's poetic piano recital, and the gripping opera Bluebeard’s Castle, these performances are not to be missed. Join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and indulge in a musical journey that spans from Beethoven to Bartók, with appearances by renowned artists like Leonidas Kavakos and Daniil Trifonov. Don't miss the enchanting Dvořák Serenade for Strings at the South Shore Cultural Center, featuring Bartók's vibrant Romanian Folk Dances.

Chicago's Symphony Season: Celebrating Bartók with Orchestral Masterpieces and Virtuosic Performances

Chicago, Wheaton, and Elgin are set to resonate with the enchanting compositions of Jean Sibelius over the coming months. From the haunting 'Swan of Tuonela' performed by the Grant Park Orchestra to the thrilling 'Violin Concerto' showcased by Christian Tetzlaff with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), audiences will be treated to a series of mesmerizing events. Don't miss Seong-Jin Cho's masterful interpretation of Sibelius' Fifth Symphony or the evocative 'The Oceanides' at the hands of the CSO. Add to this the dynamic collaborations between Tchaikovsky and Sibelius at the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and the rich orchestral landscapes promise an unforgettable musical journey.

Celebrate Sibelius: Orchestral Wonders Across Chicago, Wheaton, and Elgin

Chicago music enthusiasts, prepare to be enthralled by a series of captivating performances dedicated to the genius of Frédéric Chopin. From Alsop & Vondráček’s orchestral prowess to Daniil Trifonov’s spellbinding recital, Mao Fujita’s fresh interpretations, and Evgeny Kissin’s romantic virtuosity, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra presents an unmissable celebration of classical music from October 2024 to May 2025.

Experience Chopin in Chicago: A Symphony of Pianistic Masterpieces

Chicago and Skokie are set to resonate with the timeless music of Joseph Haydn through a series of spectacular events. From the awe-inspiring 'The Creation' in Skokie and Chicago, conducted by the esteemed Dame Jane Glover, to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's grand performances of Haydn’s symphonies and masses, there's something for every classical music aficionado. Not to be missed is the Leonkoro Quartet's performance at the University of Chicago, showcasing Haydn's chamber music alongside other masterpieces.

Celebrating Haydn: Unmissable Musical Events Across Chicago and Skokie

Join us in Chicago for an extraordinary series of concerts celebrating the works of Felix Mendelssohn and other maestros. From the powerful oratorio 'Elijah' at the Symphony Center to the North American debut of violin prodigy Guido Sant’Anna, and the emotive 'Love Letters' concert by the Chicago Sinfonietta, there's something for every classical music aficionado. Don't miss the Leonkoro Quartet's performance in the UChicago Presents series, promising an evening of profound musical exploration.

Celebrating Mendelssohn in Chicago: A Year of Musical Masterpieces

Join us in Chicago, IL, for an extraordinary celebration of Béla Bartók's masterpieces with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. From the thrilling 'Concerto for Orchestra' to the gripping 'Bluebeard’s Castle,' and the virtuoso performances by Alexandre Kantorow and the dynamic duo of Leonidas Kavakos & Daniil Trifonov, this series of concerts promises to be an exhilarating journey through Bartók's vivid soundscapes.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Celebrates Béla Bartók: A Musical Extravaganza

Chicago is set to become the epicenter of classical music as the city hosts a series of extraordinary events celebrating the genius of Ludwig van Beethoven. From the stirring opera 'Fidelio' at the Lyric Opera House to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's powerful renditions of Beethoven's iconic compositions, there's something for every classical music enthusiast. Join us as we dive into the emotionally charged 'Fidelio,' experience the grandeur of the 'Mozart Coronation Mass,' and revel in the heroism of Beethoven's 'Eroica Symphony' and 'Emperor Concerto.'

Beethoven's Masterpieces in Chicago: A Series of Unmissable Performances

Get ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Sinfonietta present a series of captivating performances across Chicago and Wheaton. From the dramatic streets of Bernstein’s New York to the fantastical landscapes of Shakespearean Verona, and from the mythical Swan Lake to the stormy seas of The Tempest, this season promises an unforgettable experience for all classical music enthusiasts.

Celebrate Tchaikovsky: A Musical Journey through Chicago and Wheaton

Chicago, IL is set to become a haven for classical music aficionados with a series of captivating events celebrating the genius of Dmitri Shostakovich. From the gripping Symphony No. 5 performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to evocative chamber music at the University of Chicago, an enthralling mixed repertoire by the Joffrey Ballet, and more, these events promise an immersive dive into Shostakovich's enduring legacy.

Celebrating Shostakovich: Chicago's Musical Tribute to a Legendary Composer

This season, embark on a captivating musical journey through Chicago and Skokie as renowned musicians bring the timeless works of Johann Sebastian Bach to life. From the virtuosic organ performance by Renée Anne Louprette at Bond Chapel to the emotionally charged St John Passion by the Dunedin Consort at Reynolds Club, each event promises to be a celebration of Bach's genius. Don't miss the majestic Christmas Oratorio performed across multiple venues, the innovative collaboration between Takács Quartet and Julien Labro, and the unique fusion of Imani Winds & Boston Brass at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Join us as we revel in the profound artistry of Bach and other celebrated composers in these unforgettable concerts.

