Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us for a fun-filled evening of beautiful music when we come to your neighborhood!
Florence Price; arr. A. Ertz - Concert Overture No. 2
Antonin Dvorak - Serenade for Wind Instruments, Op. 44
Make summer nights classic with concerts featuring Chicago’s best classical musicians and ensembles. Founded by Deborah Sobol in 2000, Rush Hour Concerts are the perfect way to relax after a workday and soak up some beautiful music in a short but lovely format. The best ensembles in the city perform programs designed to enliven commuters and make the most of summer. Each concert is live streamed through the CMC website and excerpted performances are often broadcast on 98.7 WFMT radio.
Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us for a fun-filled evening of beautiful music when we come to your neighborhood!
Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us for a fun-filled evening of beautiful music when we come to your neighborhood!
Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us for a fun-filled evening of beautiful music when we come to your neighborhood!
Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us for a fun-filled evening of beautiful music when we come to your neighborhood!
Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us for a fun-filled evening of beautiful music when we come to your neighborhood!
Join us for the SMSO’s annual tribute to America and its steadfast strength with a mixture of patriotic favorites, film scores, and iconic American works. The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky synchronized to an outstanding fireworks display ends this spectacular celebration!
5th Wave Collective celebrates the legacy of composer Florence Price. Price was the first African-American woman to have a symphony premiered by a major orchestra, but her impact extends far beyond this achievement. Hear music representing the breadth of Price’s work, performed by winds, brass and strings. https://www.5thwavecollective.com/
5th Wave Collective celebrates the legacy of composer Florence Price. Price was the first African-American woman to have a symphony premiered by a major orchestra, but her impact extends far beyond this achievement. Hear music representing the breadth of Price’s work, performed by winds, brass and strings. https://www.5thwavecollective.com/
5th Wave Collective celebrates the legacy of composer Florence Price. Price was the first African-American woman to have a symphony premiered by a major orchestra, but her impact extends far beyond this achievement. Hear music representing the breadth of Price’s work, performed by winds, brass and strings. https://www.5thwavecollective.com/
Featuring Alisa Jordheim, soprano; Kimberly E. Jones, mezzo-soprano;
Lorenzo Parnell, tenor; Jonathan Wilson, baritone; and the Symphony Chorus
Step into the world of timeless melodies and captivating stories as we perform your favorite show tunes from musicals like Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, and so many more! Whether you’re a seasoned theatergoer or simply love the power of music to stir the soul, this concert promises something for everyone.
Featuring Alisa Jordheim, soprano; Kimberly E. Jones, mezzo-soprano;
Lorenzo Parnell, tenor; Jonathan Wilson, baritone; and the Symphony Chorus
Step into the world of timeless melodies and captivating stories as we perform your favorite show tunes from musicals like Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, and so many more! Whether you’re a seasoned theatergoer or simply love the power of music to stir the soul, this concert promises something for everyone.
We are thrilled to present Brazilian violinist Guido Sant’Anna in his North American debut. Guido gained international recognition in 2022 when at seventeen he became the first South American violinist to win the prestigious International Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna.
Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, repertoire will include the Brahms Violin Concerto with internationally renowned violinist Guido Sant’Anna, and great music inspired by great literature!
– La Forza del Destino by Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino, a Spanish drama written in 1835 by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas.
– Peer Gynt by Grieg inspired by the five-act play of the same name written in verse in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen.
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn inspired by and written for a production of Shakespeare’s play in 1842.
We are thrilled to present Brazilian violinist Guido Sant’Anna in his North American debut. Guido gained international recognition in 2022 when at seventeen he became the first South American violinist to win the prestigious International Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna.
Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, repertoire will include the Brahms Violin Concerto with internationally renowned violinist Guido Sant’Anna, and great music inspired by great literature!
– La Forza del Destino by Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino, a Spanish drama written in 1835 by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas.
