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CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES
PROGRAMMING FOR ITS
125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON—2015/16
CHICAGO (January 26, 2015)— Riccardo Muti, Music Director of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Jeff Alexander, President of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA), announce the programming for the CSO
and Symphony Center Presents (SCP) 2015/16 season—the Orchestra’s 125th
season and Muti’s sixth as music director.
Central to Riccardo Muti’s programming for the 2015/16 season is honoring the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s distinguished history. Muti, the Orchestra’s 10th
music director, continues to guide the CSO to new levels of renown, building on the
legacy of his predecessors: Theodore Thomas, Frederick Stock, Désiré Defauw,
Artur Rodzinski, Rafael Kubelík, Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, Sir Georg Solti and
Daniel Barenboim.
On most programs during the 125th season, the CSO performs at least one work
that was given its world or United States premiere by the Orchestra. Much of this
repertoire reflects the long-standing commitments that the CSO had or has with
those composers, many of whom have also appeared with the Orchestra as
conductors or soloists numerous times.
“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s legacy is unparalleled,” remarked CSO
President Jeff Alexander. “The Orchestra’s stellar reputation for artistic excellence
has remained at its core for many decades. As we celebrate this 125th season
milestone, we honor the past, we celebrate where we are now as an institution and
we also look ahead to the coming decades to continue to enrich and transform lives
through music here in Chicago and around the world.”
Riccardo Muti’s dedication to bringing live symphonic music, performed at the
highest artistic level, to the broadest possible audience in greater Chicago and
around the world, has served as the cornerstone of the CSO’s mission since his
tenure as music director began in 2010. That commitment remains paramount today
as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 125th season.
In this anniversary season, the CSO also continues its rich tradition of international touring, which began in
1892, and recording, which began in 1916. Since its founding, the CSO has made 58 international tours,
performing in 29 countries on five continents, and recordings by the CSO have earned 62 Grammy Awards.
Both have contributed significantly over the years to the CSO’s international reputation. Global engagement
continues now also through webcasts, streaming and an online magazine, CSO Sounds & Stories:
www.csosoundsandstories.org.
This season, Muti leads 11 weeks of subscription concerts in five residencies with the Orchestra in Chicago,
with appearances in September and October, December, February, April and June. In addition, he leads the
Orchestra on a three-city tour of the U.S. in October and on a three-week tour of Asia in January 2016—their
first together there.
Of particular note in 2015/16 are concert performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s final opera, Falstaff. Recognized as
one of the greatest living interpreters of Verdi’s work, Muti completes his traversal of Verdi’s Shakespeareinspired operas with the CSO—which included Otello in 2011 and Macbeth in 2013—with three performances of
Falstaff, while also marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death in 2016.
Highlights of the Orchestra’s 2015/16 season include:

A free season-opening Concert for Chicago at Millennium Park, conducted by Muti, in celebration of the
CSO’s 125th anniversary season

The culmination of Muti’s traversal of Verdi’s Shakespeare-inspired operas with three concert
performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s final operatic work, Falstaff
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125 community events in greater Chicago
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The appointment of two new Mead Composers-in-Residence to three-year terms: Samuel Adams and
Elizabeth Ogonek

World premiere performances of CSO-commissioned works by Pascal Dusapin and Elizabeth Ogonek

The CSO’s first Asian tour with Muti to five cities for nine performances in Taipei, Taiwan; Tokyo, Japan;
Shanghai and Beijing, China; and Seoul, South Korea

A week-long United States tour, led by Muti, which includes performances in Kansas City and Ann Arbor,
and the CSO’s debut in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Debuts by talented soloists and conductors
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Explorations of works by Bernstein, Falla and Janáček in the CSO’s innovative, multimedia Beyond the
Score® series

