In addition to the wonderful energy and ever superb playing of the CSO’s grand-scale musicians, there also were two guest artists on the program in the outstanding soprano Lidia Fridman and tenor Francesco Meli.

The four audiences in mid-February who were able to see guest artist Himari perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra could not have been more lucky, writes WTTW News critic Hedy Weiss.

A Dec. 18 concert by the ever-superb Chicago Symphony Orchestra was a stunner, with Klaus Mäkelä in top form.

It was an absolutely brilliant evening at Chicago Symphony Hall Oct. 16 as a full audience was clearly enthralled by two major works by the superb French composer Hector Berlioz

There was only a single performance of an exhilarating CSO concert this past Saturday evening. It attracted a packed house with a wonderfully enthusiastic audience.

Klaus Mäkelä, a 29-year-old Finnish-born musician, will become chief conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2027. He has already demonstrated his winning connection with the CSO.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra took their place on stage for three performances led by visiting conductor Jaap van Zweden. The sheer immensity of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 7” was immediately evident.

Pair two of Chicago’s greatest cultural gems in a multifaceted program on the Symphony Center stage, and you have an ideal example of the city’s exceptional talent, writes Hedy Weiss.

Given the current state of the world there is something particularly wonderful about heading to a performance by the ever-remarkable musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, writes Hedy Weiss.

Here are the early blooms of the spring arts season. Make a bouquet and share them with someone you love. National Public Housing Museum Grand Opening – 919 S. Ada St.

The upgrades at North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival will take place in phases over the next few years. Everything is expected to be renewed and enhanced by the 2029 season, when Ravinia celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Something entirely magical took place at Symphony Hall in a recent concert that featured a breathtaking world premiere of composer Osvaldo Golijov’s fascinating, grand-scale work, “Megalopolis Suite,” along with four additional and wholly beguiling works by Donizetti, Verdi, Chabrier and de Falla.

Not only was there a packed house for Thursday evening’s concert at Symphony Hall, but Riccardo Muti, along with the program’s two works by Beethoven, and guest artist, pianist Mitsuko Uchida, were winningly celebrated.

Thursday evening’s concert at Orchestra Hall was another knockout performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it marked the brief return of conductor Marin Alsop, who clearly adores the CSO. It also was a program comprised of three radically different but splendid pieces of music.

Vivaldi composed “The Four Seasons,” Holst convened “The Planets,” and now we can experience “The Elements,” a themed orchestral suite courtesy of violinist Joshua Bell and five composers. The world-renowned, Indiana-born musician returns to the Midwest to perform these works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Paris will be hosting the Olympic Games this summer, but if you are in search of what might easily be dubbed the Olympics of French classical music, you have no need to purchase an airline ticket. Simply head to Orchestra Hall, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss.