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

It's a farewell concert for the ages. The Grant Park Music Festival's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar steps down after 25 storied years. And with his usual flair, Carlos marshals a massive cast of friends for Gustav Mahler's glorious "Symphony of a Thousand," including eight world-class soloists, the Grant Park Orchestra, the Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen children's chorus under the leadership of daughter Katja Kalmar and the Grant Park Chorus under Christopher Bell.

Mahler Symphony No. 8

Millennium Park

S'wonderful, s'marvelous, s'an evening of Gershwin! Bring the whole family for the irresistible songs of George Gershwin and friends, presented by acclaimed jazz musician Byron Stripling with special guest Sydney McSweeney. 

Fascinating Rhythm: Gershwin and Friends

Experience the enchanting melodies of the Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen Children's Choir as they grace the stage at the historic South Shore Cultural Center. This summer, the Grant Park Music Festival proudly presents a special program featuring the renowned children's choir from Vienna. Known for their captivating performances and angelic voices, the Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen will deliver a delightful repertoire of children's choral music. This event is part of the Grant Park Music Festival's commitment to bringing free, family-friendly concerts to the community, in collaboration with the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks program. The festival's initiative aims to celebrate Chicago's vibrant cultural landscape by connecting artists and audiences in neighborhood parks. Join us for an evening of musical wonder, where the harmonious voices of young talents create an unforgettable experience.

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Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen Children's Choir

South Shore Cultural Center

Brahms combines the sweetness of the violin with the soulfulness of the cello for this gorgeous double concerto. The Grant Park Orchestra welcomes the return of two great artists, violinist Vadim Gluzman and cellist Johannes Moser. Carlos Kalmar conducts "Spanish" music written by the French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel and opens the program with Mythic by Elena Kats-Chernin

Brahms Double Concerto

It's a quintessential American ballet—Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring conjures the majesty of rugged landscapes, and a spirit of hope and possibility. Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra in the suite from Appalachian Spring alongside Mozart's soaring Jupiter Symphony, a piece imbued with such splendrous grandeur, someone named it after the king of the gods.

Mozart Jupiter Symphony

Carlos Kalmar celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of fellow Austrian Anton Bruckner with the lush Symphony No. 4. The Grant Park Orchestra opens the program with Sibelius' hauntingly beautiful Swan of Tuonela and includes the suite from Janáček's piquant opera The Cunning Little Vixen.

Bruckner Symphony No. 4

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Bring a picnic basket and blanket, and join the Festival String Fellows for a free concert at Lake Shore Park.

Concert at Lake Shore Park

Lake Shore Park

From Jesus Christ Superstar to Tommy to Tina Turner, rock music has long been embedded in American musical theater. This time, the Grant Park Orchestra celebrates the jukebox musical, with everything from ABBA to Dolly Parton to Queen to Michael Jackson.

Broadway Rocks!

Wallow in the sweeping Romantic melodies of Rimsky-Korsakov's enchanting tribute to the heroine of The Arabian Nights, the clever young queen who saves her own life by spinning a tale for 1001 nights. Guest conductor Eric Jacobsen leads the Grant Park Orchestra in Lili Boulanger's portrait of springtime, and soprano Lindsey Reynolds joins the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus for Poulenc's Stabat Mater.

Scheherazade

The Grant Park Music Festival is a key partner in Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks program. Night Out in the Parks presents hundreds of free cultural events, where artists and audiences can connect and celebrate Chicago’s rich cultural tapestry in neighborhood parks.

 Marquette Park  Concert at Marquette Park

Marquette (Jacques) Park

Da da da duhhhhh! It has one of the most famous openings in all of music, appearing in everything from The Walking Dead to the The Simpson's. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a thriller and a longtime audience favorite. Bring the whole family to enjoy this high-octane classic alongside the delightful, folk-inspired Holberg Suite by Edvard Grieg. The program includes a world premiere by Haitian-American Nathalie Joachim. Guest conductor Eric Jacobsen returns after making his Festival debut in 2023.

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Millennium Park with us! Join us for an evening with the Grant Park Orchestra and special guest Common.