One-night only appearances by pianists Evgeny Kissin and Lang Lang with the CSO
The Symphony Center Presents series continues to bring a wide range of today’s leading artists and ensembles
from all genres of music to Chicago. Highlights this season include CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative
Consultant Yo-Yo Ma’s annual collaboration with musicians of the CSO on the Chamber Music series, as well
as bringing pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Leif Ove Andsnes and violinist Joshua Bell to the Symphony Center
stage. The SCP Chamber Music, Orchestra and Piano series further expand the broad spectrum of talent from
around the world that comes to Chicago to perform at Symphony Center. The 2015/16 SCP Jazz series
programming details will be announced in April.
The programs of Symphony Center Presents and the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra in 2015/16 complement the CSO’s subscription programs and demonstrate the commitment of Muti
and the CSOA to supporting young musicians and to serving the greater Chicago community through music.
Bank of America is proud to be the Global Sponsor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
As one of the world's largest financial institutions and a major supporter of arts and culture, Bank of America has a
vested interest and plays a meaningful role in the international dialogue on cultural understanding. As a global
company, Bank of America demonstrates its commitment to the arts by supporting such efforts as after-school arts
programs, grants to help expand libraries and programs to conserve artistic heritage as well as a campaign to
encourage museum attendance. Bank of America’s unique program offers customers free access to more than
150 of the nation’s finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in our
Communities® shares exhibits from the company’s corporate collection with communities across the country
through local museum partners. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation also provides philanthropic support
to museums, theaters and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and
communities.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Programs
125th Anniversary Celebration……………………….... 5
Verdi’s Falstaff……………………………………….….. 7
Riccardo Muti’s Programs……………………………… 7
The CSO on Tour…………………..…………………… 9
Mead Composers-in-Residence and MusicNOW……. 9
Premieres and First Performances…………………..… 11
Beyond the Score®…………………………………….... 11
Debuts …………………………………………………… 12
Returning Guest Conductors…………………………… 15
Returning Guest Artists…………………………………. 17
CSO at the Movies………………………………………. 18
Chicago Symphony Chorus……………………………. 19
CSO Radio……………………………………………… 19
Bank of America………………………………………… 20
Symphony Center Presents
Piano Series……………………………………………..
Chamber Music Series………………………………….
Orchestra Series…………………………………………
Special Concerts…………………………………………
Holiday Programs………………………………………..
21
22
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23
The Negaunee Music Institute
at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Citizen MusicianshipTM…………………………………. 25
Family and School Concerts………………………….. 26
Civic Orchestra and Training Programs……………… 27
Subscription and Ticket Information……......... 28
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CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PROGRAMS
125TH SEASON
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s distinguished history began in 1891, when the city’s civic and business
leaders invited conductor Theodore Thomas to establish a first-class symphony orchestra. Since then, the CSO
has become an internationally celebrated ensemble of great power, virtuosity, sensitivity and flexibility—one that
has thrilled audiences in greater Chicago and around the globe with thousands of performances throughout the
years.
Introducing new music to the United States, particularly to the Chicago public, has always been a central
mission of the CSO. Since its founding 125 years ago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has given more than
650 U.S. and world premieres. Many of these pieces have become cornerstones of the orchestral canon and
signature works for the CSO.
In tribute to this tradition, Music Director Riccardo Muti has selected an array of works for performance during
the 2015/16 season—one or more pieces on nearly every subscription program—that were given either their
world or U.S. premieres by the CSO over the course of its history, as well as the premieres of new works
commissioned especially for this anniversary season. Of particular note is Bruckner’s Te Deum, which was
premiered in the U.S. during the CSO’s first season, and which closes the 125th season in June 2016.
World and U.S. premieres are (listed chronologically in order of performance during the 2015/16 season):
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Corigliano
Elgar
Charpentier
Prokofiev
Glanert
Franck
Strauss
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Tartini
(arr. Respighi)
Scriabin
Dvořák
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Dvořák
Strauss
Ogonek
Respighi
Casella
Lutosławski
Bartók
Sibelius
Debussy
Elgar
Campane di Ravello
World premiere in 1987 (Sept. 19, 2015)
In the South (Alassio)
U.S. premiere in 1904 (Sept. 19, 2015)
Impressions of Italy
U.S. premiere in 1893 (Sept. 24-26; 29, 2015)
Scythian Suite
U.S. premiere in 1918 (Oct. 1-3, 2015)
Brahms-Fantasie
U.S. premiere in 2015 (Oct. 8-13, 2015)
Les Éolides
U.S. premiere in 1895 (Oct. 17 & 20, 2015)
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
U.S. premiere in 1895 (Nov. 12-14, 2015)
Pastorale
U.S. premiere in 1927 (Nov. 19-21; 24, 2015)
Prometheus
U.S. premiere in 1915 (Dec. 3-5, 2015)
The Golden Spinning Wheel
U.S. premiere in 1897 (Dec. 17-19, 2015)
The Wild Dove
U.S. premiere in 1899 (Dec. 17-19, 2015)
Ein Heldenleben
U.S. premiere in 1900 (Jan. 6-9, 2016)
New Work
World premiere* (Feb. 11-13; 16, 2016)
Concerto gregoriano
U.S. premiere in 1924 (Feb. 18-20, 2016)
