25 seasons in, with more to come, Christopher Bell has built the Grant Park Chorus into Chicago’s finest
Christopher Bell oversaw the choir’s transition from a semi-professional to a professional ensemble.
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Review: What works best for the CSO’s America250 season finale? Variety
There were highlights, to be sure, but the bombastic “Lincoln Portrait” was not one of them. Chicago actor Harry Lennix's narration was often rendered inaudible.
Review: Grant Park Music Fest and Guerrero sing songs of America in opening weekend
Friday featured the first choral-orchestral work of the season: “Conquest Requiem” by Gabriela Lena Frank, composer of “El último sueño de Frida y Diego,” which Lyric Opera produced in the...
Review: Despite swap, Marsalis symphony a standout with CSO and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
We may not have gotten the planned new symphony for America 250, but the amazing collaboration on “The Jungle" made for no disappointment.
10 museums for summer 2026: From the Art Institute to Shedd and Brookfield Zoo
Who are we, really? That’s the question on the tip of the tongue of cultural institutions everywhere as we approach our 250th anniversary as a nation.
Jazz and classical music for summer 2026: Let the anniversaries roll
From America250 to Miles Davis, not to mention the echoes of Jazz Day and full summer at Ravinia, our critic's picks for the coming season.
A former Tribune critic’s writings are being adapted into opera for the second time. This time, it’s his life onstage.
Former jazz critic Howard Reich first crossed paths with author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel on assignment. Their relationship and his own family's past became “The Dialogue of Memories.”
CYSO goes big for its 80th, including a commission from a Grammy winner
This weekend's concert includes the premiere of “Time Abounds” by Jennifer Higdon, a Pulitzer Prize and multi-Grammy winner.
Review: Joyce DiDonato sings ‘Neruda Songs’ — plus a new jazz season at CSO
The songs became a grand finale of sorts for mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who is wrapping her one-year stint as the CSO’s artist-in-residence.
In grim financial turn, Chicago Sinfonietta will pause concerts and lay off staff
The move by the major Chicago orchestra — one of a few in the world devoted to advancing racial equity — will leave just its annual Martin Luther King Jr....