Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is
considered among the best in the world—a legacy of the late maestro Sir Georg
Solti, who captured a record-breaking 31 Grammy awards for his CSO record-
ings and showcased the orchestra at other major musical capitals during frequent
international tours. Current musical director Daniel Barenboim—a talented
conductor and pianist prodigy whom the CSO recruited from the Orchestre de
Paris after Solti's death in 1997—proved a worthy successor (Barenboim will be
leaving at the end of the 2006 season). Staking out his own legacy in the reno-
vated and expanded Symphony Center complex (see the description of this com-
plex above), he introduced more modern works by 20th-century composers into
the orchestra's repertoire. But you will certainly not be disappointed by the
CSO's treatment of crowd-pleasing Beethoven or Brahms.
Classical is far from the only kind of music on tap here, however. The “Sym-
phony Center Presents” series has included some of the top jazz, world beat,
Latin, and cabaret artists in the world in recent years.
Although in high demand, good seats for all concerts often become available on
concert days. Call Symphony Center or stop by the box office to check availability.
Summertime visitors have an opportunity to hear a CSO performance at the
delightful
Ravinia Festival
(
&
847/266-5100
) in suburban Highland
Park, led by music director Christoph Eschenbach. (For more information, see
p. 207.)
The
Civic Orchestra of Chicago,
the training orchestra of the Chicago Sym-
phony since 1919, is also highly regarded and presents free programs at Orches-
tra Hall. The
Chicago Symphony Chorus
also performs there.
Orchestra Hall, in
Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
&
312/294-3000.
www.cso.org. Tickets $10-$90; box
seats $165. Subway/El: Red Line to Jackson.
Grant Park Symphony and Chorus
A great Chicago event from late
June through August is the series of free outdoor classical music concerts given
by this summer orchestra, as well as a number of visiting artists, performing in
the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Music Pavilion in Millennium Park (with
the surrounding Loop skyscrapers creating an impressive backdrop). Featuring
Gehry's signature sinuous lines, the pavilion is surrounded by dramatic ribbons
of curved steel. The Grant Park Symphony not only looks better than ever, it
sounds great, too—thanks to a state-of-the-art sound system. Concerts are held
Wednesday through Sunday, with most performances beginning at 7:30pm.
Seats in the pavilion (about 4,000 of them) are reserved for subscribers, but
unclaimed chairs are offered to the public 15 minutes before the concert starts.
There's also plenty of lawn seating; bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic dinner.
Pritzker Music Pavilion, at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Randolph St.
&
312/742-4763.
www.grantparkmusicfestival.com. Subway/El: Red Line to Washington/State or Brown, Orange, or
Green line to Randolph//Wabash.
ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS
The
Apollo Chorus of Chicago
(
&
312/427-5620;
www.apollochorus.org) is
best known for its annual holiday-season performance of Handel's
Messiah
at
Orchestra Hall. Founded in 1872, 1 year after the Great Chicago Fire, the old-
est all-volunteer civic chorus in the country began life as an all-male chorus but
now is composed of men and women. They stage concerts throughout the year
at various venues.
Bella Voce
(
&
312/461-0723;
www.bellavoce.org) is an a cappella choir that
re-creates (“imitates” doesn't do justice to the performers' amazing skills) the
Value