Celebrate Bach: A Musical Journey Through Chicago and Skokie

Experience the grandeur of Gustav Mahler’s symphonic wonders this spring in Chicago and Naperville! From the emotive 'Love Letters' by Chicago Sinfonietta to the celestial 'Mahler 3' conducted by Mäkelä, the city is set to resonate with the timeless brilliance of Mahler's compositions. Don't miss the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's exclusive previews before their Amsterdam performances, featuring symphonies that explore the depth of human experience.

Mahler’s Masterpieces: A Grand Musical Journey in Chicago & Naperville

Chicago is set to resound with the timeless music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through a series of captivating events. From the pastoral beauty of Beethoven's Symphony to the grandeur of Mozart's Coronation Mass, there's something for every classical music enthusiast. Revel in operatic intrigue with 'The Marriage of Figaro' at the Lyric Opera, or experience the eclectic 'Minkowski Conducts' series. Delight in chamber music with the CSO at the University of Chicago or marvel at the rising star Mao Fujita's piano recital. Don't miss the exceptional talents of Julia Fischer & Jan Lisiecki, or explore Mozart's influences in 'Mozart and His Mentors.' The season culminates with the dynamic trio of Mutter, Ferrández & Bronfman. Join us in celebrating the genius of Mozart across Chicago's vibrant musical landscape.

Celebrate Mozart in Chicago: A Symphony of Events

From the vibrant city of Chicago to the charming town of Naperville, immerse yourself in a series of captivating musical events featuring the timeless works of Johannes Brahms. Marvel at Brazilian violinist Guido Sant’Anna’s North American debut with the Brahms Violin Concerto, be swept away by Lahav Shani's and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of Brahms' First Symphony, and revel in the masterful renditions of Brahms' compositions by exceptional artists like Alexandre Kantorow, Leonidas Kavakos, Daniil Trifonov, and more.

Experience Brahms in Chicago and Naperville: A Symphony of Talent

Experience the magic of Leonard Bernstein across Chicago and Naperville! Kicking off with 'Opening Night Screen & Stage' on September 7-8 by Chicago Sinfonietta, this season highlights Bernstein’s genius with events like 'Andrés Orozco-Estrada & Hilary Hahn' on September 19-20, 'CSO Chamber Music at the University of Chicago' on April 6, and 'An American Suite' on May 31. These performances promise a brilliant fusion of pop culture, classical music, and Bernstein’s timeless works.

Chicago and Naperville Host a Bernstein Extravaganza: Music Events of 2024-2025

Join us in Chicago and Naperville as we celebrate the timeless genius of Antonín Dvořák through captivating concerts. From the intimate exploration of cultural heritage in 'Culture Chronicles' to the powerful emotional narratives of 'Canellakis Conducts Rachmaninov,' 'Mäkelä & Trifonov,' and 'An American Suite,' these events promise to be an unmissable musical odyssey.

Chicago Celebrates Antonín Dvořák: A Symphony of Cultural Heritage at Iconic Venues

Get ready, Chicago! The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is presenting a series of captivating performances celebrating the works of Sergey Rachmaninoff. From the youthful fervor of his First Symphony to the poetic charm of his Piano Sonata No. 1, and from the passionate First Piano Concerto to the evocative Symphonic Dances, these events are a must-see for music enthusiasts. Join us for 'Grieg & Rachmaninov' from December 5-7, 2024, 'Alexandre Kantorow' on February 2, 2025, 'Hrůša, Trpčeski & Rachmaninov' from March 20-22, 2025, and 'Canellakis Conducts Rachmaninov' from April 3-5, 2025 in Chicago, IL. 

Celebrate the Genius of Rachmaninoff: Upcoming Events in Chicago

Chicago's vibrant music scene comes alive with three remarkable events celebrating the legacy of Florence Price. Experience Michelle Cann's captivating piano recital at Logan Center, AGAVE's dynamic performance with Reginald Mobley, and the powerful orchestral presentation by Elder, Goosby & Price at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Celebrate Florence Price: A Journey Through Chicago's Musical Renaissance

Chicago is set to host an extraordinary series of concerts celebrating the genius of Maurice Ravel. From the profound interpretations of the Takács Quartet and Julien Labro’s unique bandoneon collaboration, to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s homage to Ravel with 'Glover Conducts English Classics' and 'Ravel Daphnis and Chloe,' these events promise to be unforgettable. Featuring works like Ravel's 'String Quartet in F Major,' 'Tzigane,' and the 'Daphnis et Chloé Suite,' these performances will highlight the diversity and brilliance of Ravel's compositions.