– Peer Gynt by Grieg inspired by the five-act play of the same name written in verse in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen.
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn inspired by and written for a production of Shakespeare’s play in 1842.
We are thrilled to present Brazilian violinist Guido Sant’Anna in his North American debut. Guido gained international recognition in 2022 when at seventeen he became the first South American violinist to win the prestigious International Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna.
Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, repertoire will include the Brahms Violin Concerto with internationally renowned violinist Guido Sant’Anna, and great music inspired by great literature!
– La Forza del Destino by Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino, a Spanish drama written in 1835 by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas.
– Peer Gynt by Grieg inspired by the five-act play of the same name written in verse in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen.
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn inspired by and written for a production of Shakespeare’s play in 1842.
Our 110th season opens with a celebration of Bruckner’s 200th birthday featuring the grandeur of his Seventh Symphony, alongside Mozart’s enchanting Magic Flute overture and Ruth Gipps’ captivating and lyrical oboe concerto!
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Die Zauberflöte, K.620 (The Magic Flute): Overture
RUTH GIPPS Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 20; Andrew Parker, oboe
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No.7, in E Major
Our 110th season opens with a celebration of Bruckner’s 200th birthday featuring the grandeur of his Seventh Symphony, alongside Mozart’s enchanting Magic Flute overture and Ruth Gipps’ captivating and lyrical oboe concerto!
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Die Zauberflöte, K.620 (The Magic Flute): Overture
RUTH GIPPS Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 20; Andrew Parker, oboe
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No.7, in E Major
Laura KARPMAN Higher. Further. Faster. Together. Film suite from The Marvels
Joe HISAISHI Kiki’s Delivery Service
Vocal Selections feat. Vocalist Laurin Talese:
Maury YESTON "My Husband Makes Movies" from Nine
Laurin TALESE, arr. Jim GRAY "This Love"
Leonard BERNSTEIN "Somewhere" from West Side Story
Horacio FERNÁNDEZ Tumbao (Latin Suite for Orchestra) III. Reggaeton
Leonard BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
"Lights... Camera... Action!"
Join us for excitement, thrills, and emotions of global proportions with SCREEN & STAGE, our first subscription concert of Chicago Sinfonietta’s 2024-25 Season. Maestra Mei-Ann Chen curated musical selections from global pop culture, offering patrons a lively experience at the intersection of popular and classical music.
The concert begins honoring the newest female superheroes to hit the big screen with Laura Karpman’s film suite Higher. Further. Faster. Together. from the blockbuster movieThe Marvels. Next, we cross the seas to explore Japanese fandom with Joe Hisaishi’sKiki’s Delivery Service, whose risk-taking heroine charms and enchants with whimsical melodies from the anime film, a globally popular piece for over 40 years!
Vocalist Laurin Talese takes the stage for a sweeping Broadway tribute and shares her own original composition, "This Love," arranged for orchestra..Then 20-something Mexican composer Horacio Fernández invokes a Latin dance club scene withTumbao (Latin Suite for Orchestra), featuring pulsating rhythms inspired by Salsa, Bachata, and Reggaeton. Never have you heard Reggaeton on an orchestral stage!
The performance closes with a perennial classic and audience favorite, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Comprising dance themes and motifs from the original stage work, it captures the essence of the story's tension, passion, and energy. Through vivid orchestration and rhythmic complexity, Bernstein intertwines elements of jazz, Latin, and classical music, creating a vibrant tapestry of sound that will leave you energized and ready to "Mambo!"
Laura KARPMAN Higher. Further. Faster. Together. Film suite from The Marvels
Joe HISAISHI Kiki’s Delivery Service
Vocal Selections feat. Vocalist Laurin Talese:
Maury YESTON "My Husband Makes Movies" from Nine
Laurin TALESE, arr. Jim GRAY "This Love"
Leonard BERNSTEIN "Somewhere" from West Side Story
Horacio FERNÁNDEZ Tumbao (Latin Suite for Orchestra) III. Reggaeton
Leonard BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
"Lights... Camera... Action!"