Common with the Grant Park Orchestra

For generations, John Williams has provided the soundtrack to our lives, from Darth Vader's menacing march to the soaring themes that hoisted E.T. and Harry Potter into the air.

Star Wars and More: The Music of John Williams

Experience an evening of musical delight at Olympia Park with the Grant Park Music Festival's talented String Fellows. This event promises a captivating mix of music for string quartet, offering a diverse repertoire that spans classical, tango, pop, and more. The performance will be enriched by the dynamic rhythms of Drum City, who will join the Fellows on stage, creating a unique fusion of strings and percussion. The evening will culminate in a community drum circle, inviting attendees of all abilities to participate. Whether you bring your own instrument or use one provided by Drum City, this event offers a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in a vibrant musical experience. Bring a blanket or picnic chair and enjoy this family-friendly concert in the welcoming atmosphere of your neighborhood park.

Concert at Olympia Park

Olympia Park

It's an evening of tributes, with brilliant composers borrowing tunes by other brilliant composers to cast a spell of musical delights. Guest conductor Eric Jacobsen returns after acclaimed appearances in 2023 to lead the Grant Park Orchestra in one of the all-time greatest hits of the piano world: Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, featuring the exciting rising-star virtuoso Clayton Stephenson. The concert opens with Ravel's tribute to the French Baroque, Le tombeau de Couperin, and closes with Paul Hindemith's barn-burning homage to Weber.

Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero brings two stunning masterworks to the Grant Park Orchestra: Beethoven's monumental Emperor Concerto with soloist Stewart Goodyear and Maurice Duruflé's soul-stirring Requiem featuring the renowned Grant Park Chorus. Adding to the evening's gravitas, the concert opens with a world-premiere composition by Chicago composer Jim Stephenson.

Beethoven Emperor Concerto

The Grant Park Music Festival is delighted to bring its vibrant musical performances to Jefferson Memorial Park this summer. As part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks program, the festival offers a unique opportunity to experience live music in a community setting. This year, the Festival String Fellows, along with the renowned Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, will present a special program of chamber music. The event promises a delightful mix of fun, family-friendly tunes that cater to all ages. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic baskets and blankets to fully enjoy the outdoor concert experience. The festival's commitment to accessibility and community engagement is evident in its efforts to deliver high-quality cultural events directly to neighborhood parks, fostering a deeper connection between artists and audiences. This initiative not only celebrates Chicago’s rich cultural tapestry but also makes classical music more accessible to diverse communities. The Grant Park Music Festival continues to be a cornerstone of Chicago’s summer cultural landscape, offering memorable musical experiences in the heart of the city’s parks.

Concert at Jefferson Memorial Park

Jefferson Memorial Park

Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero conducts Shostakovich's glorious Fifth Symphony, a piece packed with passion and thrills—and more than a little sarcasm. Written under threat by the tyrant Joseph Stalin, the Fifth Symphony is as satisfying as it is subversive. The Grant Park Orchestra plays this orchestral powerhouse alongside American composer Joan Tower's tribute to the struggle for women's rights, 1920/2019.

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

 Independence Day Salute

Savor Tchaikovsky's haunting Symphony Pathétique, named for the French word for dramatic or moving. With soaring melodies and orchestral might, the Tchaikovsky Sixth always brings down the house. Also, the internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso Anne Akiko Meyers joins the Grant Park Orchestra for the Latin dance-inspired Fandango by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez. And guest conductor Ludovic Morlot presents Color Shape Transmission by Puerto Rican composer Angélica Negrón.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6

Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot conducts Stravinsky's high-octane ballet score Petrushka, with dazzling instrumental effects and orchestral oomph. Also, the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus joins the orchestra for two marvelous choral rarities by Brahms and Kodály.

Stravinsky Petrushka

Popular guest conductor Ludovic Morlot returns to conduct Haydn's buoyant London Symphony alongside the suite from Richard Strauss's hilarious comic opera Der Rosenkavalier and a world-premiere composition by the eclectic Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad.

