2024/25 SCP Classical Brochure

SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

Extraordinary talent. Thrilling collaborations. Unforgettable moments.

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The 2024/25 Season of Symphony Center Presents welcomes the world’s leading musicians and ensembles to Chicago.

With a rich tapestry of performances featuring classical masterpieces and captivating collaborations, this season invites music enthusiasts to experience an extraordinary journey woven with virtuosity, innovation and sheer musical brilliance.

The stage is set — and all that’s missing is you.

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CSO photography by Todd Rosenberg

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It’s easy — just follow these simple steps:

1 Choose a curated series that best fits your musical tastes

2 Visit cso.org/subscribe to purchase your series online.

3 Start enjoying your subscriber benefits  —  curated subscribers can exchange tickets for FREE all season long.

Can’t find a curated series that works for you? Create your own. Save 15% when you mix and match any combination of three or more concerts.

For personalized assistance with subscription, seating and concert recommendations, contact our Patron Services team.

Chat with us online at cso.org or call 312-294-3000.

Awadagin Pratt

Kirill Petrenko

SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

COME AS YOU ARE

Your footsteps quicken as you approach the doors to Symphony Center.

A warm, golden glow greets you in the lobby, as does the hum of fellow music lovers eagerly heading to their seats. A friendly usher welcomes you as you enter the hall. Beyond a sea of plush red cushions, you take in the stage covered in music stands and empty chairs. Soon, they will be filled with musicians who will create magical sounds that resonate up toward the bright lights you notice hanging from the acoustical canopy, then out into the hall. You take your seat, observe your surroundings and wait.

The lights dim. Silence. A single clap turns into affectionate applause as you and your fellow audience members welcome the artists to the stage. Silence, again. And then at last, music — what you came for — a chance to surrender to an experience you can’t get anywhere else. Whether you are craving stimulation, community, inspiration, novelty or the comfort of music dear to you, you will find it here at the home of musical brilliance and LEAVE TRANSFORMED.

Save 15% when you create your own series of all three programs featuring Trifonov

CSO ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

DANIIL TRIFONOV

NOV 17

Piano Recital

MAR 9

Chamber Music with Leonidas Kavakos

MAY 1-4

Mäkelä & Trifonov

Concerto with the CSO

Stepping into the prestigious position of CSO Artist-in-Residence, Daniil Trifonov — celebrated as one of “the finest pianists in the business today” (Chicago Classical Review) — unveils his artistic genius. With a riveting combination of technical virtuosity and interpretive sensitivity, Trifonov enriches the cultural fabric of Chicago, offering audiences profound musical experiences.

SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

CHAMBER MUSIC

EVENINGS AT 7:30 & SUNDAYS AT 3:00

Enjoy international artists performing intimate chamber music, including virtuosic violin-piano duos, Baroque gems and masterful trios by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

Pablo Ferrández

Jordi Savall

Leonidas Kavakos

Julia Fischer

Four unforgettable experiences for the price of three

Anne-Sophie Mutter

Yefim Bronfman

CHAMBER A

Jordi Savall

Monteverdi: A Baroque Revolution

The Tears and the Fire of the Muses

OCT 8 | TUESDAY 7:30

Jordi Savall TREBLE VIOL AND DIRECTOR

La Capella Reial De Catalunya

Hespèrion XXI

Program to include works by: MONTEVERDI, DOWLAND, HOLBORNE and SCHEIDT

Musical time traveler, globe-trotting impresario, enterprising scholar and charismatic virtuoso: Jordi Savall explores the richness of the early Baroque era, highlighting the music of Monteverdi.

Leonidas Kavakos & Daniil Trifonov

MAR 9 | SUNDAY 3:00

Leonidas Kavakos VIOLIN

Daniil Trifonov PIANO

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

POULENC Violin Sonata

BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78

BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Piano

The superstar duo of Leonidas Kavakos and Daniil Trifonov offers a program that spans the restless outpourings of Beethoven and Brahms to the 20th-century fireworks of Poulenc and Bartók.

Julia Fischer & Jan Lisiecki

MAR 30 | SUNDAY 3:00

Julia Fischer VIOLIN

Jan Lisiecki PIANO

MOZART Violin Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 378

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 (Spring)

SCHUMANN Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121

Internationally acclaimed violinist Julia Fischer, who dazzled CSO audiences in 2023, joins forces with pianist Jan Lisiecki, “a player of exceptional poise and refinement” (BBC Music Magazine).

