United States Prokofiev, Price, Wagner: Randall Goosby (violin), Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Sir Mark Elder (conductor). Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 5.6.2025. (ZC)
Randall Goosby honors Florence Price in a heartfelt Chicago Symphony performance
Zach Carstensen
Zach Carstensen examines the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s history with Mahler
Mahler’s many voices: how the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has shaped and been shaped by his music
Chicago Symphony Orchestra shines under Mäkelä’s baton in Brahms, Boulez and Dvořák
United States Brahms, Boulez, Dvořák: Daniil Trifonov (piano), Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Klaus Mäkelä (conductor). Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 2.5.2025. (ZC)
CMS of Lincoln Center brings warmth and vitality to Chicago in Mozart, Schubert and W.F. Bach
United States Various: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Harris Theater, Chicago, 25.3.2025. (ZC)
Seattle Symphony offers dramatic range with Stravinsky, Mozart and a local premiere
United States Nabors, Mozart, Stravinsky: Jan Lisiecki (piano), Seattle Symphony Orchestra / Peter Oundjian (conductor). Benaroya Hall, Seattle, 14.3.2025. (ZC)
Stephen Williamson premieres Christopher Theofanidis’s clarinet concerto with the CSO on 6 March
From friendship to music: Stephen Williamson premieres Christopher Theofanidis’s clarinet concerto at the CSO
On a summer day in 2022, Stephen Williamson stood outside with his clarinet in Aspen, Colorado. Surrounded by an endless blue sky, mountains and the sun, Williamson – the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinetist – worked through intricate passages of a new concerto. Its composer, Christopher Theofanidis, was there with Williamson, shaping the music in real time. ‘Playing it outside in the fresh air, with the mountains around us, brought a whole new dimension to the sound’, Williamson recalls.
After almost three years of anticipation – due in part to an unexpected health setback – Williamson is finally set to premiere the concerto, Indigo Heaven, which was written specifically for him.
Violinist Christian Tetzlaff dazzles in Sibelius, and Afkham and the CSO bring Schoenberg to life
United States Wagner, Sibelius, Schoenberg: Christian Tetzlaff (violin), Chicago Symphony Orchestra / David Afkham (conductor). Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 14.2.2025. (ZC)
Esa-Pekka Salonen and Iveta Apkalna bring his Sinfonia concertante to life in its Chicago debut
United States R. Strauss, Salonen, Bartók: Iveta Apkalna (organ), Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor). Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 30.1.2025. (ZC)