Celebrating Maurice Ravel: A Musical Extravaganza in Chicago

Experience the magic of orchestral and recital music in Chicago, featuring the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra. From Bernstein and Tchaikovsky to the compelling works of Samuel Barber, immerse yourself in an array of concerts. Highlights include Andrés Orozco-Estrada and Hilary Hahn’s performance of Barber’s Violin Concerto, Daniil Trifonov's spellbinding recital featuring Barber’s Sonata, and the evocative Ravel Daphnis and Chloe suite complemented by Barber’s Second Essay.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Works of Samuel Barber

Launching his tenure as the CSO’s Artist-in-Residence, Daniil Trifonov shows why he’s “arguably the mightiest of the under-40 generation of superstar pianists” (The New York Times). Trifonov’s virtuosity is given free rein in Tchaikovsky’s spellbinding works, the brooding, poetic waltzes of Chopin and the propulsive brilliance of Barber’s Sonata.

EPSG:4326

Daniil Trifonov

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Experiencing a Bruckner symphony is often compared to walking around inside a massive gothic cathedral. Step inside this sacred space and experience its awed silences, reverent melodies and towering brass chorales. Francesco Piemontesi, “a performer in total, joyful command of his material” (The Guardian), brings power and panache to Liszt’s formidable Second Piano Concerto.

Liszt & Bruckner 3

Be transported to the landscapes of southern Spain with vivacious, dance-inspired works by Falla and Chabrier. The journey begins in Riccardo Muti’s native Italy with a boisterous overture by Donizetti and sumptuous ballet music by Verdi. Golijov’s Megalopolis Suite features music from his score to the 2024 release of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film, in which the fate of Ancient Rome haunts a modern world.

Muti & the CSO

Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti returns with Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, a work that shattered the symphonic conventions of its day, with themes of heroism, struggle and triumph. Beethoven’s majestic Emperor Concerto features Mitsuko Uchida, who brings “the unaffected wisdom and clarity that comes with decades of interpretive rigor and commitment” (The New York Times).

Muti, Uchida, Emperor & Eroica

Celebrate Día de los Muertos, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, with the Grammy-winning, Mexican-American singer Lila Downs. Joined by folklórico dancers and stunning visual projections, Downs brings her powerful voice and vibrant stage presence to songs in Spanish and English, as well as indigenous languages from her native Oaxaca.

Lila Downs: Día de los Muertos

This storybook program opens with Beethoven’s incisive take on the Prometheus myth and musical highlights from Humperdinck’s fairy-tale adventure, Hansel and Gretel.  Strauss’ fantastical, symphonic interpretation of Don Quixote pits the befuddled “Man of La Mancha” — represented here by Principal Cello John Sharp — against a flurry of windmills, sorcerers and bleating sheep.

Don Quixote

The great John Williams conducts a selection of his iconic film scores and the first CSO performance of his magnificent Violin Concerto No. 2, featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter. Composed for Mutter in 2021, the concerto is “a hugely expressive, deeply atmospheric four-movement work,” writes BBC Music Magazine, in which “Mutter‘s singing, lilting, bluesy, scampering violin hungrily eats up the notes.”

John Williams, Anne-Sophie Mutter & the CSO

Join us for an enchanting musical journey with the "Philharmonia Fantastique" at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, set to captivate audiences on October 19, 2024. This unique performance, perfect for ages 5-12, combines the magic of an animated film with the virtuosity of a live concerto, offering an immersive experience into the world of music. 

Created by the talented former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates, alongside an Oscar-winning creative team, "Philharmonia Fantastique" invites you to follow a magical sprite on an adventure inside musical instruments, revealing the intricate ways they come together to form an orchestra. The journey builds to a spectacular finale, with live music that promises to leave audiences in awe.

Under the baton of conductor Eric Jacobsen, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform this CSO Co-commissioned piece, "Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra," at the iconic Symphony Center. 

Tickets are priced between $15 and $65, making this extraordinary experience accessible to all. Mark your calendars, as individual concert tickets will be available for purchase starting August 2024. Don't miss this opportunity to introduce the younger generation to the wonders of orchestral music in a fun and engaging way.

Philharmonia Fantastique

Symphony Center

Join Nicholas Kraemer and four preeminent singers for a selection of Handel’s brilliant and soul-stirring vocal numbers, which explore the full spectrum of human emotions — from utmost sorrow to joy and sensuality. Plus, enjoy music fit for a king with Handel’s Water Music, composed for the royal court of George I, and Mozart’s grand Coronation Mass.

Mozart Coronation Mass

Animated film meets virtuosic concerto! Follow a magical sprite as it takes audiences inside musical instruments and shows how they work together as an orchestra. Created by former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates and an Oscar-winning creative team, this film with live music builds to a spectacular finale.

School Concert: Philharmonia Fantastique

With his Fifth Symphony, Shostakovich outwitted Soviet authorities with the finesse of a double agent. Threatened by Stalin’s regime, the composer skillfully appeased Soviet officials with this gripping work packed with triumphant Russian themes, but also subversive satire and daring irony. Chief conductor of the Ravinia Festival Marin Alsop also leads the CSO in a captivating work about Harriet Tubman and a beloved Chopin concerto featuring pianist Lukáš Vondráček.