Mutter, Ferrández & Bronfman

MAY 7 | WEDNESDAY 7:30

Anne-Sophie Mutter VIOLIN

Pablo Ferrández CELLO SCP DEBUT

Yefim Bronfman PIANO

BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97 (Archduke)

TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50

Anne-Sophie Mutter, the “undisputed queen of violin-playing” (The Times of London), teams up with her protégé, cellist Pablo Ferrández, and the formidable Yefim Bronfman in works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

Jan Lisiecki

SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

PIANO

SUNDAYS AT 3:00

Eight invigorating piano recitals await you. Discover emerging keyboard talents

Mao Fujita and Alexandre Kantorow along with reigning authorities such as Evgeny Kissin and Maria João Pires.

Mao Fujita

Maria João Pires

Alexandre Kantorow

PIANO A1

Purchase the full 8-concert Piano A series and save 30%

4-CONCERT SERIES | SUNDAYS AT 3:00

Daniil Trifonov

NOV 17

TCHAIKOVSKY Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Op. posth

CHOPIN Selected Waltzes

BARBER Sonata, Op. 26

TCHAIKOVSKY (ARR. PLETNEV)

Suite from the ballet The Sleeping Beauty

Daniil Trifonov launches his tenure as the CSO’s Artist-in-Residence with a recital that demonstrates his virtuosity, with spellbinding works by Tchaikovsky alongside Barber and Chopin.

Alexandre Kantorow

FEB 2

SCP DEBUT

BRAHMS Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1

LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B Minor (Chasse-neige)

LISZT Vallée d’Obermann from Années de pèlerinage, Première année, Suisse

BARTÓK Rhapsody, Op. 1

RACHMANINOV Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28

BACH (ARR. BRAHMS) Chaconne in D Minor for the Left Hand

Alexandre Kantorow, winner of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award and the International Tchaikovsky Competition, offers a program that includes Rachmaninov’s whirlwind piano sonata and Liszt’s storm-tossed landscapes.

Emanuel Ax

APR 27

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1 (Quasi una fantasia)

SCHUMANN Fantasiestücke, Op. 12

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight)

SCHUMANN Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17

Emanuel Ax, praised for “his seemingly effortless dexterity and the unnerving clarity of his artistic vision” (San Francisco Chronicle), navigates the intricate melodies of timeless compositions. Delve into the romantic depths of Beethoven’s hauntingly beautiful Moonlight Sonata and Schumann’s bold, soul-searching C Major Fantasy.

Maria João Pires

MAY 25

Distinguished Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires, “an elegant technician and probing interpreter” (The New York Times), returns to Chicago following a triumphant appearance at Symphony Center in the spring of 2023.

Emanuel Ax

Daniil Trifonov

PIANO A2

4-CONCERT SERIES | SUNDAYS AT 3:00

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

JAN 19

DEBUSSY Preludes, Book 1

DEBUSSY Preludes, Book 2

In a single performance, Jean-Yves Thibaudet traverses the magical colors and crystalline textures of Debussy’s 24 preludes.

Mao Fujita SCP

DEBUT

MAR 16

CHOPIN Twenty-Four Preludes, Op. 28

MOZART Variations on Ah vous dirai-je, maman, K. 265

BEETHOVEN 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor, WoO 80

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 (Appassionata)

Hear one of today’s fastest-rising stars, as Japanese pianist Mao Fujita performs Mozart — whose complete sonatas he recorded — along with Beethoven and Chopin.

Evgeny Kissin

MAY 11

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3

CHOPIN Nocturne in G Minor, Op. 15, No. 3

CHOPIN Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 55, No. 2

CHOPIN Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 1

CHOPIN Polonaise in A Major, Op. 40, No. 1 (Military)

SHOSTAKOVICH Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61

SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude and Fugue No. 8 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 87

SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in D-flat Major, Op. 87

SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in D Minor, Op. 87

Evgeny Kissin’s recitals “evoke an earlier era of great Romantic pianism” (Boston Globe) with their “formidable blend of technical prowess and exploratory fervor” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Víkingur Ólafsson

JUNE 8

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111 Icelandic sensation Víkingur Ólafsson takes listeners through Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas, comprising one of music’s great spiritual journeys.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Mao Fujita

Evgeny Kissin

Víkingur Ólafsson

FEATURED CONCERTS & EVENTS WITH THE

CSO

Lang Lang & The Firebird

SEP 21 | 6:30

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Andrés Orozco-Estrada CONDUCTOR

Lang Lang PIANO

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 2

STRAVINSKY Suite from The Firebird

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.