Symphony No. 3
World premiere* in 1941 (Feb. 18-20, 2016)
Symphony No. 3
World premiere* in 1983 (Feb. 24-27; Mar. 1, 2016)
Piano Concerto No. 2
U.S. premiere in 1939 (Mar. 10, 12, 15, 2016)
Symphony No. 2
U.S. premiere in 1904 (Mar. 17-19, 2016)
Gigues
U.S. premiere in 1914 (Mar. 31, Apr. 1, 2, 2016)
Enigma Variations
U.S. premiere in 1902 (May 5, 7, 10, 2016)
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Dukas
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Stravinsky
Prokofiev
Dusapin
Holst
Bruckner
Bruckner
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
U.S. premiere in 1899 (May 12 & 14, 2016)
Symphony in C
World premiere* in 1940 (May 19 & 20, 2016)
Piano Concerto No. 3
World premiere in 1921 (May 21, 2016)
Cello Concerto
World premiere* (May 26-29, 31, 2016)
The Planets
U.S. premiere in 1920 (May 26-29, 31, 2016)
Symphony No. 9
U.S. premiere in 1904 (June 23, 25, 26, 2016)
Te Deum
U.S. premiere in 1892 (June 23, 25, 26, 2016)
* denotes CSO commission
Also notable is the relationship that many of the composers whose works are being performed during this 125th
anniversary season had or have with the CSO. More than a dozen of them conducted or performed with the
Orchestra as a soloist, multiple times in many cases.
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John Adams
Béla Bartók
Alfredo Casella
Antonín Dvořák
Sir Edward Elgar
George Gershwin
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Paul Hindemith
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Sergei Prokofiev
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Sergei Rachmaninov
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Maurice Ravel
Ottorino Respighi
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Richard Strauss
Igor Stravinsky
guest conductor in 1999
piano soloist in 1941
piano soloist and guest conductor in 1923 and 1936
guest conductor at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893
guest conductor in 1907 and 1911
piano soloist at the Century of Progress Exhibition in 1933 and at the
Ravinia Festival in 1936
viola soloist in 1938, guest conductor in 1938 and 1963, and guest
conductor at the Ravinia Festival in 1961
piano soloist and guest conductor on numerous occasions between
1918 and 1937
piano soloist and guest conductor on numerous occasions between
1909 and 1943
guest conductor in 1928
piano soloist and guest conductor in 1926 and 1929
guest conductor on numerous occasions between 1988 and 2015
guest conductor in 1904 and 1921
guest conductor on numerous occasions at Orchestra Hall and the
Ravinia Festival between 1925 and 1965
In addition to subscription performances honoring the 125th anniversary season, the Negaunee Music Institute
at the CSO, as part of its Citizen MusicianTM Initiative, has arranged for 125 performances at community sites
across the city throughout the 2015/16 season. Some events will take place in schools for their students or in
community venues for invited audiences and others will be open to the public, and all will be free. For most of
these events, musicians from the CSO and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO’s preprofessional training
ensemble, will perform chamber concerts. The 125 events include the annual Civic Orchestra community
concert at the South Shore Cultural Center and a free CSO concert led by Riccardo Muti at Millennium Park.
These 125 free performances mark an increase for such presentations of nearly 20% over previous seasons,
offering even more opportunities for CSO and Civic Orchestra musicians to engage communities not typically
represented at Symphony Center events. Please visit cso.org/125 for updates to the schedule of community
events.
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VERDI’S FALSTAFF
With presentations of Otello in 2011 and Macbeth in 2013, Muti and the CSO have set a high standard for
Verdi’s Shakespearean operas in concert performance, garnering widespread critical acclaim, selling out
multiple performances in Chicago and New York, and producing a live recording (Otello) on the CSO Resound
label that won the 2014 International Opera Award for Best Complete Opera.
Three performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff in the spring of 2016, led by Riccardo Muti, complete his cycle
with the CSO of Verdi’s three Shakespeare operas inspired by the literary icon. The last of Verdi’s 28 operas,
Falstaff was written when the composer was nearly 80 years old; it premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1893.
Singing the title role in the CSO performances of Falstaff is Ambrogio Maestri, whom The New York Times
called “the most sought after Falstaff singer of his time” in advance of his debut in the role at the Metropolitan
Opera in 2013. Maestri first performed the role at La Scala in Milan, with Riccardo Muti conducting, in 2001.
Since then, Falstaff has become a signature role for Maestri, who has performed it in more than 20 venues.
(April 21, 23, 26, 2016)
FULL CAST:
Ambrogio Maestri (baritone), Sir John Falstaff
Eleanora Buratto (soprano), Alice Ford
Luca Salsi (baritone), Ford
Rosa Feola (soprano), Nannetta
Saimir Pirgu (tenor), Fenton
Daniela Barcellona (mezzo-soprano), Mistress Quickly
Laura Polverelli (mezzo-soprano), Meg Page
Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani (tenor), Bardolfo
Luca Dall’Amico (bass), Pistola
Saverio Fiore (tenor), Dr. Caius
Chicago Symphony Chorus; Duain Wolfe, chorus director
OTHER PROGRAMS WITH RICCARDO MUTI
Throughout the 125th anniversary season, Muti leads a variety of programs in addition to Falstaff during his 11
weeks in Chicago. These offer wide-ranging repertoire by Charpentier, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms,
Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Ginastera, Bruckner, Ligeti and Corigliano, among others. Muti also leads a total of four
weeks on tour with the Orchestra in 2015/16, both in the U.S. and in Asia.
Three one-night only programs led by Muti start the CSO’s 125th anniversary season:

Liszt’s From the Cradle to the Grave, Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5
comprise the first subscription program of the season. (September 17)

In honor of the anniversary year, Muti leads the CSO in a free Concert for Chicago featuring
Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in Millennium Park’s Pritzker
Pavilion. This performance marks Muti and the CSO’s sixth free community concert together and their
fourth in Millennium Park. (September 18)
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At the annual gala concert, Symphony Ball, Muti conducts a program that features Ravel’s
orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition; John Corigliano’s Campane di Ravello,
which received its world premiere by the CSO in 1987; and Elgar’s In the South (Alassio), a work that
received its U.S. premiere in 1904 by the CSO. (September 19)
Regular subscription series programs led by Muti feature CSO debuts by renowned soloists, world premieres
and works that were influenced by Shakespeare, as well as reprises each week of works that received their
world or U.S. premieres by the CSO during its 125-year history.

Muti welcomes harpist Xavier de Maistre, who was the first French member of the Vienna Philharmonic,
for his CSO debut in Ginastera’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra as part of a program with French
and Spanish influences. Also featured are Chabrier’s España, Ravel’s Boléro and Charpentier’s
Impressions of Italy, of which the CSO gave the U.S. premiere in 1893. (September 24, 25, 26 and 29)

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes returns to the CSO as soloist with Muti conducting Mozart’s Piano Concerto
No. 20. Muti also leads Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, Hindemith’s Concert Music for String
Orchestra and Brass and Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, which received its U.S. premiere in 1918 by the
CSO. (October 1, 2 and 3)
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Muti conducts the CSO, the Chorus and pianist Kirill Gerstein in Scriabin’s Prometheus, a work that
received its U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1915. Opening the program is Prokofiev’s Classical
Symphony and Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and Symphony No. 8. The performance on December 5
marks Muti’s 250th concert with the CSO. (December 3, 4 and 5)
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CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson makes his solo debut under the baton of Muti in Mozart’s
Clarinet Concerto. Muti also conducts Ligeti’s Ramifications and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for String
Orchestra, as well as the world premiere of a CSO-commissioned work by newly appointed Mead
Composer-in-Residence Elizabeth Ogonek. (February 11, 12, 13 and 16, 2016)