Alsop & Vondráček

Musical time traveler, globe-trotting impresario, enterprising scholar and charismatic virtuoso: Jordi Savall is one of the most distinctive talents in the field of early music. Joined by his legendary instrumental and vocal ensembles, the prolific viol player explores the richness of the early Baroque era, highlighting the music of Monteverdi.

Jordi Savall — Monteverdi: A Baroque Revolution

Lose yourself in the idyllic landscapes of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. Inspired by the composer’s country hikes, the piece summons rippling streams, a raging thunderstorm and plenty of warmth. Mozart’s double piano concerto showcases the deft teamwork of Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen, who make two pianos “sound for all the world like a single instrument” (Gramophone).

Eschenbach with Lucas & Arthur Jussen

Starting with a ferocious fanfare representing fate, Tchaikovsky pours his soul into his Fourth Symphony, a fearless musical autobiography packed with surging melodies and dazzling colors. Antoine Tamestit brings his “gorgeous smoky sound” (The Guardian) to Walton’s Viola Concerto, a work of wistful beauty and quicksilver energy.

Tchaikovsky 4

Celebrate the 134th season of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with megastar pianist Lang Lang in a marvelous, one-night-only performance, complete with a red-carpet experience. The evening features Saint-Saëns’ exhilarating Second Piano Concerto, which begins with echoes of Bach and ends with a tarantella, a wild Italian folk dance. Kaleidoscopic works by Berlioz and Stravinsky frame the program.

Lang Lang & The Firebird

Forbidden love is in the air as Andrés Orozco-Estrada takes listeners from the streets of Bernstein’s New York to Tchaikovsky’s fantasy on Shakespearean Verona. The Argentine Pampas region is the setting of Ginastera’s vibrant ballet about a city boy who wins the heart of a rancher’s daughter. Barber’s lush and virtuosic Violin Concerto features superstar Hilary Hahn.

Andrés Orozco-Estrada & Hilary Hahn

One of the most celebrated Japanese composers of our time, Joe Hisaishi has produced music for 10 Hayao Miyazaki films, including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), and has also composed the music for Takeshi Kitano films. His credits include Sonatine (1993), the Oscar-winning Spirited Away (2001) and Departures (2008). Hisaishi conducts the CSO in his much-anticipated latest symphony alongside musical highlights from his most captivating compositions.

Hisaishi Conducts Hisaishi

Lahav Shani conducts Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, a symphony that the composer premiered less than a week before his death and was later nicknamed for the passion and suffering it expresses. Daniil Trifonov takes the spotlight in former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates’ Piano Concerto, a journey through three stylistic sound worlds, from Renaissance dance music to Romantic-era brooding to a contemporary finale imbued with strains of jazz and minimalism.

Tchaikovsky Pathétique & Trifonov

Brahms engaged the horn in only one chamber-music work. The Trillium Ensemble presents his Horn, Violin and Piano Trio, where the horn takes center stage and summons both its lyrical and dramatic sides. Included in the program is Fauré’s Piano Trio in D Minor — one of the composer’s last works, which features charming and elegant themes — and Reena Esmail’s Saans (Breath), a work infused with elements of North Indian classical music.

Trillium Ensemble Plays Brahms

Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell presents The Elements, a suite of five works for violin and orchestra, commissioned by Bell and written by leading American composers Jake Heggie (Fire), Jennifer Higdon (Air), Edgar Meyer (Water), CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery (Ether) and Kevin Puts (Earth). Conductor Juraj Valčuha frames the program with Weber’s Oberon Overture and Shostakovich’s jaunty, mischievous First Symphony.

The Elements with Joshua Bell

CSO Artist-in-Residence and Musical America’s 2023 Artist of the Year Hilary Hahn returns to Symphony Center for an afternoon showcasing the intimate beauty of chamber music. Hahn “cuts a tightly controlled, even economical figure on stage, letting her multilayered tone — decadent, dense, yet ringing with an irresistible sheen — speak for itself” (Chicago Tribune).

Hilary Hahn & Friends

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet brings his customary joie de vivre to Saint-Saëns’ Egyptian Concerto, inspired by a trip down the Nile in 1896. Conductor Stéphane Denève unpacks the French fascination with Spanish culture in Debussy’s sultry Ibéria and Ravel’s ever-popular Boléro, with its sensuously hypnotic theme building to a volcanic climax.

Ravel Boléro

Enjoy a concert featuring iconic music from the ageless James Bond movie franchise, including hits from Skyfall, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and more. John Morris Russell conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra alongside Broadway star and vocal powerhouse Capathia Jenkins in this salute to the notorious secret agent.

Shaken, Not Stirred

Following a meteoric rise “to rock-star status in the classical music world” (Globe and Mail) sparked by winning the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu makes his much-anticipated Chicago debut. He brings to Symphony Center works by Liszt and Kapustin, inventive keyboard compositions by Rameau, Haydn’s delicate Sonata in B Minor and Chopin’s emotionally complex Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor.

Bruce Liu

The Guadagnini String Quartet presents three unusual works. Wolf’s single-movement Italian Serenade leaves an impression of playful irony. Beethoven’s G Major Quartet, subtitled “Compliments” due to its elegant phrasing and mood, emerges as a charming and witty work grounded in 18th-century musical tradition. Grieg’s String Quartet in G Minor, one of only a handful of the composer’s large-scale compositions, stands as a supreme achievement and, in his own words, “strives towards breadth, soaring flight and, above all, resonance for the instruments for which it is written.”

Guadagnini String Quartet at South Shore Cultural Center

South Shore Cultural Center

Conductor Manfred Honeck leads the CSO in two captivating works. Principal Percussion Cynthia Yeh takes the spotlight in the premiere of a new concerto by Jessie Montgomery, the CSO’s Mead Composer-in-Residence. Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony awes with its breadth, drama and rapturous intensity. This enthralling score includes a radiant tribute to Bruckner’s idol, Richard Wagner, and a boisterous Austrian country dance.

Montgomery & Bruckner 7

In his Second Symphony, Mahler constructs a universe all his own, exploring themes of death and afterlife using a massive orchestra, offstage brass and percussion, chorus and vocal soloists. Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen guides listeners on this journey from the great, tragic opening march, through pastoral dances and gentle songs to a final tableau of trumpet calls, percussive thunderbolts and the hymn of resurrection.

Mahler Resurrection

An Evgeny Kissin recital is unfailingly an event, showcasing the Russian pianist’s “formidable blend of technical prowess and exploratory fervor” (San Francisco Chronicle). This season in Orchestra Hall, Kissin surveys the lyrical charm and invention of Beethoven’s Op. 90 Sonata, Brahms’ deeply melodic Four Ballades, Rachmaninov’s ruminative, jewel-like Moments musicaux and Prokofiev’s incisive and hard-driving Sonata No. 7.

Evgeny Kissin

Experience the unparalleled power of preeminent vocalist and NEA Jazz Master Dianne Reeves, Afro-Cuban jazz icon Chucho Valdés and the “restlessly creative” (Jazz at Lincoln Center) saxophonist Joe Lovano as they join forces for an unforgettable evening of duets at Symphony Center.

Duets: Dianne Reeves, Chucho Valdés & Joe Lovano

Martin Helmchen, “who brings both freshness and expressive depth to everything he plays” (Chicago Classical Review), takes on Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, a work of youthful bravura and pensive elegance. To open the program, Kazuki Yamada conducts Takemitsu’s shimmering How slow the Wind and Franck’s D Minor Symphony, featuring a mix of soaring lyricism and brooding intensity.

Helmchen Plays Beethoven

Known for its ongoing legacy of excellence, the CSO Brass Quintet has been performing at near-capacity events for decades. Its mission, says quintet member and CSO Principal Trumpet Esteban Batallán, is “to make sure that the tradition of the CSO brass … prevails and stays alive for generations to come.” The ensemble brings a glorious display of skill to a program including Fred Mills’ arrangement of Bach’s richly detailed Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major and Verne Reynolds’ jubilant Suite for Brass.

CSO Brass Quintet Plays Bach & More

For one night only, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and Chicago-area native Cody Fry brings his “unique blend of pop and cinematic classical music” (WUNC) to a special collaboration with the CSO conducted by Steven Reineke. Fry’s “simultaneously familiar and breathtaking” sound (American Songwriter) is likened to the rush of emotion felt the moment your favorite old movie changes from black-and-white to technicolor.

Cody Fry with the CSO

Join guest conductor Tania Miller and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a concert that dives into the wonder and symbolism of water. Flow through majestic rivers, stormy seas and galactic ice as the musicians use sound to convey the source of life. Perfect for ages 5-12.

Sound Waves

Orchestra Hall

The versatile Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider leads the CSO as soloist in Mozart’s richly melodic Violin Concerto No. 2 and Kreisler’s wistful Liebesleid. Trading violin bow for baton, Szeps-Znaider conducts Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, a neoclassical gem that shines a spotlight on the orchestra’s principal players, and Mozart’s Prague Symphony, a work of grand gestures and profound, melodious depth.

Mozart & Stravinsky

How does your community uplift and inspire you? What can be achieved when you forge positive relationships with others? Guest conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program that demonstrates how artists throughout history have been empowered by collaboration and how we can all fulfill our dreams with support from the people around us.

School Concert: Empowered by Music

Immerse yourself in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi masterpiece with John Williams’ pioneering score performed by the CSO. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss as an Indiana utility worker who experiences a close encounter with a UFO. Nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Original Score, Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains as powerful and engrossing today as it did at its 1977 premiere.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind in Concert

Elim Chan leads Rimsky-Korsakov’s sumptuous symphonic suite Sheherazade, inspired by the legendary heroine and tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Paul Jacobs, “a virtuoso of dazzling technical acumen” (The New York Times), performs Barber’s Toccata festiva, an exuberant showcase for organ containing echoes of J.S. Bach.

Sheherazade

Marking his first season as its chief conductor, Sir Simon Rattle leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s mighty Sixth Symphony. Sir Simon has been celebrated for his “complete command” (The New York Times) of this piece, one of the composer’s darkest and most impassioned symphonies. Its vast panorama includes cowbells to evoke the Austrian countryside and fateful hammer blows in its final movement.

