ORC HESTRA RICCARDO MUTI CHICAGO SYMP
KVAKOS MIKKO FRANCK HILARY HAHN JOE H
SCHIFF JESSIE MONTGOMERY EMANUEL AX
MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS YO-YO MA DAMIEN
GETER KATHRYN STOTT ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
MAXIM VENGEROV EVGENY KISSIN YUJA WA
HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD MAHLER CHAMBER ORCHES
TIAN GERHAHER LINA GONZÁLEZ-GRANADOS
H ISAISHI MITSUKO UCHIDA EMIL DE COU
SEONG-JIN CHO DANIEL BARENBOIM SIR SIM
ONY HERBIE HANCOCK WYNTON MARSALIS
LEONIDAS KAVAKOS DANIIL TRIFONOV DANIEL
CARLOS SIMON SAMARA JOY JASMINE BARNES
ANDREW DAVIS JAAP VAN ZWEDEN CHRISTIA
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTR A SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS
Do you love live music but aren’t sure where to start? Are you overwhelmed by the abundance of programming choices at Symphony Center?
Discover the most popular concerts of the 2023/24 Season and what makes each of them a unique, must-see experience. Choose your favorites and witness some of today’s most distinguished artists.
Each featured program includes a web address that leads to a page where you can explore connections between artists and programs in order to select the perfect subscription option for you.
Learn about all the curated packages that feature the selected program, as well as pairing options to help you create your own series — just a click away!
The CSO’s 10th Music Director, Riccardo Muti, returns to lead the CSO on a sensuous journey through Italy.
Felix Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony offers a vivid portrayal of the Mediterranean sunshine, religious solemnity, monumental art and architecture and open countryside of Italy.
The Triumph of the Octagon is a world premiere and CSO commission by leading American composer Philip Glass. In 2022, Muti conducted the CSO’s historic first performances of Glass’ Symphony No. 11, stating that he fell in love with the composer’s music.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Riccardo Muti CONDUCTOR
GLASS The Triumph of the Octagon
WORLD PREMIERE, CSO COMMISSION
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4 (Italian)
R. STRAUSS Aus Italien
“The soul of each listener is assuredly stirred, deeply and intimately … and until the final chord [they] will be powerless to step out of that wondrous spirit realm where grief and joy embrace [them] in the form of sound.”
E.T.A. HOFFMAN, 19TH CENTURY COMPOSER-AUTHOR, ON BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 5
Learn more about all available subscription options when you visit CSO.ORG/BEETHOVEN
Discover which curated series include this featured program or pair it with two or more recommended concerts and create your own dream package.
OCT 12–15
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden CONDUCTOR
Christian Gerhaher BARITONE
SHEKHAR Lumina
FIRST CSO PERFORMANCE
MAHLER Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
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The hallmark motif of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (pa-pa-pa PAA) is considered one of the cornerstones of Western classical music. Hearing this iconic work performed live is an unforgettable experience.
Mahler’s songs highlight what is cherished most in his symphonies — their ability to shift instantly from one emotional state to an entirely different one, to expose states of mind or soul in highlighted relief. In the 2021/22 Season, the Chicago Classical Review noted that under the baton of New York Philharmonic Music Director Jaap van Zweden, “the CSO musicians were inspired, delivering some of their finest playing of the season across all sections.”
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In 2023, Joy won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist — only the second jazz performer in Grammy history to achieve this distinction. Her classic style and deeply emotive, rich and irresistible sound evoke Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, two legendary jazz artists with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Christian McBride, bassist and host of NPR’s Jazz Night in America, described her voice as “full of wisdom” and said, “I think what I love most about her is she’s always positive. She’s got such a fun, positive spirit” (The New York Times).
“A creation so thoroughly delightful and exciting in its novelty that one’s senses are captivated by it, one’s imagination is deliciously inspired.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Hear the orchestral classics featured in Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 — including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and The Nutcracker Suite — performed by the CSO while Disney’s groundbreaking animation plays on the big screen.