The following week also highlights a CSO musician as soloist: Concertmaster Robert Chen. Muti leads
Chen and the CSO in Respighi’s Concerto gregoriano, of which the CSO gave the U.S. premiere in
1924. Respighi’s Fountains of Rome opens the program, and Alfredo Casella’s Symphony No. 3, a
work the CSO commissioned and premiered for its 50th anniversary, closes the program. (February 18,
19 and 20, 2016)
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In addition to Falstaff, Muti leads two other subscription programs in April that include music inspired by
Shakespeare’s writings. The first week features Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet, with the CSO, Chorus and
soloists mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova, tenor Paul Groves and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy. (April 7,
8 and 9, 2016)
The second week includes Tchaikovsky’s tone poem, Romeo and Juliet, as well as The Tempest, and
Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with soprano Rosa Feola. (April 14, 15, 16, 22 and 24, 2016)
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Muti leads soloist Julia Fischer and the CSO in a performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, paired
with Brahms’ Serenade No. 1, when he returns for his two-week spring residency. (June 16, 17, 18 and
21, 2016)
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To conclude the 2015/16 season, Muti leads the CSO in an all-Bruckner program, with his Symphony
No. 9, a work that received its U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1904. The program—and season—
concludes with a nod to the CSO’s first season 125 years ago: Bruckner’s Te Deum, a work that
received its U.S. premiere by the CSO during its first season in 1892. The final performance of the
2015/16 season on June 26 marks Muti’s 275th concert with the CSO. (June 23, 25 and 26, 2016)
The CSO’s music director position is endowed in perpetuity by a generous gift from the Zell Family Foundation.
THE CSO ON TOUR
In the fall of 2015, Muti and the CSO travel for a U.S. tour that features a concert in Kansas City, Missouri; one
in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and one in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This marks the CSO’s first performance in
Kansas City’s new concert hall, Helzberg Hall, which opened in 2011, and the Orchestra’s first trip to Kansas
City since 1967. The concert in Chapel Hill will mark the Orchestra’s debut there.
In January 2016, the CSO embarks on its 10th international tour with Muti, a three-week, nine-concert tour in
Asia, including performances in Taipei, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul. Tour repertoire consists of two
programs: one pairing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Mahler’s First Symphony, and one with Prokofiev’s
Classical Symphony, Hindemith’s Concert Music for Strings and Brass and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.
Citizen MusicianTM on Tour events will also be scheduled.
The CSO also performs at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center in Urbana-Champaign in October 2015.
Guest conductor Semyon Bychkov leads violinist Renaud Capuçon as soloist in Brahms’ Violin Concerto. The
Brahms-inspired program opens with Glanert’s Brahms-Fantasie and closes with Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.
(October 10)
MEAD COMPOSERS-IN-RESIDENCE AND MUSICNOW
Riccardo Muti has selected two American composers for the position of CSO Mead Composers-in-Residence:
Samuel C. Adams and Elizabeth Ogonek. Their three-year terms begin in the fall of 2015, at the start of the
2015/16 season.
“I am happy that Samuel Adams and Elizabeth Ogonek will be the CSO’s new Mead Composers-in-Residence,”
said Music Director Riccardo Muti. “After the successful tenures of Mason Bates and Anna Clyne, I wanted to
build on their energy and enthusiasm in giving new direction to the MusicNOW series by appointing young
composers who have already shown great promise. Now, in Chicago, Adams and Ogonek will have an
opportunity to participate in the life of the Orchestra and to contribute to the city’s vibrant cultural community.”
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Samuel C. Adams is a composer of acoustic and
electroacoustic music. He studied composition and electroacoustic music at Stanford University while also
active as a jazz bassist in and around San Francisco. Prior to working in New York City between 2010 and
2014, Adams received a master's degree in composition from Yale, where he studied primarily with Martin
Bresnick. Adams has received commissions from Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Symphony, the New World
Symphony and ACJW (The Academy, a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and The Weill Institute
of Music).
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In the spring of 2013, Adams was composer in residence at Spoleto Festival USA, where his String Quartet in
Five Movements was premiered by the St. Lawrence String Quartet. The work had further performances at
Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall and in the fall of 2014, his Drift and Providence, a work co-commissioned by the
San Francisco Symphony and New World Symphony, was featured as part of the San Francisco Symphony’s
national tour.
Future projects include collaborations with the San Francisco Symphony, Emanuel Ax, the Australian Chamber
Orchestra and Post:Ballet, as well as his continuing activities with the San Francisco Symphony, curating two
evenings of music as part of its SoundBox series.
Originally from Minnesota, Elizabeth Ogonek has resided in New York City since her early childhood. She
began her formal music studies at age five at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division,
concentrating on piano; she began composition studies with Matthew Van Brink during her junior year in high
school. Her primary composition teachers include Matthew Van Brink, Don Freund, Claude Baker, Michael
Gandolfi, Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke. She is currently a student of Julian Anderson.
Ogonek has received numerous commissions, including those from members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra,
the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for the FLUX Quartet and the London Symphony Orchestra. She is the
recipient of a 2007 Morton Gould Young Composer Award (ASCAP), 2010 and 2011 Morton Gould Young
Composer Honorable Mentions (ASCAP), the 2010 Dean's Prize (Indiana University) and a 2013 Charles Ives
Scholarship (American Academy of Arts and Letters). In addition, she was awarded the 2009 Beinecke Brothers
Memorial Scholarship and a 2010-2012 Graduate Teaching Assistantship (USC).
She holds degrees from Indiana University (B.Mus. 2009) and the University of Southern California (M.Mus.
2012). In September 2012, Ogonek began her doctoral studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music and
Drama as a 2012-2015 Marshall Scholar.
Throughout their terms as Mead Composers-in-Residence, both Adams and Ogonek will receive commissions
from the CSO for performance on both the Orchestra’s subscription series and the MusicNOW series. Muti
leads the CSO in a new, CSO-commissioned work by Ogonek during the 2015/16 season. Adams’ first
commissioned work will be scheduled for performance the following season.
They also will curate the CSOA’s critically hailed, four-concert MusicNOW series. MusicNOW, introduced by the
CSO in December 1998 to explore today’s contemporary music scene through innovative programs, returns to
the Harris Theater for Music and Dance with programs led by MusicNOW Principal Conductor Cliff Colnot and
guest conductors.
MusicNOW concertgoers are greeted by DJ sets in the lobby, followed by the performance with musicians from
the CSO. Projected program notes, video introductions by featured composers and special lighting and visual
elements enhance the concert experience before musicians, composers and audience mingle at post-concert
receptions. MusicNOW concerts in 2015/16 will take place on four Mondays: November 23, 2015, and March 7,
May 9 and June 6, 2016.
MusicNOW receives funding through a leadership challenge grant from the Irving Harris Foundation, Joan W.
Harris. Major support is provided by Cindy Sargent and the Sally Mead Hands Foundation.
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PREMIERES AND FIRST PERFORMANCES
In addition to the world premiere of CSO commissions by one of the CSO’s two new Mead Composers-inResidence, Elizabeth Ogonek, and by French composer Pascal Dusapin, the CSO performs seven works for the
first time, including the U.S. premiere of German composer Detlev Glanert’s Brahms-Fantasie.
Works receiving their first CSO performances in the 2015/16 season are:
CLYNE Masquerade (November 27, 28 and 29)
GLANERT Brahms-Fantasie (October 8, 9, 10 and 13), U.S. premiere
IBERT Bacchanale (May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31)
MOZART Overture to Lucio Silla (December 17, 18 and 19)
SALONEN Foreign Bodies (February 24, 25, 26, 27 and March 1, 2016)
TELEMANN Concerto in G Major for Viola and Orchestra (November 18, 20, 21 and 24)
VANHAL Double Bass Concerto in D Major (December 17, 18 and 19)
BEYOND THE SCORE
In the Beyond the Score® series, conceived and developed by the CSO, live actors and visual projections are
interwoven with music played live by the CSO in unique dramatic explorations of a composer’s work or
repertoire. For newcomers to classical music as well as longtime aficionados, each Beyond the Score®
production immerses the audience in a compelling and revealing story of a composer's life and art. The Creative
Director for the Beyond the Score® series is the CSO’s Artistic Programming Advisor, Gerard McBurney.
The 2015/16 season offers three new explorations of pieces and composers. Each of the three programs is
performed twice: on Friday or Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., with Q&A sessions following.
The 2015/16 Beyond the Score® presentations are:
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Bernstein in New York City
BERNSTEIN: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
In its fearless exuberance, stylistic openness and unashamed variety, the music of Leonard Bernstein
perfectly embodies the time and place in which he lived, the USA in the second half of the 20th century.
The CSO celebrates this extraordinary artist with a loving portrait exploring the dazzling range of his
imagination and drawing on the astounding wealth of filmed and documentary material about him. The
performance focuses on Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, the composer’s most
recognized orchestral showpiece. (October 24 and 25)
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Janáček in the Slavic Lands
JANÁČEK: Taras Bulba
Sir Mark Elder, conductor
One of the most original of all composers, Leoš Janáček shocked and baffled his contemporaries more
than a century ago by turning his back on the old classical rule books. Instead, he chose to take his
musical inspiration from the roughest and most contradictory sources around him: peasants calling to
one another in the market place, children playing in the streets, drunken village celebrations and the
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raw noises of the natural world. From these materials, this Moravian composer created some of the
most gripping and colorful dramas ever written, from world-famous operas like Kát’a Kabanová and The
Cunning Little Vixen to the orchestral tone poem Taras Bulba, which tells the vivid story of a Ukrainian
warrior who dies defending his Cossack heritage. (March 11 and 13, 2016)