BRSO Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Two mighty orchestras present a rousing, jazz-meets-classical event. Discover selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, alternating between the original orchestral version performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and imaginative new jazz arrangements presented by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Both ensembles join forces for a selection from Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony, which The Telegraph calls “a journey through jazz history and the sounds of America itself.”

CSO x Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

The legendary Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra consists of 15 of the world’s finest ensemble players, arrangers and soloists. Led by artistic director and NEA Jazz Master Wynton Marsalis, this renowned orchestra returns to its self-proclaimed second home at Symphony Center.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Comprised of the finest classical musicians in the country, the all-Black Gateways Festival Orchestra concludes its week-long Chicago residency with a Symphony Center concert featuring Take 6, the award-winning a cappella group Quincy Jones called the “baddest vocal cats on the planet.” The program highlights works by African-American composers including Chicago-native Margaret Bonds, whose Montgomery Variations was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.

Gateways Festival Orchestra featuring Take 6

Tugan Sokhiev conducts Tchaikovsky’s youthful First Symphony, nicknamed Winter Dreams for its cozy evocation of Russian winters. Chopin’s exuberant Piano Concerto No. 1 features Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, described by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as “a one-woman powerhouse” who “stole the show.” Andrzej Panufnik’s Heroic Overture, composed in 1952, is a tribute to the courageous spirit of the Polish people.

CSO at Wheaton: Chopin & Tchaikovsky

Wheaton College

These unparalleled musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra explore music composed inside the world of specific cultures. The program includes one of Haydn’s best-known piano trios and Bartók’s Contrasts (filled with Hungarian and Romanian dance melodies), and closes with a later work of Brahms, one of the first works composed for an ensemble featuring clarinet.

CSO Chamber Music at the University of Chicago

University of Chicago

Yefim Bronfman, a pianist who plays “with blazing power in the big Russian manner, tempered with subtlety and nuance” (Chicago Tribune), brings a program pairing Schubert’s deeply personal A Minor Sonata with two immensely expressive works. The Grand Sonata in G Major — an unusually beautiful melodic and emotional work — exemplifies Tchaikovsky’s creative genius while Beethoven’s Sonata No. 7 in D Major beguiles with its contrasting themes and enigmatic ending.

Yefim Bronfman

The 19th century’s most enduring oratorio, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, sung here in English, depicts the story of the biblical prophet Elijah, complete with his ascent to heaven on a flaming chariot. James Conlon leads the assembled forces, including Chicago favorite Lucas Meachem in the mighty title role and the Chicago Symphony Chorus performing the work’s pensive and ecstatic ensembles.

Mendelssohn Elijah

Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, which pays tribute to the grandeur of the human spirit, closes a program of music shaped by World War II. Martinů’s symphonic poem remembers the Czechs killed during the destruction of their village by the Nazis in 1942. Israeli-American composer Shulamit Ran commemorates a pivotal ocean voyage of German Holocaust refugees in 1947.

Courage & Hope

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott, longtime friends and collaborators, offer an afternoon filled with musical intimacy and expressive fireworks. Their program encompasses two contrasting cello sonatas by Franck and Shostakovich, the lilting warmth of Dvořák’s Songs My Mother Taught Me, the meditative beauty of Pärt’s “Mirror in Mirror” and lyrical gems by Fauré and Sérgio Assad.

Yo-Yo Ma & Kathryn Stott

Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, which pays tribute to the grandeur of the human spirit, closes a collaborative program with the Kenwood Academy High School Orchestra.

Civic at Kenwood Academy: Courage & Hope

Kenwood Academy

When young Goldilocks stumbles upon a quaint cottage and goes inside to explore, she has no idea it belongs to three bears who are on their way home! With this classic story as a guide, young audiences are invited to experience the wide and wonderful world of the forest through Goldilocks’ eyes and playfully explore some of the responsibilities that come along with growing older. Perfect for ages 3-5.

Once Upon a Symphony: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Bartók’s Second Piano Concerto is an exhilarating showcase for Yuja Wang, whom the San Francisco Chronicle called “quite simply the most dazzlingly, uncannily gifted pianist in the concert world today.” Electric conductor Klaus Mäkelä frames the program with Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, a searing portrait of the composer’s tormented life in Stalinist Russia, and the U.S. premiere of Sauli Zinovjev’s vibrant Batteria.

Klaus Mäkelä & Yuja Wang

Chicago native Herbie Hancock returns to the Orchestra Hall stage for the 14th time. In his 26-year history with the series, he has thrilled audiences with “expansive, free-ranging, densely textured performances” (Chicago Tribune) and a devotion to evolving the genre through “cross-pollination, adventurism and faith in what’s ahead” (The New York Times).

Herbie Hancock

Be transported to Zimmermann’s Coffee House, the Leipzig café where J.S. Bach introduced many of his instrumental works. CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen leads the dazzling Third Brandenburg Concerto, kaleidoscopic Violin Concerto in E Major and buoyant and graceful Orchestral Suite No. 1. Chen also teams up with Principal Oboe William Welter in Bach’s exquisite Concerto for Oboe and Violin.

