Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Let music astound you at Symphony Center! The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2025/26 Season awaits. View the calendar and subscribe today at cso.org/subscribe

Franz Joseph Haydn is widely regarded as the "Father of the Symphony." Learn more about the famous composer on Father's Day — and don't miss a chance to hear the CSO perform his Symphony No. 83 (The Hen) live next winter. youtube.com/watch?v=3nO-uE…

Honor the great composer Igor Stravinksy on the 144th anniversary of his birth and listen to a selection of his works as recorded by the CSO — including music from his ballet Petrushka, which you can hear performed live in Orchestra Hall next October. apple.co/45cY5jO

“A fascinating fellow, this Bernstein, dynamic, emotional, yet under complete control,” wrote Claudia Cassidy in the Chicago Tribune of @LennyBernstein’s CSO debut in 1944. Read more as the Orchestra performs his Symphony No. 2 in concerts this week. cso.org/experience/art…

Happy birthday, Richard Strauss! In celebration, we share a historic 1954 CSO recording of his iconic Ein Heldenleben with sixth music director Fritz Reiner — a piece most recently performed by the Orchestra in February 2026. apple.co/4mlGGvy

This week on #CSOradio, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider leads Poulenc’s Concerto in G Minor for Organ, Strings, and Timpani and Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3, featuring organ soloist Cameron Carpenter. Tune in tonight on @WFMTclassical! wfmt.com/2026/05/31/sze…

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family mourns the loss of Samuel Magad, who served as a member of the first violin section from 1958 until 2007, including 35 years as concertmaster, the position he held longer than any other player in the CSO's history. cso.org/experience/art…

Happy birthday, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky! Enjoy a playlist of CSO recordings of several of the composer’s works — including selections from his Sleeping Beauty Suite, First Piano Concerto and Fourth Symphony, all featured on the upcoming 2026/27 Season. apple.co/3GHxjWC

Recorded in Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet presents Apex: a colorful blend of old and new. Stream the album now on all major platforms, or purchase a copy at symphonystore.com

Congratulations to Cheryl Frazes Hill, associate director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, who celebrates 50 seasons with the Chorus in 2025/26! She joined as a singer in 1976 and was appointed to the conducting staff by founder Margaret Hillis in 1987. cso.org/experience/art…

Last November, Natalie Merchant, @chicagosymphony, and @ChiChildTheatre brought Cabinet of Wonder, a multimedia arts and education project, to the web. This month, Merchant brings the project to the Chicago stage chicagomag.com/chicago-magazi…

Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and explore a selection of new and archival articles that feature AANHPI members of the CSO, as well as guests to the Orchestra Hall stage. cso.org/experience/cur…

Hometown legend @herbiehancock helps culminate Chicago’s 15th Anniversary @intljazzday celebrations at tonight’s All-Star Concert. But long before he was winning Grammy Awards, he was an 11-year-old preparing to play with the CSO. Learn more: cso.org/experience/art…

Wishing a very happy 90th birthday to the legendary Indian conductor Zubin Mehta — a frequent and favorite guest conductor in Chicago since 1986! cso.org/experience/art…

This year, Chicago serves as the Global Host City for the 15th annual International Jazz Day on April 30. Learn more about the weeklong schedule of celebrations — including events at Symphony Center from May 1-3. @IntlJazzDay @UNESCO cso.org/experience/art…

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of American conductor, pianist and composer Michael Tilson Thomas, who enjoyed a remarkable partnership with the Orchestra and Chorus over the course of more than 50 years. cso.org/experience/art…

Enjoy a playlist of Chicago Symphony Orchestra recordings of selected symphonies, concertos and ballet suites by Sergei Prokofiev, in honor of the composer’s 135th birthday! 🎉 apple.co/4iZfQGU

Happy birthday, Florence Price! 🎶 Read about the moment she became the first Black female composer to have a large-scale composition performed by a major American orchestra, when the CSO and Frederick Stock premiered her Symphony No. 1 in E minor in 1933. cso.org/experience/art…

We are so grateful to have mezzo-soprano @JoyceDiDonato as our 2025/26 Artist-in-Residence! Look back on all that has happened so far during her tenure in Chicago — from magnetic performances in Orchestra Hall to community outreach and advocacy projects. cso.org/experience/cur…

Happy birthday to composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninov! Enjoy a playlist of his works as recorded by the CSO — including Isle of the Dead, which the Orchestra performs in upcoming concerts April 9-12. apple.co/3DW1GYm

Legendary French conductor Pierre Boulez served the CSO as principal guest conductor and conductor emeritus for over two decades. Celebrate the 101st anniversary of his birth with a playlist of selections from his recordings with the Orchestra. 🎉 apple.co/4lMIVIv