Enhance your concert experience with a Symphony Ball gala package including a private preconcert reception for patrons and sponsors in Buntrock Hall and postconcert dinner and dancing at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. For more information, please email symphonyball@cso.org or call 312-294-3185. This benefit event will raise funds to support the multifaceted work of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association — not only its industry-leading artistic programs but also its educational and community engagement initiatives that reach thousands of people in Chicago and around the world.

John Williams, Anne-Sophie Mutter & the CSO

OCT 22 | 7:30

PRIORITY ACCESS CONCERT

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

John Williams CONDUCTOR

Anne-Sophie Mutter VIOLIN

WILLIAMS Violin Concerto No. 2

WILLIAMS Selections from his landmark film scores

In this one-night-only performance, the great John Williams conducts a selection of his iconic film scores and the first CSO performance of his magnificent Violin Concerto No. 2. 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.”

FEATURED CONCERTS & EVENTS

Save 15% when you combine any three or more of these concerts in a Create Your Own series or add them to your curated series package.

Lila Downs: Día de los Muertos

OCT 27 | 7:00

Celebrate Día de los Muertos with MexicanAmerican singer Lila Downs, whose powerful voice is showcased with folklórico dancing and stunning visual projections.

Berliner Philharmoniker

NOV 26 | 7:30

PRIORITY ACCESS CONCERT

Kirill Petrenko CONDUCTOR

BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s plushness and precision are on display in Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony, from the awestruck opening to the majestic final chorale.

Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna

NOV 30 | 1:30

Ring in the holiday season as the Vienna Boys Choir presents a program of Austrian folk tunes, classical masterpieces and Yuletide favorites.

A Chanticleer Christmas

DEC 10 | 7:30

One night only at Symphony Center: the men’s vocal ensemble offers luminous arrangements of carols and other festive classics.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass

DEC 17 | 7:30

Michael Mulcahy CONDUCTOR

The world’s most celebrated orchestral brass section takes center stage in this annual December extravaganza.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

JAN 25 | 7:30

The always-swinging Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra presents everything from rare historic compositions to newly commissioned works.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Wynton Marsalis

Vienna Boys Choir

Kodo

FEB 23 | 3:00

The master drummers of Kodo explore the boundless possibilities of the taiko drum as they combine elegant music with striking physical feats.

Sphinx Virtuosi

FEB 25 | 7:30

Awadagin Pratt PIANO

Program to include works by: CARREÑO, JOPLIN and MONTGOMERY Rounds

The all-star Sphinx Virtuosi orchestra performs masterpieces by prominent Black and Latino composers — including Jessie Montgomery’s 2024 Grammy Award-winning Rounds — and brings its “joyous and uplifting” (Financial Times) energy to its Symphony Center debut.

Pink Martini featuring China Forbes: 30th Anniversary Tour

FEB 28 | 7:30

Pink Martini has taken audiences around the world, sashaying between French café music, Brazilian sambas, Cuban rumbas and a dash of jazz.

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

APR 15 | 7:30

The rock-star strummers of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain have won legions of fans with their quicksilver arrangements and dry British humor.

Zakir Hussain & the Masters of Percussion

APR 18 | 7:30

Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, one of India’s reigning cultural ambassadors, is joined by great drummers and percussionists from numerous world traditions.

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Sphinx Virtuosi

Zakir Hussain

Martini

Chanticleer

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass

Kodo

SUPPORT YOUR ORCHESTRA ENRICH,

INSPIRE, TRANSFORM

With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at its core, the mission of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is to enrich, inspire and transform lives through music, community engagement and education — locally, nationally and internationally. The ability to uphold this mission is reliant on the support of the many generous donors who give each season.