Haydn London Symphony

This time, we welcome alumni of the Festival String Fellowship to play a variety of works for string orchestra, including the popular Dvořák Serenade for Strings and Bartók's zesty Romanianian Folk Dances. Fellowship alum Kyle Dickson, who's gone on to conduct orchestras across the United States, leads the ensemble in this happy reunion. In addition, this concert features several vocal soloists from the Festival's Vocal Fellowship program.

Dvořák Serenade for Strings

The Grant Park Orchestra welcomes one of the greatest pianists of our time, Garrick Ohlsson, for Schumann's exuberant and irresistible Piano Concerto. Carlos Kalmar conducts the stormy Symphony No. 6 by Prokofiev and Apu by the Northern California-native Gabriela Lena Frank, who brings her own multicultural heritage (American, Lithuanian, Jewish, Peruvian and Chinese) into captivating musical expressions.

Schumann Piano Concerto

Music and the struggle for freedom go hand in hand. Here, Carlos Kalmar pairs overtures written for Beethoven's French Revolution-era drama Fidelio with two works championing freedom and social justice in our own country: Jessie Montgomery's Five Freedom Songs, based on the historical anthology Slave Songs of the United States, and Chicago-composer Margaret Bonds's Montgomery Variations, dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Songs of Freedom

Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell bring the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus to the neighborhoods with a gorgeous program devoted to the wonders of the human voice.

Choral Masterworks

Columbus (Christopher) Park

Join us at the Grant Park Music Festival for a captivating evening as acclaimed violinist Christian Tetzlaff takes the stage at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. This special performance, "Tetzlaff Plays Elgar," is set to enchant audiences on Friday, June 14, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and again on Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm.

Christian Tetzlaff, a longtime friend of the Festival, will showcase his exceptional talent with a rendition of Sir Edward Elgar's poignant and technically challenging Violin Concerto. This masterpiece is renowned for its emotional depth and virtuosic demands, promising a performance of breathtaking intensity and beauty.

The evening will also feature "The Cloud Messenger" by Gustav Holst, performed by the Grant Park Chorus under the baton of Carlos Kalmar. This rarely performed work is celebrated for its ravishing beauty, offering a perfect complement to Elgar's concerto.

The concert will be under the musical direction of Carlos Kalmar, with Christopher Bell leading the Grant Park Chorus. The event will also highlight performances by mezzo-soprano Lauren Decker, alongside the talented musicians of the Grant Park Orchestra.

Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to experience the brilliance of Christian Tetzlaff and the combined forces of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus in a stunning setting. Learn more about free seating options at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and make plans to immerse yourself in a night of unforgettable music.

Tetzlaff Plays Elgar

Experience the grandeur of classical music under the stars at the Grant Park Music Festival's season opener, featuring the world-renowned cellist Alban Gerhardt. This unforgettable evening is set to take place on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion. 

The program promises an emotional journey through the strings of Antonín Dvořák's deeply moving Cello Concerto, with Alban Gerhardt's virtuoso performance bringing this masterpiece to life. The evening will also showcase the talents of conductor Carlos Kalmar as he leads the Grant Park Orchestra through Benjamin Britten's enchanting concert suite, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, and Anna Clyne's vibrant Masquerade.

In this season opener, cello virtuoso Alban Gerhardt returns to the Grant Park Music Festival to play Antonín Dvořák's deeply moving Cello Concerto. Also, Carlos Kalmar conducts Benjamin Britten's irresistible concert suite The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

Dvořák Cello Concerto

It's closing weekend, and Carlos Kalmar conducts the barn-storming Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky and the fiery Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninov. Also, the Grant Park Chorus performs a delicious rarity by Mendelssohn, The First Walpurgis Night.

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

Carlos Kalmar conducts a concert of Romantic favorites when the incomparable piano superstar Stephen Hough returns to the Grant Park Music Festival to play music by Mendelssohn. The program includes Liszt's sweeping tone poem Les préludes and Moszkowski's From Foreign Lands.

Stephen Hough Plays Mendelssohn

The incomparable Augustin Hadelich, who's made two acclaimed appearances at the Festival, returns to the Grant Park Music Festival to play the sassy Violin Concerto No. 2 by Prokofiev. Also, Carlos Kalmar conducts the gripping World War II-era Symphony No. 8 by Shostakovich.