Falla in the South of Spain
FALLA: Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Charles Dutoit, conductor; Javier Perianes, piano
Passionately loyal to his ancestral roots in the far south of Spain, Manuel de Falla spent nearly 20 of
the most intense years of his composing life in the beautiful and historic city of Granada in Andalusia.
The richly diverse culture of this ancient world, with its blend of Islamic, Christian, Jewish and Romany
traditions; its architecture and landscapes and most of all, the music, were a powerful draw for Falla.
The music of flamenco, with its sensual dancing, strummed guitars and cante jondo (deep song), which
Falla himself called the purest and oldest of all the different forms of gypsy music, inspired much of his
work. From such beautiful raw materials, Falla created his own timeless world in his music, a dreamlike Spain of the imagination with hot, perfumed nights, tragic passions and dark incantations. (May 13
and 15, 2016)
DEBUTS
Twenty-four guest artists make debuts with the CSO during the 2015/16 season:

Conductor Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, makes her CSO
subscription debut in a program that opens with the first CSO performance of current CSO Mead
Composer-in-Residence Anna Clyne’s Masquerade. Also featured are Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7,
as well as works by Barber and Gershwin, with piano soloist Jon Kimura Parker, who also makes
his CSO subscription debut in these programs. (November 27, 28 and 29)

Mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona has appeared once with Muti and the CSO—in Verdi’s
Requiem on the composer’s 200th birthday, October 10, 2013. She makes her subscription debut
in the 2015/16 season with Muti and the CSO as Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff. (April 21, 23
and 26, 2016)

Bass Luca Dall’Amico, who previously appeared with Muti and the CSO at the start of the 2013/14
season in their community concert and at Symphony Ball, returns for his subscription concert debut
with Muti and the Orchestra in the 2015/16 season. Dall’Amico has collaborated with Muti several
times at the Rome Opera and in Ravenna; he sings the role of Pistola with the CSO in its concert
presentation of Verdi’s Falstaff. (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)

Mezzo-soprano Okka von der Damerau makes her CSO debut in a work that was first performed
by the CSO in its inaugural season 125 years ago: Bruckner’s Te Deum. The 2015/16 season
closes with this work. (June 23, 25 and 26, 2016)
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
Conductor James Feddeck, who leads the CSO in two concerts in June 2015 at The Morton
Arboretum, makes his subscription concert debut at Symphony Center in a program that features
music by Rachmaninov and Haydn, with CSO Principal Trumpet Christopher Martin as soloist.
Franck’s Les Éolides, which received its U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1895, opens this program.
(October 17 and 20)

A frequent collaborator with Muti, tenor Saverio Fiore has performed with the CSO’s music director
in productions in Rome, Ravenna and Tokyo in recent years. He makes his CSO debut with Muti in
Verdi’s Falstaff. (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)

Bass Christof Fischesser, who is currently based at the Opernhouse in Zürich, makes his CSO
debut with Muti conducting Bruckner’s Te Deum in the 2015/16 season’s final week. (June 23, 25
and 26, 2016)

Tenor Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani has worked with Riccardo Muti in recent years in productions in
Salzburg, Madrid and Buenos Aires. Giustiniani makes his CSO debut with Muti during the 2015/16
season in the concert presentation of Verdi’s Falstaff. (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)

Tenor Paul Groves first worked with Riccardo Muti at La Scala nearly two decades ago; he makes
his CSO debut in the 2015/16 season with Muti leading Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet, Op. 17.
(April 7, 8 and 9, 2016)

The recipient of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal
Award in 2012, violinist Augustin Hadelich makes his CSO debut performing Mozart’s Violin
Concerto No. 5 (Turkish) with Edo de Waart conducting. (November 12, 13 and 14)

CSO Principal Bass Alexander Hanna, who joined the Orchestra in 2012, makes his solo debut
under guest conductor James Conlon, in Vanhal’s Double Bass Concerto in D Major. (December
17, 18 and 19)

Pianist Martin Helmchen makes his CSO debut with guest conductor Christoph von Dohnányi, with
whom he has performed multiple times, in Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto. (June 9, 10 and
11, 2016)

Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack makes her CSO debut with conductor Charles Dutoit in a performance of
Falla’s complete ballet score of The Three-Cornered Hat. A former Adler Fellow at the San Francisco
Opera, Mack has performed on many of the great concert stages in the U.S. and in Europe, including
the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington operas and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. (May 12 and
14, 2016)

Baritone Ambrogio Maestri, who has performed the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff to great acclaim
around the world, makes his CSO debut with Muti leading concert performances of the composer’s
final opera. Widely considered today’s leading interpreter of the role, Maestri sang his first Falstaff
at La Scala in Milan nearly 15 years ago, where he learned to perform the role from Riccardo Muti
himself. (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)
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
Harpist Xavier de Maistre, the first French member of the Vienna Philharmonic and a renowned
performer and teacher around the world, makes his CSO debut with Muti conducting Ginastera’s
Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, a work de Maistre has recorded on the Sony label. (September
24, 25, 26 and 29)

Pianist Denis Matsuev makes his CSO subscription debut at Symphony Center this season, having
appeared in recital as part of the Symphony Center Presents Piano series and as soloist with the
Orchestra at Ravinia in recent years. Yuri Temirkanov conducts Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3
and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2. (March 24, 25 and 26, 2016)

Five performances of Handel’s Messiah, led by guest conductor Bernard Labadie, feature mezzosoprano Allyson McHardy in her CSO debut. (December 10, 11, 12, 15 and 20)

Tenor Jeremy Ovenden makes his CSO debut under the baton of Bernard Labadie in five
performances of Handel’s Messiah in December. (December 10, 11, 12, 15 and 20)

Pianist Jon Kimura Parker is the featured soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with guest conductor
Marin Alsop as both make their CSO subscription concert debuts this season. Works by Barber, Clyne
and Dvořák complete the program. (November 27, 28 and 29)

The 2012 recipient of the National Music Prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture of Spain, pianist
Javier Perianes debuts with the CSO under the baton of guest conductor Charles Dutoit in Manuel
de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain, and also appears in the Beyond the Score® explorations
of the work. (May 12, 13, 14 and 15, 2016)

Mezzo-soprano Laura Polverelli has worked in some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses
including those in Vienna, Milan, Naples and Madrid. She makes her CSO debut singing the role of
Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff, led by Riccardo Muti. (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)

Bass-baritone Philippe Sly, a grand prize winner of the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council
Auditions, makes his CSO debut with Bernard Labadie leading Handel’s Messiah (December 10,
11, 12, 15 and 20)

Soprano Lydia Teuscher, who has collaborated extensively with conductor Bernard Labadie on
tour in Canada and with other orchestras, makes her CSO debut when Labadie conducts Handel’s
Messiah with the CSO and Chorus. (December 10, 11, 12, 15 and 20)

CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson, who was appointed to his post in 2011, makes his solo
debut in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, with Muti conducting. The program also includes works by
Ligeti, Ogonek and Tchaikovsky. (February 11, 12, 13 and 16, 2016)
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RETURNING GUEST CONDUCTORS
Guest conductors returning to the CSO podium in 2015/16 include:

Semyon Bychkov
A regular guest conductor of the CSO, Bychkov returns for a week of subscription programs
centered on music by and inspired by Brahms, featuring the U.S. premiere of Glanert’s BrahmsFantasie, Brahms’ Violin Concerto with Renaud Capuçon as soloist and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.
(October 8, 9 and 13)
Bychkov also leads this program in a one-night only performance at the University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign’s Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. (October 10)

James Conlon
A familiar presence on the CSO podium at Ravinia, Conlon returns to Symphony Center during the
125th anniversary season with a varied program that includes the Orchestra’s first performance of
Czech composer Vanhal’s Double Bass Concerto in D Major, featuring CSO Principal Bass Alexander
Hanna in his solo debut with the Orchestra. Mozart’s Overture to Lucio Silla opens this program, the
Orchestra’s first performance of this work. Two works by Dvořák are also included: The Wild Dove and
The Golden Spinning Wheel, both of which received their U.S. premieres by the CSO, in 1899 and
1897, respectively. (December 17, 18 and 19)

Sir Andrew Davis
In his return to the CSO, Davis leads a special one-night only special performance with the Orchestra
and pianist Evgeny Kissin performing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. Also included on the program
are Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, arranged by Davis, and Stravinsky’s Divertimento, Suite
from The Fairy’s Kiss. (October 15)

Christoph von Dohnányi
Returning for two weeks of programs featuring works from the Classical era, Christoph von Dohnányi
conducts music by Mozart and Beethoven with two soloists. CSO Acting Principal Horn Daniel Gingrich
performs Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3, and, in his CSO debut, pianist Martin Helmchen is soloist the
following week in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2. (June 2, 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11, 2016)

Charles Dutoit
Dutoit returns to the CSO podium to conduct two weeks of French-inspired repertoire in the spring, as
well as a one-night only special concert that includes Stravinsky’s Fireworks and The Firebird and
which features Lang Lang at the piano in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. (May 20, 2016)
The first week’s program includes Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso, Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of
Spain, featuring the CSO debut of pianist Javier Perianes and Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat and
Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, of which the CSO gave the U.S. premiere in 1899. The ThreeCornered Hat will be featured in a Beyond the Score® presentation that week as well. (May 12, 13, 14
and 15, 2016)
Dutoit’s second program features an all-orchestral program of works by Stravinsky: Fireworks,
Symphony in C and The Firebird. The CSO commissioned Stravinsky’s Symphony in C and gave
the premiere in 1940. (May 19 and 20, 2016)
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
Sir Mark Elder
Elder leads two weeks of programs in March, one of English repertoire and one with music by
Slavic composers. The first week features two works by Vaughan Williams, the Overture to The
Wasps and Five Variants of “Dives and Lazarus.” The program closes with Elgar’s Symphony
No. 1. (March 3, 5 and 8, 2016)
Elder’s second week features pianist Jeremy Denk as soloist in Bartók’s Second Piano Concerto,
on a program that opens with Dvořák’s Scherzo capriccioso. Two works by Janáček—Suite from
The Cunning Little Vixen and Taras Bulba—complete the program. Taras Bulba also will be the
subject of a Beyond the Score® exploration that week. (March 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15, 2016)

Bernard Haitink
Former CSO Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink returns to lead Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony and
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 with soloist Till Fellner. (April 28, 29, 30, 2016)

Bernard Labadie
A specialist in Baroque and Classical period repertoire, Labadie returns to Chicago in December to lead
the CSO, Chorus and a quartet of vocal soloists in their CSO debuts—soprano Lydia Teuscher, mezzosoprano Allyson McHardy, tenor Jeremy Ovenden and bass-baritone Philippe Sly—in five performances
of Handel’s Messiah (December 10, 11, 12, 15 and 20)

Cristian Măcelaru
Măcelaru conducts the CSO in the world premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s CSO-commissioned Cello
Concerto, with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist. Ibert’s Bacchanale opens this program, and Holst’s The
Planets, with the Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, concludes it. The CSO gave the U.S.
premiere of The Planets in 1920. (May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31, 2016)

Susanna Mälkki
Mälkki returns to the CSO podium leading Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with violinist Gil Shaham as
soloist, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade. Debussy’s Gigues from Images for Orchestra No. 1,
which was given its U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1914, opens the program. (March 30, 31, April 1 and
2, 2016)

Jonathan Nott
Nott returns to lead one of the CSO’s signature works, Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, which received its
U.S. premiere by the Orchestra in 1900. Cellist Johannes Moser is the soloist in Haydn’s Cello
Concerto in C Major, and Berg’s Lyric Suite begins the program. (January 6, 7 and 9, 2016)

Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Returning to the CSO podium for the first time since 1999, Rozhdestvensky leads the Orchestra in two
symphonies by Shostakovich, Nos. 1 and 15—the composer’s first and last, composed nearly 50 years
apart, in 1924/5 and 1971. (February 5 and 6, 2016)

Donald Runnicles
After appearing as a last-minute substitute with the CSO during the 2014/15 season, Runnicles makes
a scheduled return in 2015/16 leading a program of Britten’s Sinfonia da requiem, Strauss’ Death and
Transfiguration, and Elgar’s Enigma Variations (May 5, 7 and 10, 2016)
16

