Celebrating Black Excellence in Classical Music and Beyond
SEASON
The CSO African American Network invites you to its 2024/25 Season, celebrating Black composers, conductors and performers across genres including classical, jazz and new music.
African American Network Events
Select concerts include exclusive celebrations, artist meet-and-greets and networking opportunities you don’t want to miss.
OCT 10-11
CSO
AAN event: OCT 10 Alsop & Vondráček
Chief conductor of the Ravinia Festival Marin Alsop leads the CSO in a captivating work by James Lee III: Chuphshah! Harriet's Drive to Canaan, inspired by the life of Harriet Tubman.
NOV 22 JAZZ
Jason Moran and the Harlem Hellfighters
James Reese Europe and the Absence of Ruin
Jason Moran shares his multimedia tribute to James Reese Europe. A bandleader, composer, organizer for Black musicians and World War I hero, Europe helped set the groundwork for jazz in the early 20th century.
NOV 24 MUSICNOW
AAN event
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR): Voices of Migration & Innovation
From the soul-stirring melodies of String Quartet No. 5 — dedicated to the memory of Rosa Parks and to courageous women everywhere — to a world premiere commissioned by the CSO, Roumain’s evocative compositions represent a showcase of innovation.
JAN 24 JAZZ
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Bebop Revolution
The legendary Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra consists of 15 of the world’s finest ensemble players, arrangers and soloists. Combining big band and small ensemble arrangements, the program honors legends like Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Mary Lou Williams.
FEB 21 JAZZ
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Revealing the connections among vaudeville, blues, jazz, Baroque and traditional folk music, singer and composer Cécile McLorin Salvant bridges the gap between our musical past and contemporary world.
FEB 25 ORCHESTRAS
AAN event
Sphinx Virtuosi
The trailblazing 18-member string orchestra — comprised of outstanding Black and Latino musicians from around the country — performs diverse masterworks including Jessie Montgomery’s Grammy Awardwinning Rounds.
APR 4 JAZZ
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder
Brandee Younger Trio
Harpist Brandee Younger and her trio open the program, paying homage to jazz harp pioneers Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Following the trio, Japanese pianist and composer Hiromi explores the avant-garde worlds of video-game soundtracks and pioneering jazz fusion albums.
APR 10-13 CSO
AAN event: APR 11
CSO x The Joffrey Ballet
Dancers from Chicago’s world-renowned Joffrey Ballet join the CSO with newly commissioned choreographies in a concert that pairs with Symphony No. 1 by the Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
MAY 3 FAMILY
Community Pride
Joined by the winner of the 2024 CrainMaling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition, Thomas Wilkins conducts members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program celebrating the joy, power and beauty of community. Perfect for ages 5-12
MAY 31 CSO
An American Suite
Symphonic show-stoppers by Bernstein, enchanting works by Price, a pair of bluesy Gershwin standards featuring Janai Brugger and Dvořák’s radiant salute to the New World propel this American road trip.
JUNE 5-7 CSO
AAN event: JUNE 5
Elder, Goosby & Price
Acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship, American violinist Randall Goosby performs Florence Price’s violin concerto on a program with Prokofiev’s enchanting Seventh Symphony.
JUNE 13 JAZZ
AAN event
Oscar Peterson’s Africa Suite
Hear Oscar Peterson’s Africa Suite in a rare live performance, inspired in part by Nelson Mandela and the intense struggle for human rights in 1980s apartheid South Africa.
Ticket Information
Choose three or more concerts to enjoy:
• Access to special AAN pricing
• Opportunity to order additional concerts at special AAN pricing
• Waived subscription fee
Plus, access to CSO subscriber benefits:
• Flexible ticket exchanges
• Exclusive offers, presales and events throughout the season
• 15% savings on additional concert tickets
• Exclusive parking rates at nearby garages
• And more!
Learn more about subscription and ticket options by contacting Patron Services online at cso.org/contact or calling 312-294-3000.
African American Network Events
Select concerts have AAN receptions. Add on free tickets to these events when you order your subscription, or any time at cso.org/AAN. More details about each event will be available at a later date.