Hadelich Plays Prokofiev

Olé! Summer sizzles as the high-flying aerialists of Troupe Vertigo perform eye-popping feats to the irresistible sounds of Bizet's Carmen. Plus, music by Astor Piazzolla, Manuel de Falla, and more.

Cirque Returns

Reserved seating is available for this concert in the Front Main Floor of the Harris Theater. Free seating is also available in the middle and rear sections on a first come, first served basis.

Pines of Rome

Guest conductor David Danzmayr returns to conduct the monumental Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven, along with the irresistible Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo. The concert opens with subito con forza by the acclaimed Korean composer Unsuk Chin.

Beethoven Symphony No. 7

The Festival welcomes Broadway veterans Scarlett Strallen, LaKisha Jones, and Hugh Panaro for a dazzling evening of favorites from New York City's famed theater district. Hear hits from Dear Evan Hansen, Rent, The Lion King, Dreamgirls, Phantom of the Opera, and more.

Bravo Broadway

Each summer, the Grant Park Music Festival brings music and fun to neighborhoods across Chicago featuring the Festival's String Fellows in an eclectic mix of music for string quartet. Bring a blanket or picnic chair and join us in your neighborhood park for a free, hour-long, family-friendly concert.

Grant Park Music Festival Concert 2023

Carlos Kalmar welcomes the dazzling young American virtuoso Zlatomir Fung to perform one of the greatest works for solo cello, Elgar's poignant Cello Concerto. The program includes The Bamboula by African-British artist Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a man who, as a young composer, got a career boost from Elgar. His piece, The Bamboula, is inspired by the West African drum and dance of the same name. The concert closes with a symphony by William Dawson inspired by American spirituals.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Do you love the darker, more soulful sound of the cello? Join us for a master class taught by one of music's rising stars, the young cello virtuoso Zlatomir Fung, winner of the Tchaikovsky International Competition Cello Division—the first American in four decades and the youngest musician ever to win. Zlatomir will share some of the secrets of his artistry with local cello students and with Festival String Fellow David Caplan.

Visiting Masters - Cello

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Did you know that more Americans sing in choirs than play baseball? Learn about the art of singing as soprano Maeve Höglund works one-on-one with the Festival's Vocal Fellows.

Visiting Masters - Voice

Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra with the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus and soloists in Johannes Brahms' choral masterpiece A German Requiem*, written for the bereaved after the death of the composer's mother. The concert opens with another choral tribute, Joel Thompson' chilling cantata Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. Each movement is a setting of the last words uttered by seven unarmed men who were killed by police officers or by vigilantes—Kenneth Chamberlain, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, John Crawford, and Eric Garner. The Festival welcomes soloists Maeve Höglund and baritone Hugh Russell.

Brahms Requiem

Concert at Unity Park

Unity Park

The American virtuoso Esther Yoo makes her Festival debut in the richly Romantic Violin Concerto by Alexander Glazunov. And guest conductor Ken-David Masur conducts a rarely heard orchestration of Mussorgky's audience favorite, Pictures at an Exhibition, by Sergei Gorchakov. The concert opens with music by Atlanta-native and University of Michigan-alum Carlos Simon.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Hear the Festival Vocal Fellows perform solo and ensemble works together at this popular Chicago concert series presented by Classical Music Chicago.

Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts

Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist

Enjoy an intimate concert featuring members of the Grant Park Orchestra and the Festival String Fellows as they perform an eclectic program, including a riveting piece by Tchaikovsky and a brand-new string quartet by the award-winning bassist and composer Xavier Foley. This performance is produced in partnership with Classical Music Chicago and is part of the weekly Rush Hour Concerts presented at St. James Cathedral.

Rush Hour Concert

St. James Cathedral

Join us at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for a free intimate Sunday afternoon concert on July 16 showcasing the Grant Park Music Festival’s 2023 artists-in-residence: composer and bassist Xavier Foley and pianist Joyce Yang. You’ll hear the world premiere of Foley’s Midnight Sonata, commissioned by the Grant Park Music Festival, featuring the composer and Ms. Yang. 