The Music of Bach

Mitsuko Uchida leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in two of Mozart’s greatest piano concertos — both rich in emotional layers with moods ranging from the majestic to the melancholy. Uchida “stands as one of the leading Mozarteans of our day,” writes the Chicago Tribune, celebrated for “the sense of wonder and discovery she characteristically brings to his music.”

Mahler Chamber Orchestra & Mitsuko Uchida

Susanna Mälkki conducts a thought-provoking program anchored by Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. This celestial score, which includes a cryptic dance of death, is announced with sleigh bells and a rustic melody that ends with a child’s view of heaven, delivered here by soprano Ying Fang. Principal Flute Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson is the soloist in a newly commissioned concerto written for him by the esteemed Lowell Liebermann.

CSO at Wheaton: Mahler 4

In collaboration with Purpose Over Pain, the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra presents this special concert celebrating six years of the Notes for Peace program. Launched in 2018, Notes for Peace empowers Chicago families who have lost loved ones to gun violence to compose, record and perform original songs of tribute. Join Civic Orchestra of Chicago Fellows and the families of Purpose Over Pain, together with guest artists from U.K.-based organization The Irene Taylor Trust, conductor Kyle Dickson, Chicago-area vocalists and CSO Artist-in-Residence Hilary Hahn, for an inspiring evening demonstrating the healing power of music.

A Notes for Peace Celebration

The Meridian String Quartet presents a pair of 20th-century chamber works by Hungarian composers and close friends Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. Kodály was passionate about preserving his heritage, and his String Serenade for two violins and viola is typical of his style: a blend of folk inspirations and modern harmonies, wrapped in a classical trio form. Béla Bartók's String Quartet No. 5 is a modern masterpiece, representing a mellowing of the composer’s style by reducing dissonant sounds and increasing rich harmonies.

Meridian String Quartet

Kehrein Center for the Arts

Get ready to party like it’s 1929. Singer and bandleader Max Raabe founded the Palast Orchester to pay tribute to the music and style of Germany’s Weimar Era. With a repertoire that includes Kurt Weill, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter standards, the 12-piece band brings to life the madcap fun and sophistication of Jazz Age Berlin with a wry, contemporary edge.

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester

Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra — with its iconic opening popularized in 2001: A Space Odyssey — sets the tone for a program of dazzling, otherworldly pieces. Bartók’s pantomime ballet, The Miraculous Mandarin, is a lurid, supernatural tale rendered in arresting colors. Czech violinist Josef Špaček takes on Martinů’s tuneful and vivacious Violin Concerto No. 1.

Also sprach Zarathustra

Join the Civic Fellows for the culminating event of the first-ever collaboration between the Negaunee Music Institute and the Chicago Refugee Coalition. This concert celebrates the backgrounds, experiences and musical traditions of local migrant and refugee families through music and spoken word.

Civic Fellows x Chicago Refugee Coalition

Following his 2022 CSO debut with Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto, British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor returns to Symphony Center with two of the composer’s commanding solo pieces. Completing the program is Liszt’s wild and visionary Sonata in B Minor paired beautifully with a new work by Australian composer Brett Dean. “Grosvenor’s playing is thoughtful and fresh, with flecks of rubato, quizzical pauses and tumbling fast-fingered runs” (The Times of London).

Benjamin Grosvenor

Eliades Ochoa, one of the stars and founders of Buena Vista Social Club, makes his Symphony Center debut. With a voice “that plunges the listener deep into the countryside surrounding his native Santiago” and “a dexterity on the acoustic guitar to dazzle any flamenco player” (The Austin Chronicle), Ochoa is recognized as one of the best guitarists and Cuban soneros of his generation.


Eliades Ochoa

Experience the “brilliant and incisive” (Chicago Tribune) Gil Shaham in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, ever popular for its mix of vigor and finesse. Richard Strauss’ tone poem explores the ultimate mystery of death and what might lie beyond. Lutosławski’s 1954 Concerto for Orchestra is a symphonic showpiece that draws on Polish folk songs and Baroque forms.

Gil Shaham Plays Mendelssohn

Chicago Opera Theater Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya leads musicians from the CSO in a program highlighting composer-performers, including three-time Grammy Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart. His stunning new violin concerto for string orchestra, Embrace, incorporates testimonies by members of the Chicago community while his work Of Love — a collection of compositions to cherish life, time and lifetimes — serves as a personal requiem. This program features two world premieres — an additional work by Stewart and a new work by CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery.

Jessie Montgomery & Curtis Stewart

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is treasured by generations of music fans for its whirling dance rhythms and majestic Allegretto movement. It is a calling card for conductor Herbert Blomstedt, whose Beethoven recordings “remain beacons of good taste, with a distinctive spiritual power shining through the music” (The New York Times). Composed in his youth, Schubert's exuberant Sixth Symphony draws inspiration from Beethoven.