Join us for excitement, thrills, and emotions of global proportions with SCREEN & STAGE, our first subscription concert of Chicago Sinfonietta’s 2024-25 Season. Maestra Mei-Ann Chen curated musical selections from global pop culture, offering patrons a lively experience at the intersection of popular and classical music.
The concert begins honoring the newest female superheroes to hit the big screen with Laura Karpman’s film suite Higher. Further. Faster. Together. from the blockbuster movieThe Marvels. Next, we cross the seas to explore Japanese fandom with Joe Hisaishi’sKiki’s Delivery Service, whose risk-taking heroine charms and enchants with whimsical melodies from the anime film, a globally popular piece for over 40 years!
Vocalist Laurin Talese takes the stage for a sweeping Broadway tribute and shares her own original composition, "This Love," arranged for orchestra..Then 20-something Mexican composer Horacio Fernández invokes a Latin dance club scene withTumbao (Latin Suite for Orchestra), featuring pulsating rhythms inspired by Salsa, Bachata, and Reggaeton. Never have you heard Reggaeton on an orchestral stage!
The performance closes with a perennial classic and audience favorite, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Comprising dance themes and motifs from the original stage work, it captures the essence of the story's tension, passion, and energy. Through vivid orchestration and rhythmic complexity, Bernstein intertwines elements of jazz, Latin, and classical music, creating a vibrant tapestry of sound that will leave you energized and ready to "Mambo!"
Now a beloved Summer tradition, the series brings free, world- class chamber music to Chicago, on Tuesdays, June through August during the evening rush hour at St James Cathedral.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Serenade No. 10, K. 361 ‘Gran Partita’
Katie Steele and Ashley Ertz, oboes
Dario Brignoli and Theresa Zick, clarinets
Wagner Campos and Michael Tran, basset horns
Keith Buncke and Liam Jackson, bassoons
David Griffin, Susanna Gaunt, Neil Kimel and Emily Whittaker, horns
Olivia Rayes, double bass
The Ultimate Eagles Experience
A new outdoor concert experience! Sing and dance to your favorite hits from The Eagles, presented by The 7 Bridges Band and the entire symphony. Celebrate community along the banks of the Cedar River with Orchestra Iowa’s favorite tradition: an exhilarating musical experience in an informal, everyone-friendly atmosphere. Kick off your summer with Orchestra Iowa!
Join us at the McGrath Amphitheatre!
Amongst the most famous masterpieces for chorus and orchestra is Orff’s epic Carmina Burana. Estelí Gomez (soprano), Ben Gulley (tenor), Norman Garrett (baritone), and our own symphonic chorus join the full symphony to stage this commanding work. Paired with Barber’s Symphony No. 1, featuring cycling themes that wax and wane through darkness and light, this concert will be a riveting experience you will not soon forget!
Symphony No. 1, in One Movement, Op. 9
Carmina Burana
FORTUNA IMPERATRIX MUNDI (Fortune, Empress of the World)
BLANZIFLOR ET HELENA (Blanziflor and Helena)
FORTUNA IMPERATRIX MUNDI (Fortune, Empress of the World)
Amongst the most famous masterpieces for chorus and orchestra is Orff’s epic Carmina Burana. Estelí Gomez (soprano), Ben Gulley (tenor), Norman Garrett (baritone), and our own symphonic chorus join the full symphony to stage this commanding work. Paired with Barber’s Symphony No. 1, featuring cycling themes that wax and wane through darkness and light, this concert will be a riveting experience you will not soon forget!