Other than The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Rhapsody in Blue, the music in Fantasia 2000 was originally recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the legendary Medinah Temple.
“For many kids and adults of all ages, Fantasia continues to live up to Walt Disney’s proclamation that the film represents the Disney studio’s ‘most exciting adventure’”
(Texas Public Radio).
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Daniel Barenboim, the ninth CSO music director, is a towering figure in classical music, demonstrating incomparable mastery both at the piano and at the conductor’s podium.
With a tradition of more than 450 years, Staatskapelle Berlin is one of the oldest orchestras in the world. The ensemble has been conducted by many prominent maestros, including Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss and Herbert von Karajan.
Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 is both his shortest and most densely and carefully organized of all his symphonies. From the powerful opening movement to the similarly charged finale, this work exemplifies unparalleled mastery.
BRAHMS Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
Jasmine Barnes SOPRANO
Damien Geter BASS-BARITONE
Jessie Montgomery VIOLIN
Carlos Simon ORGAN
THOMPSON In Response to the Madness
OKPEBHOLO CryptOlogiE
RAGLAND Eight Tones for Elijah
RAGLAND I Believe
BARNES New Work
WORLD PREMIERE, CSO MUSICNOW COMMISSION
GETER Annunciation
Audiences are invited to discover more about “The Modern Artist Collective” featuring members of the Blacknificent 7 in a preconcert panel presented in collaboration with Chicago Humanities.
Stay after the concert to experience a casual party with the musicians and composers.
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The Blacknificent 7 is a dynamic network of Black composers — its members include
CSO Mead Composerin-Residence Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland and Joel Thompson.
Dave Ragland’s Eight Tones for Elijah serves as a loving tribute to young Colorado violinist Elijah McClain, who in 2019 was arrested and assaulted by police on his walk home and died three days later.
The program features an improvised introduction, interlude and postlude for violin and organ performed by Jessie Montgomery and Carlos Simon.
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Musical America’s 2023 Artist of the Year and CSO Artistin-Residence Hilary Hahn returns to Symphony Center with Brahms’ fiery Violin Concerto.
Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 bridges the worlds of symphonic composition and poetry, creating music of unearthly beauty — a summit achievement near the end of a productive career.
Mikko Franck has been hailed as possibly the most brilliantly gifted Finnish conductor to have passed through the Sibelius Academy.
DEC 7– 9
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Mikko Franck CONDUCTOR
Hilary Hahn VIOLIN
BRAHMS Violin Concerto
WAGNER Prelude to Tristan und Isolde
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 7
Discover which curated series include this featured program or pair it with two or more recommended concerts and create your own dream package.
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109
BRAHMS Three Intermezzos, Op. 117
BRAHMS Fantasies, Op. 116
BACH (ARR. BUSONI) Chaconne from BWV 1004
Acclaimed pianist and environmental activist Hélène Grimaud, founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in upstate New York, has been awarded numerous accolades. Her thoughtful and tenderly expressive live performances are deeply moving, touching listeners’ emotions worldwide.
Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30 opened the door to the future with its extreme expressivity, its abandonment of traditional techniques and its radical departure from familiar aesthetic norms.
As one of the supreme pianists of his time, Busoni knew just what the piano could do. Spectacular and impressive, his arrangement of Bach’s Chaconne is a triumph of spirit over matter, a master musician’s tribute to his noble predecessor.
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The Carnival of the Animals, a musical suite of 14 animalthemed movements, is so humorous and playful that SaintSaëns thought it might ruin his reputation as a serious composer and didn’t allow it to be published until after his death.
The music perfectly captures the essence of the animals — including the roar of a lion, the mystery and magic of life underwater and the gracefulness of the swan.
“Charlotte’s incredible presence and cleverness unifies audiences of all ages and backgrounds by drawing them in emotionally through her enchanting gifts of communication.”