Blomstedt Conducts Beethoven 7

The Plymouth Ensemble presents a program framed with works by Mozart and Brahms. The towering Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor is a product of the most stressful period of Brahms’ life — namely, his ill-fated love affair with Clara Schumann. Brahms’ frustration at the impossibility of their love tempered the mood of this quartet, echoing his emotional turmoil through music. Mozart’s genial Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major is the second of his two piano quartets that virtually invented the genre.

The Plymouth Ensemble

Beverly Arts Center

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, “a brilliant musician and an extraordinary visionary” (The Wall Street Journal), presents an enthralling exploration of the keyboard fantasy. Anchored by four of Mozart’s kaleidoscopic fantasies, Aimard’s program spans the glittering intricacies of Dutch Baroque master Sweelinck, Beethoven’s mercurial Op. 77 and Benjamin’s 1985 Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

With his Ninth Symphony, Shostakovich delivered a tragicomic work with nods to Haydn and circus tunes. Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov makes his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s thrilling First Piano Concerto. Mussorgsky’s radiant Khovanshchina prelude and Saariaho’s ethereal Winter Sky round out the program.

Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich

Lina González-Granados leads members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Saint-Saëns’ humorous and imaginative masterpiece, The Carnival of the Animals. Guided by narration from master storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston, the orchestra depicts nature’s most amazing creatures — from the mighty elephant to the majestic swan.

Carnival of the Animals

The Blue Note Quintet, led by six-time Grammy-nominated pianist Gerald Clayton, honors Blue Note Records’ rich history and paves the way for the eclectic artists on the legendary label today. One of those legends, Ron Carter — the prolific, three-time Grammy Award winner and most recorded jazz bassist of all time — brings his Golden Striker Trio to Symphony Center for the first time.

The Blue Note Quintet / Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, hailed by The New Yorker as “a cellist of blazing sensitivity,” makes his CSO debut in Elgar’s rhapsodic Cello Concerto. Paavo Järvi conducts Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony, a visceral, dramatic work exploring humanity’s potential for conflict, born in the aftermath of World War I. Beethoven’s jubilant hymn to liberty opens the program.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason Plays Elgar

Witness the 1951 MGM musical — starring Gene Kelly as an American ex-GI who falls for a Parisian woman played by Leslie Caron — on the big screen while the CSO performs the score live. Featuring the treasured songs of George and Ira Gershwin, the movie culminates in an iconic ballet sequence, choreographed by Kelly himself. Paris never felt so magnificent.

An American in Paris in Concert

Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto is a landmark of his dark and restless middle period, here featuring Seong-Jin Cho, whose 2018 Chicago debut offered “about as thrilling a display of sheer powerhouse keyboard bravura as one is ever likely to encounter” (Chicago Classical Review). Gemma New conducts the program, which closes with Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, evoking highland mists, warring clans and long-lost folk dances.

Seong-Jin Cho Plays Beethoven

Prodigious pianist Hélène Grimaud, whose “performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom” (The New Yorker), climbs four summits of the piano literature. Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 109, a work of volatility and ravishing poetry, paves the way for Brahms’ heart-warming Fantasies and his wistfully nostalgic Three Intermezzos, as well as Busoni’s colossal arrangement of Bach’s solo-violin Chaconne.

Hélène Grimaud

Previous visits by this classical superstar trio have been essential events on the Chicago cultural calendar. The three return with an all-Beethoven program that includes the composer’s symphonic music arranged for piano trio. “One could only marvel at how intuitive and spontaneous these performances were,” raves the Chicago Tribune, “with each player kindling immediate responses from his colleagues.”

Ax, Kavakos & Ma

Eight-time Grammy Award-winning bassist, bandleader and host of NPR’s “Jazz Night in America,” Christian McBride brings his monumental musical tribute inspired by the words of Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali and President Barack Obama. “When the suite soars, it follows the bandleader’s strengths, known for his ebullient precision — his joy in the details — and for savoring the nectar inside swing rhythm” (DownBeat).

Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited

Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen comprise one of today’s most sought-after piano duos. Critics have marveled at how they “move as a single organism” (The Boston Globe) and play with “flair and instinctive collusion” (The Scotsman). Their Symphony Center recital debut features music by Mozart, Schubert and Kulenty, capped off with Stravinsky’s ferocious two-piano version of The Rite of Spring.

Lucas & Arthur Jussen

Drummer and Chicagoan Makaya McCraven, aptly referred to as a “cultural synthesizer,” has a unique gift for blending past, present and future into poly-textural arrangements of post-genre, jazz-rooted, 21st century folk music. For one illuminating evening, he is joined by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

21 - 23 Nov, 2024

Tchaikovsky Swan Lake

Nov 26, 2024

Berliner Philharmoniker

Nov 29 - Dec 1, 2024

The Wizard of Oz in Concert

Nov 30, 2024

Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna

5 - 7 Dec, 2024

Grieg & Rachmaninov

Nov 17, 2024

Daniil Trifonov

14 - 16 Nov, 2024

Liszt & Bruckner 3

Articles & News

Chicago Symphony Orchestra