Symphony No. 1, in One Movement, Op. 9
Carmina Burana
FORTUNA IMPERATRIX MUNDI (Fortune, Empress of the World)
BLANZIFLOR ET HELENA (Blanziflor and Helena)
FORTUNA IMPERATRIX MUNDI (Fortune, Empress of the World)
Performing on Principal Oboe
Meet some of music’s boundary pushers and barrier breakers with a featured side-by-side performance with the next generation of musicians, the Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra. Relish a gem from female composer Fernande Decruck. The sounds of gospel, blues, and jazz meet the orchestral stage with Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown, and Beige, his musical illustration of African American history. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue concludes the SMSO’s Mainstage season with the raucous and joyous energy of city life.
Fernande Decruck
Suite Française
Georges Bizet
L'Arlésienne: Suite No. 2
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
Black, Brown and Beige: Suite
George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
2024 Concerto Competition Winners Katie Gallagher and Eileen Moudou are the featured soloists for the University Symphony Orchestra’s spring quarter concert, performing Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto and the first movement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto in G minor respectively. For an inspirational close to the 2023-24 season, the USO will then present Sergei Prokofiev’s monumental Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100. Of this work, written in the summer of 1944 while the composer was living in an artists’ retreat north of Moscow, Prokofiev wrote: “I conceived of it as glorifying the grandeur of the human spirit...praising the free and happy man – his strength, his generosity, and the purity of his soul.”
Free admission. Donations gratefully accepted at the door: $10 general/$5 students
This concert will be livestreamed here on our website and on the Department of Music’s YouTube channel. youtube.com/@UChicagoMusic.
The Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles (QCSYE) consists of four school-year orchestras for musicians of all ability levels, ages 7 to 18. The program provides a rigorous and inspiring learning environment founded on musical excellence for string, woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians. Students develop valuable musical, social, and leadership skills which set them up for success in school and beyond. Financial aid is available so everyone can participate regardless of ability to pay.
Our Gala Concert tradition continues with world-renowned pianist Emanual Ax. The multi-Grammy®-award-winning artist will join the QCSO to perform Ludwig Van Beethoven’s powerful and virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”, followed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s dark and tempestuous Piano Concerto No. 20. Experience the full colors of the orchestra with Gustav Mahler’s shimmering Blumine to open the concert and Igor Stravinsky’s dazzling and triumphant The Firebird Suite to close the evening.
Performing on Second Oboe
Beethoven’s beloved “Pastoral” Symphony is paired with two other Earth-themed works. La Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World) is an intimate chamber ballet and features Ballet Quad Cities. Argentinean composer, Richard Scofano, performs La Tierra Sin Mal (The World Without Evil), his own symphonic poem for orchestra and bandoneon, a traditional instrument (similar to the accordion) used in Argentinean tango. We invite you to imagine the world at its creation, and dream of a world free of evil.
La création du monde, op.81a (The Creation of the World)
La Tierra Sin Mal
Symphony No. 6, Op. 68 “Pastorale”
Performing on Second Oboe
Beethoven’s beloved “Pastoral” Symphony is paired with two other Earth-themed works. La Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World) is an intimate chamber ballet and features Ballet Quad Cities. Argentinean composer, Richard Scofano, performs La Tierra Sin Mal (The World Without Evil), his own symphonic poem for orchestra and bandoneon, a traditional instrument (similar to the accordion) used in Argentinean tango. We invite you to imagine the world at its creation, and dream of a world free of evil.
La création du monde, op.81a (The Creation of the World)
La Tierra Sin Mal
Symphony No. 6, Op. 68 “Pastorale”
Performing on English Horn and Second Oboe
In a stunning program world-renowned pianist Marta Aznavoorian performs the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with Camerata Chicago. Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, Camerata Chicago will also perform Dvorak’s New World Symphony No. 9 and the William Tell Overture by Rossini.
Performing on English Horn and Second Oboe
In a stunning program world-renowned pianist Marta Aznavoorian performs the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with Camerata Chicago. Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, Camerata Chicago will also perform Dvorak’s New World Symphony No. 9 and the William Tell Overture by Rossini.
