Chicago Symphony Orchestra Summer Residency
Ravinia is the verdant summer home of the CSO.
The CSO has been a regular guest since 1905, and Ravinia became its summer residence in 1936. Each year, the orchestra headlines more than a dozen concerts over six weeks, featuring music that stirs emotions from the first hearing to the fiftieth. Whether up close in seats or relaxed across the Lawn, enjoying the CSO at Ravinia is an idyllic setting for experiencing some of the most moving music from history and today.
Ravinia Chief Conductor Marin Alsop leads three weeks of programs with guests ranging from Tony and Grammy winner Heather Headley to swift new star pianist Yunchan Lim, as well as the can’t-miss drama of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and a specially expanded presentation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Several guest conductors and soloists also join the orchestra onstage throughout the summer, including Mei-Ann Chen with pianist Jeremy Denk, Alsop’s Baltimore successor Jonathon Heyward, and siblings Joshua and Alisa Weilerstein. Grammy winner Rufus Wainwright returns to celebrate his Want albums, and Tony-winning orchestrator Ted Sperling salutes the music of iconic singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon.
Second Annual Breaking Barriers Festival
Building on last summer’s successful inaugural events, 2023’s Breaking Barriers Festival celebrates women composers—classical and jazz artists as well as singer-songwriters—who are featured throughout the season. Surrounding the three evening concerts this weekend are panel roundtables, a composer workshop, and more events presented in collaboration with New Music USA and The Chicago Network. Alongside Marin Alsop, the guest leaders include former London Southbank Centre artistic director Jude Kelly, who founded and heads the WOW Foundation, as well as Chicago-based composers and some of the weekend’s featured artists.
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