2023 CenterStage

The Grant Park Orchestra welcomes rising-star guest conductor Kevin John Edusei for his Chicago debut. The program includes Liszt's fiery Totentanz, Anna Clyne's mysterious This Midnight Hour, and music from Prokofiev's ballet masterpiece Romeo and Juliet. 

Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet

Each summer, the Grant Park Music Festival brings music and fun to neighborhoods across Chicago featuring the Festival's Fellows in an eclectic mix of music. Come to your neighborhood park for a free, hour-long, family-friendly concert.

Concert at Jefferson Park

Jefferson (Thomas) Park

The Grant Park Orchestra welcomes the sensational young conductor Gemma New for Tchaikovsky's thumping Piano Concerto No. 1. The program includes American composer Samuel Barber's late-Romantic Symphony No. 1 and a piece inspired by the very skyline that lends so much majesty to the Festival's environs — Vivian Fung's Aqua, written after the skyscraper of the same name designed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang.

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

Do you love the sound of the violin? Whether you're a player or a devotée of great violin playing, Chicago-native and Festival soloist Tai Murray will take you deep into the mysteries of this soulful instrument as she provides expert instruction to young musicians.

Visiting Masters - Violin

Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot takes the reins of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus for a feast of choral masterpieces, including the achingly beautiful Ave verum corpus by Mozart, the evocative setting of the hymn Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré, and the spellbinding Gloria of Francis Poulenc. Also on the program, violin virtuoso and Chicago native Tai Murray plays the Festival premiere of the Violin Concerto by New Orleans jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. The Festival also welcomes the debut of another New Orleans native, soprano Lindsey Reynolds.

Marsalis Violin Concerto

Michelle Cann returns to the Grant Park Orchestra after a dazzling debut in 2022. This time she plays George Gershwin's irresistible mashup of classical and jazz, Rhapsody in Blue. The concert includes Aaron Copland's timeless Variations on a Shaker Theme, and a piece inspired by Aaron Copland, the Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joan Tower. Also, a tribute to the Windy City by New Orleans native Edmond Dédé and Sousa's perennial favorite Stars and Stripes Forever.

An American Salute: Rhapsody in Blue

Grant Park Music Festival

Guest conductor Valentina Peleggi makes her Grant Park Music Festival debut in Tchaikovsky's volcanic Symphony No. 4, and Valerie Coleman's Umoja. Named for the Swahili word for unity, Umoja is celebrated as one of the "Top 101 Great American Works" by Chamber Music America. The Grant Park Orchestra welcomes the celebrated pianist Stewart Goodyear for music by Saint-Saëns.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

The Festival welcomes two acclaimed guest artists. The young Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza, who is wowing audiences across Europe and around the United States, conducts the sassy Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein and the Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still. Also, the fiery virtuoso Stefan Jackiw joins the Grant Park Orchestra for the monumental Violin Concerto by Beethoven.

Beethoven Violin Concerto

Join Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus for a special evening of American choral music, including works by Copland, Lauridsen, Hagenberg, and Chicago’s very own Ayanna Woods.

American Songs

Mischievous fairies, enchanted forests, young love, and the night—William Shakespeare's irresistable comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream comes to life when Carlos Kalmar brings the Grant Park Orchestra indoors to the Harris Theater for a more intimate concert setting. The program also explores Shakespeare's psychological thriller Hamlet in the hands of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.

Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream

Concert at Ping Tom Park

Ping Tom Memorial Park

Tonight, Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra offer up one of Johannes Brahms' favorite composers with the Fuchs Symphony No. 2 alongside Brahms' cheeky Academic Festival Overture. Also, the Orchestra welcomes one of the most exciting young musicians to come onto the music scene in recent years. Composer and bass-player extraordinaire Xavier Foley joins the Grant Park Orchestra to play the Divertimento Concertante by the legendary Italian film composer Nino Rota. 

Brahms Academic Festival Overture

Do you have an original tune in your heart? Or have you ever wondered at the composition process? Come along on a fascinating journey as composer and Festival Artist-in-Residence Xavier Foley helps young musicians from Access Contemporary Music bring their ideas to fruition.

