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

Millennium 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

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.

EPSG:4326

Choral Masterworks

Columbus (Christopher) Park

South Shore Cultural Center

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

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

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

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

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

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

 Independence Day Salute

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Grant Park Music Festival

Jun 12, 2024

Dvořák Cello Concerto

14 - 15 Jun, 2024

Tetzlaff Plays Elgar

17 - 20 Jun, 2024

Choral Masterworks

Jun 19, 2024

Songs of Freedom

21 - 22 Jun, 2024

Schumann Piano Concerto

Grant Park Music Festival

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