Gifts to the CSOA support not only the work of the world-renowned Orchestra, but also the ability to host guest artists and ensembles of all kinds through the Symphony Center Presents series. When you attend a concert at Symphony Center, you experience the breadth and depth of music under one roof.

Your support also makes possible the community and educational programs of the Negaunee Music Institute, such as CSO for Kids concerts, the Percussion Scholarship Program and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. These programs, and many more, are made available completely free or at very low costs thanks to thousands of generous donors.

If the music and programs of the CSOA have impacted your life, help ensure they have the greatest impact on the lives of others by joining the community of donors.

MAKE A GIFT TODAY

CSO.ORG/MAKEAGIFT | 312-294-3100

Thank you for your support of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association.

OUR SPONSORS

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is grateful for the generous support of these leading sponsors.

Anonymous

Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin Family Fund for the Canon Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund

Ling Z. and Michael C. Markovitz

Sargent Family Foundation Schmidt Family Fund

The Artist in Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is made possible through a generous gift from James and Brenda Grusecki.

The Civic Orchestra of Chicago season is generously sponsored by Lori Julian for the Julian Family Foundation.

Major support for CSO MusicNOW is generously provided by the Zell Family Foundation, the Sargent Family Foundation, the Sally Mead Hands Foundation and the Julian Family Foundation.

Generous support for CSO concerts, guest artists and guest conductors has been provided by the Juli Plant Grainger Fund for Artistic Excellence and the Grainger Fund for Excellence. Generous support for the Chicago Symphony Chorus has been provided by The Grainger Foundation.

YOUR SYMPHONY CENTER EXPERIENCE

DINE AT SYMPHONY CENTER

Located at 65 E. Adams St., Symphony Center’s restaurant, Forte, offers seamless preconcert dining as well as a bar menu. Featuring Mediterranean influenced cuisine, classic cocktails, global wines, draft beer, locally roasted coffee and gelato, Forte is the perfect on-site spot to enjoy a meal, beverage or snack before a performance.

In addition, The Richard & Helen Thomas Club, located on the ninth floor of Symphony Center, offers a seasonal prix fixe menu on select dates, bringing ticket holders a delightful dining experience with a spectacular view of Lake Michigan.

Make your concert experience even smoother by preordering your drinks at one of the various bars scattered throughout Symphony Center. This ensures a hassle-free intermission, allowing you to enjoy your choice of drink without the inconvenience of waiting in line.

From the calm ambiance of its lobby bars to the delectable offerings of Mediterranean sit-down dining, the Symphony Center experience is tailored to be a feast for the senses.

View menus and operating hours or make a reservation at cso.org/dining

SHOP AT THE SYMPHONY STORE

Located at the Adams Street entrance to Symphony Center, the Symphony Store is open for all Chicago Symphony Orchestra and select Symphony Center Presents concerts.

Discover outstanding, one-of-a-kind gifts. From classical music merchandise sourced from around the world, kid-friendly books and toys and apparel for the whole family to the world’s largest inventory of Chicago Symphony Orchestra recordings, the Symphony Store is your one-stop shop for all the music lovers in your life.

Subscribers and donors to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association save 15% yearlong on qualified purchases. Visit symphonystore.com to shop online.

Visit cso.org/cyopricing for a complete list of prices.

World-class artists performing with the CHICAGO

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Complement your series with these suggested programs. Explore the entire CSO Classical series lineup at cso.org/newseason.

Andrés Orozco-Estrada & Hilary Hahn

SEP 19-20

Hilary Hahn solos in Barber‘s lush and virtuosic Violin Concerto.

Eschenbach with Lucas & Arthur Jussen

OCT 4-6

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).

Muti,

Uchida, Emperor & Eroica

OCT 31-NOV 3

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).

Seong-Jin Cho Plays Prokofiev

FEB 27-MAR 2

Seong-Jin Cho, lauded for his “expert music-making … miraculous in its execution” (The New York Times), takes on Prokofiev’s incendiary Second Piano Concerto.

Mäkelä & Trifonov

MAY 1-4

CSO Artist-in-Residence Daniil Trifonov performs Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto.

Subscribers save 15% all season long on any additional concerts

An extraordinary lineup of musical artists

Mitsuko Uchida

Seong-Jin Cho

Hilary Hahn

Lucas & Arthur Jussen