Visiting Masters - Composition

Experience the profound beauty of Antonín Dvořák's choral masterpiece, "Stabat Mater," at the Grant Park Music Festival. Under the baton of Carlos Kalmar, this season's debut performance will take place at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion, featuring the acclaimed Grant Park Chorus alongside a quartet of exceptional soloists: Olivia Boen (soprano), Siena Licht Miller (mezzo-soprano), John Matthew Myers (tenor), and Joseph Beutel (bass-baritone).

This event is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the emotive power of Dvořák's work, which is based on the ancient hymn depicting Mary at the foot of the cross. The performances are scheduled for Friday, June 16, 2023, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, and Saturday, June 17, 2023, from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Attendees can also enrich their experience by joining the pre-concert talks held on June 16 from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM and June 17 from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM at the Chase Promenade North Tent.

In addition to the main performances, open rehearsals offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the preparation of this monumental work. These rehearsals are open to the public on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM, Thursday, June 15, 2023, from 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM, and Friday, June 16, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

Don't miss this opportunity to witness a moving rendition of "Stabat Mater" in the heart of Chicago, surrounded by the beauty of Grant Park. Learn more about free seating options and make your plan to join us for an unforgettable musical journey.

Dvořák Stabat Mater

Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra return to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion with the feverish Symphony No. 4 by Robert Schumann. Also, Festival Concertmaster Jeremy Black steps up as soloist in the fiery Violin Concerto No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns. The concert opens with music by a composer from Chicago's vibrant Polish community, Robert Muczynski.

Opening Night - Schumann Symphony No. 4

Do you like to tickle the ivories? Or are you interested in learning about the artistry of piano playing? Come along as guest artist and Festival Artist-in-Residence Joyce Yang coaches local piano students from Music Institute of Chicago, Merit Music, and the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Visiting Masters - Piano

Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero opens the 2026 Festival season in style with Leonard Bernstein’s jazzy, Latin-inspired Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Joan Tower’s Made in America and Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1 in One Movement continue the celebration of American music in honor of the United States’ 250th.

Bernstein West Side Story

Giancarlo Guerrero leads the Grant Park Orchestra in Brahms’s Symphony No. 4, the composer’s poignant final symphony. Gabriela Lena Frank’s harrowing Conquest Requiem and Charles Ives’s eclectic Variations on America round out the program.

Brahms Symphony No. 4

Percussive bombast suggests an advancing army in Haydn’s Military Symphony No. 100 in this thrilling program conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero. After Julia Perry’s energetic Short Piece, young cello virtuoso Oliver Herbert joins the Grant Park Orchestra for Shostakovich’s lively Cello Concerto No. 1.

Haydn Military Symphony

Giancarlo Guerrero conducts Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3, a masterful synthesis of the composer’s expansive American musical style. Piano virtuoso Stewart Goodyear returns to the Festival for Prokofiev’s charming Piano Concerto No. 3, presented alongside Reena Esmail’s emotionally impactful Black Iris.

Copland Symphony No. 3

Kalena Bovell leads the Grant Park Orchestra in the wistful lyricism of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto with acclaimed violinist Will Hagen. Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst opens the concert with a bang, and actors from Lookingglass Theatre Company bring to life Peter Boyer’s innovative multimedia work Ellis Island: The Dream of America.

Barber Violin Concerto

Conductor Edwin Outwater takes the podium for Tchaikovsky’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring award-winning pianist Sara Davis Buechner. Jimmy López’s Loud, Lou Harrison’s Elegiac Symphony No. 2, and Amy Woodforde-Finden’s Kashmiri Song round out the eclectic program celebrating LGBTQ+ pride.

Conductor Laureate Carlos Kalmar returns to the Festival with the technically brilliant pianist Olga Kern for Rachmaninov’s highly virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3. The program also features Stravinsky’s mischievously charming ballet Game of Cards and Elgar’s sunny In the South.

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

Discover the rich tapestry of American choral music with a program of soulful spirituals and contemporary masterpieces in this free concert.

