Chicago Symphony Musicians

Maestro Mäkelä’s first tour with the @chicagosymphony was a harmonious whirlwind, with the snowy trip ending with concerts in Bethesda and Boston. A special thanks to those backstage for making this tour an absolute home run. (And thanks to the @redsox for the Fenway Park tour!!). The logistics of shipping an orchestra around the world are dizzying. Snow was an extra special challenge that the tour team melted with ease. Bravi everyone! @klaussmakelaofficial @vivoperformingarts @washingtonsperformingarts @strathmorearts #csoontour #eastcoasttour #symphonyhall #deliciousacoustics #miniMäkelä

The @chicagosymphony is traveling at the speed of Mäkelä. Ann Arbor and Carnegie Hall were a sonorous blur! Onward to DC and Boston. @klaussmakelaofficial @umspresents @carnegiehall #rocketman #rocketMäkelä #miniMäkelä #carnegiehall #howdoyougettocarnegiehall followklaussmakela

120 beats per minute never looked so good. The @csomusicians are truly thrilled about the brilliant music making to come in the years ahead with Maestro Mäkelä. 🥰 #mäckingonmäkelä #rocketman #mahler3 #happymusicians #musiciansmusician #efficientandeffective #clearandconcise #dreamteam @chicagosymphony @klausmakelaofficial

This Thursday’s all-French CSO program featured the talents of conductor Juraj Valčuha, soprano soloist @morleysoprano and the Chicago Symphony Chorus, who starred in a radiant performance of Poulenc’s powerful Gloria. Bookending the concert were Ravel’s playful Mother Goose Suite, with its musical adaptations of fairy tales like Tom Thumb and Sleeping Beauty, and Saint-Saëns’ shimmering Organ Symphony. Catch the two remaining performances on Friday at 1:30 and Saturday at 7:30. 📷: @toddrphoto

Jazz meets classical in a rousing celebration of the American story at Symphony Center on June 4-6. The CSO and @jazzdotorg orchestra with @wyntonmarsalis combine forces to present Marsalis’ new Liberty Symphony, alongside music by John Adams and Aaron Copland led by @marinalsop.conductor . Get tickets today at cso.org

With Civitas’ Season Finale just one week away, we’re thrilled to share another concert series that features one of Civitas Ensemble’s very own: CSO Assistant Concertmaster Yuan-Qing Yu will be performing as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (@chicagosymphony ) from May 21st through the 23rd! Led by renowned conductor James Gaffigan, the program begins with Grieg’s Holberg Suite, and is followed by Yuan-Qing Yu’s performance of Fritz Kreisler’s Violin Concerto in C Major. The third piece is actually the namesake of this concert series, Anna Clyne’s “Sound and Fury”, and the concert closes out with Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 (“The Clock”). As for Civitas Ensemble’s final concert of the season, this program highlights beautiful compositions written for two pianos, including Franz Schubert’s Rondo in A Major for Piano Four Hands and Samuel Barber’s “Hesitation-Tango” from Souvenirs, as well as two piano pieces by Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Two Pianos, and his Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major. Don’t miss these exciting concerts filled with incredible musicianship and featuring members of the CSO (@csomusicians ) — reserve tickets to either of these performances via the link in our bio! We’ll see you soon ✨ 📸: @toddrphoto

Happy Mother’s Day from Mother Goose and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra family! On Friday and Saturday, children from across Chicago-land stepped into the magical world of @nataliemerchant ’s Cabinet of Wonder in Orchestra Hall for a joyful singalong. Led by Merchant and accompanied by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with conductor James Bagwell, the performance featured a selection of reimagined Mother Goose nursery rhymes that had the entire audience singing along with a spirited cheer and wiggling in their seats and in the aisles. 📷: @toddrphoto

What an incredible, heartfelt performance by the CSO and mezzo-soprano @joycedidonato on Thursday in her final program as 2025/26 Artist-in-Residence! 👏 Englishman @edwardgardner_official led them from the podium in the emotional Neruda Songs, with Spanish love sonnets by Nobel Prize-winning writer Pablo Neruda set to gorgeous, lyrical music by Peter Lieberson. The Orchestra rounded out the evening’s program with the musical drama of Samuel Barber’s First Essay for Orchestra and William Walton’s First Symphony. Gardner also joined members of the @csolatinoalliance for a meet-and-greet in Grainger Ballroom after the concert. 📷: @toddrphoto

Happy Star Wars Day to all who celebrate, and May the Fourth Be With You. ✨ Enjoy a performance of the Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) from The Empire Strikes Back by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — with composer John Williams himself at the podium — recorded live in Orchestra Hall on March 24, 2023. @csomusicians

@joehisaishi.official returned to Orchestra Hall this week for four concerts with the CSO beginning Thursday night, showcasing his symphonic works and iconic film scores for a full house of enthusiastic fans. Conducting from the podium and appearing at the piano, Hisaishi led the orchestra in a suite from Spirited Away, his Second Symphony and Castle in the Sky, the latter featuring CSO principal trumpet and soloist @estebanbatallan_official . #JoeHisaishi #久石譲 @harrisonparrottgroup 📷: @toddrphoto

Piano luminary @evgenykissinofficial joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor @boreyko_andrey on Thursday for the first of two performances of deeply expressive concertos by Mozart and Scriabin. The rare collaboration proved a brilliant showcase of Kissin’s intuition as a performer and the Orchestra’s ability to complement his eloquent style. Interspersed were orchestral favorites by Rimsky-Korsakov, including the Russian Easter Overture and the frenetic Flight of the Bumblebee from the Suite from The Tale of Tsar Saltan. 📷: @toddrphoto

Happy National Pet Day! 🐾 Introducing a few of the superstar furry friends of members of the CSO, who generously agreed to model some themed merchandise from the Symphony Store: • Yantar and Percy 😺 (Ian Hallas, CSO Bass) • Murphy 🐶 (Jennifer Gunn, CSO Piccolo and Flute) • Roxie 🐶 (Alex Horton, CSO Assistant Principal Bass) • Nacho, Felix and Zoe 😺 (Cynthia Yeh, CSO Principal Percussion) • Rio 🐶 (Andrew Sommer, CSO Bass) Celebrate your own four-legged companions and shop these products and more, in-store at 67 E. Adams St. or online at symphonystore.com