— Mark Laycock, conductorFEB 17
Perfect for ages 5–12
Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Lina González-Granados CONDUCTOR
Charlotte Blake Alston NARRATOR
Program to include: SAINT-SAËNS The Carnival of the Animals
Mitsuko Uchida is a peerless interpreter of Mozart’s works.
Discover which curated series include this featured program or pair it with two or more recommended concerts and create your own dream package.
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453
WIDMANN Choralquartett
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22, K. 482
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“Uchida’s Mozart is by now well-known. … It’s extremely congenial and given to soft blending and subtle color. Almost no one gets as much tenderness from the slow movements” (Chicago Tribune).
Known for creating exceptional concert experiences, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra is a passionate collective of 45 members from 20 different countries.
The most striking element of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 is the woodwinds rising out of the orchestra almost as a separate entity to engage in poignant, private chamber music conversations among themselves and the piano.
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Herbie Hancock is a Chicago native, NEA Jazz Master, 14-time Grammy Award winner and pioneering keyboardist who has been an integral part of every popular music movement since the 1960s.
This will be his 14th time performing on stage at Orchestra Hall. His first was in 1952, at age 11, appearing as a classical pianist on a Young People’s Concert after winning a CSO Youth Audition.
“Herbie always takes you on a magical, musical ride that you never want to get off of,” said Nicole Sweeney, host of the radio show “Lights Out” (The New York Times).
APR 7
PRIORITY ACCESS CONCERT
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS CURRENTLY ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS
Yo-Yo Ma CELLO
Kathryn Stott PIANO
FAURÉ Berceuse
DVOŘÁK Songs My Mother Taught Me
SÉRGIO ASSAD Menino
BOULANGER Cantique
FAURÉ Papillon
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Sonata
PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel
FRANCK Sonata
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Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott have toured the globe and released multiple albums, including 2020’s “Songs of Comfort and Hope” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ma has recorded more than 120 albums and is the winner of 19 Grammy Awards. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Collaborator Kathryn Stott is internationally recognized as one of Britain’s most versatile and imaginative pianists. The Washington Post wrote that she is “every bit Ma’s equal, playing with striking individuality.”
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Evgeny Kissin is one of the foremost pianists of our time. Kissin’s albums have received numerous awards and have contributed to the library of masterpieces recorded by the world’s greatest performers.
Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7 is the second of the composer’s three “war sonatas.” The blazing virtuosity of this music is breathtaking, frightening and an extraordinary testament to the vision of the composer.
A Kissin recital is unfailingly an event, showcasing the Russian-born pianist’s “formidable blend of technical prowess and exploratory fervor”
(San Francisco Chronicle).
MAY 19
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90
BRAHMS Four Ballades, Op. 10
RACHMANINOV Moments
musicaux, Op. 16
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Lahav Shani CONDUCTOR
Daniil Trifonov PIANO
AVNI Prayer
BATES Piano Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)
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Grammy Awardwinning pianist Daniil Trifonov “is without question the most astounding young pianist of our age” (The London Times).
Of his Symphony No. 6, Tchaikovsky declared that he had put his “whole soul into this work.” “I love it,” he said, “as I have never loved any of my other musical offspring.” The work has been interpreted as the composer’s swan song.
In February 2023, conductor Lahav Shani made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Celebrity Land reported that it was “a thrilling evening ... one that suggested Shani can finesse the sort of magnetic connection with the CSO musicians that Maestro Muti invariably conjures.”
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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. Our 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 — including jazz musicians, pianists and touring orchestras — 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 special performances and events in community centers across the city. These programs, and many more, are made available completely free or at very low cost, 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 making a donation today.
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Thank you for your support of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is grateful for the generous support of these leading sponsors.
Zell Family Foundation Julius N. Frankel Foundation
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin Family Fund for the Canon
Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich Gross
Ling Z. and Michael C. Markovitz
Anonymous Sargent Family Foundation
The Negaunee 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.
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 is generously sponsored by The Julian Family Foundation, which also provides major funding for the Civic Fellowship program.
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.
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