American Choral Masterworks with the Grant Park Chorus

Christopher Bell conducts the Grant Park Orchestra in this annual Chicago tradition. The family-friendly celebration includes patriotic favorites alongside Gershwin’s Three Preludes with principal clarinetist Dario Brignoli and Carlos Gardel’s Tango (Por Una Cabeza) with concertmaster Jeremy Black.

Independence Day Salute

Conductor Laureate Carlos Kalmar returns for Sibelius’s majestic Symphony No. 2, an emblem of Finnish nationalism written at a time of cultural and linguistic suppression. Christopher Theofanidis’s Drum Circle makes its Chicago premiere, featuring the virtuosic musicians of Third Coast Percussion.

Sibelius Symphony No. 2

Former Grant Park Music Festival Principal Conductor Leonard Slatkin returns to conduct Tchaikovsky’s fatalistic Symphony No. 5. Violinist Yevgeny Kutik makes his Festival debut in the Chicago premiere of Joseph Schwantner’s Violin Concerto.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson makes her Festival debut with William Grant Still’s celebratory Festive Overture, followed by Ravel’s jazz-inflected Piano Concerto featuring star pianist Michelle Cann. Florence Price’s sweeping Symphony No. 3 concludes the program in its first Festival outing.

Ravel Piano Concerto

Christopher Bell celebrates his 25th anniversary as Director of the Grant Park Chorus with Fauré’s beloved Requiem. James MacMillan’s powerful Cantos Sagrados opens the program alongside Vaughan Williams’s Toward the Unknown Region, a poignant setting of a poem by Walt Whitman.

Fauré Requiem

Revel in the iconic music of Broadway with the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus and stars from Broadway. Led by conductor Jason Seber, this concert features beloved showstoppers from Ragtime, Hamilton, Hair, South Pacific, and more!

Broadway Sings America

The high-flying aerialists of Troupe Vertigo join the Grant Park Orchestra led by Enrico Lopez-Yañez, performing eye-popping feats to classical works and film scores, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney’s Up and more.

Cirque: A Space Odyssey

Ben Folds is an Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter who has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, a holiday album, and numerous collaborative records. He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing for over two decades with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.

Special Event: An Evening with Ben Folds

Making his Festival debut, Kedrick Armstrong conducts the Grant Park Orchestra in Gershwin’s jaunty An American In Paris. Experience the propulsive energy of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Sinfonietta No. 1 and Duke Ellington’s The Three Black Kings alongside Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s lyrical Violin Concerto with soloist Gabriela Lara, an alumna of the Festival’s String Fellowship program.

Gershwin An American in Paris

Garrick Ohlsson—one of only two Americans to have won the International Chopin Piano Competition—returns to the Festival to perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, the program also journeys to Mexico and Italy with Juan Pablo Contreras’s lively Mariachitlán and Tchaikovsky’s tuneful Capriccio Italien.

Ohlsson Plays Chopin

Giancarlo Guerrero leads the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus in Mozart’s soul-stirring Requiem, left incomplete at the time of the composer’s premature death at 35. Written during the height of the AIDS crisis, John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1 is another requiem of sorts, memorializing friends and colleagues lost to the disease.

Mozart Requiem

Giancarlo Guerrero conducts Dvořák’s New World Symphony, a Czech composer’s interpretation of the American folk songs and spirituals he had come to admire while living in the United States. Two works by prominent American minimalist composers open the program—John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.

Dvořák New World Symphony

Giancarlo Guerrero brings the 2026 season to an epic close with none other than Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, a musical affirmation of humanity on a grand scale. To conclude our season-long celebration of American music, the program begins with Julia Wolfe’s raucous Liberty Bell and Michael Daugherty’s monumental Mount Rushmore.

Grant Park Music Festival

Jun 10, 2026

Bernstein West Side Story

12 - 13 Jun, 2026

Brahms Symphony No. 4

Jun 17, 2026

Haydn Military Symphony

19 - 20 Jun, 2026

Copland Symphony No. 3

Jun 24, 2026

Barber Violin Concerto

16 - 17 Aug, 2024

Mahler Symphony No. 8

Aug 14, 2024

Fascinating Rhythm: Gershwin and Friends

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Grant Park Music Festival