Esa-Pekka Salonen
Salonen makes his annual appearance with the CSO, this season leading Lutosławski’s Symphony
No. 3, a work that the CSO commissioned and premiered in 1983, and one that is closely associated
with Salonen’s repertoire. Beethoven’s Overture to King Stephen opens the program, cellist Yo-Yo Ma
performs Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, and the CSO’s first performance of Salonen’s own
Foreign Bodies completes this program. (February 25, 26, 27 and March 1, 2016)

Yuri Temirkanov
Temirkanov returns to the CSO for the first time since leading subscription concerts in 1999. Pianist
Denis Matsuev makes his CSO subscription debut on this program in Rachmaninov’s fiendishly difficult
Piano Concerto No. 3; the program closes with Brahms’ Second Symphony. (March 24, 25 and 26,
2016)

Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas and the CSO are joined by pianist Emanuel Ax for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto
No. 4. Stravinsky’s Scherzo à la russe opens the concert. Closing the program is Sibelius’ Symphony
No. 2, of which the CSO gave the U.S. premiere in 1904. (March 17, 18 and 19, 2016)

Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart’s return to the CSO includes Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, which had its U.S.
premiere in 1895 by the CSO. Violinist Augustin Hadelich makes his CSO debut as soloist in Mozart’s
Violin Concerto No. 5 and John Adams’ Harmonielehre closes the program. (November 12, 13 and 14)

Pinchas Zukerman
Zukerman wears three hats in his return to Chicago: as conductor, violin soloist and viola soloist.
Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute opens his programs, followed by Respighi’s arrangement of
Tartini’s Pastorale, which received its U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1927. Zukerman then performs in
Telemann’s Concerto in G Major for Viola and Orchestra and Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in
D Minor with CSO Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong. Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, K. 543,
closes the program. (November 19, 20, 21 and 24)
RETURNING GUEST ARTISTS
Guest artists returning to the CSO during the 2015/16 season’s subscription series include:
Piano
 Leif Ove Andsnes (October 1, 2, 3)
 Emanuel Ax (March 17, 18 and 19, 2016)
 Jeremy Denk (March 10, 12 and 15, 2016)
 Till Fellner (April 28, 29 and 30, 2016)
 Kirill Gerstein (December 3, 4 and 5)
17
Violin
 Renaud Capuçon (October 8, 9, 10 and 13)
 Robert Chen, CSO Concertmaster (February 18, 19 and 20, 2016)
 Julia Fischer (June 16, 17, 18 and 21, 2016)
 Stephanie Jeong, CSO Associate Concertmaster (November 19, 20 and 21)
 Gil Shaham (March 30, 31, April 1 and 2, 2016)
 Pinchas Zukerman (November 19, 20 and 21)
Viola
 Pinchas Zukerman (November 19, 20 and 21)
Cello
 Yo-Yo Ma, CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant (February 24, 25, 26, 27 and March 1, 2016)
 Johannes Moser (January 6, 7, 8 and 9, 2016)
 Alisa Weilerstein (May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31, 2016)
Horn
 Daniel Gingrich, CSO Acting Principal (June 2, 3, 4 and 7, 2016)
Trumpet
 Christopher Martin, CSO Principal (October 17 and 20)
Voice
 Dmitry Belosselskiy, bass (April 7, 8 and 9, 2016)
 Steve Davislim, tenor (June 23, 25 and 26, 2016)
 Rosa Feola, soprano (April 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 26, 2016)
 Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano (April 7, 8 and 9, 2016)
 Saimir Pirgu, tenor (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)
 Luca Salsi, baritone (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)
 Erin Wall, soprano (June 23, 25 and 26, 2016)
CSO AT THE MOVIES
CSO at the Movies offers a unique opportunity to hear live performances of great film scores played by the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Performances include feature films or film excerpts projected above the stage.
This season, presentations take place on October 23, 2015 and March 4 and May 6, 2016.
Programs will be announced at a later date.
18
CHICAGO SYMPHONY CHORUS
The Chicago Symphony Chorus, under the leadership of Chorus Director and Conductor Duain Wolfe, appears
with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra three times under the baton of Riccardo Muti during the 2015/16 season,
as well as with guest conductors Bernard Labadie and Cristian Măcelaru.

The Chorus joins Riccardo Muti and the CSO for the first time in the 2015/16 season in December in
performances of Scriabin’s Prometheus, a work that received its U.S. premiere in 1915 by the CSO.
Pianist Kirill Gerstein is the featured soloist. Also on the program are Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony
and two works by Beethoven: Coriolan Overture and Symphony No. 8. (December 3, 4 and 5)

Muti leads Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet with the CSO, Chorus and soloists mezzo-soprano Ekaterina
Gubanova, tenor Paul Groves and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy as part of a celebration of music inspired
by Shakespeare’s writings. (April 7, 8 and 9, 2016)

The Chorus joins Muti, the CSO and a full cast of vocal soloists in three concert performances of
Verdi’s Falstaff. (April 21, 23 and 26, 2016)

Muti concludes the 2015/16 season leading a work for Orchestra and Chorus that was performed
during the CSO’s first season in 1892: Bruckner’s Te Deum. Vocal soloists soprano Erin Wall, mezzosoprano Okka von der Damerau, tenor Steve Davislim and bass Christof Fischesser join Muti, the
Orchestra and the Chorus. (June 23, 25 and 26, 2016)

Guest conductor Bernard Labadie leads five performances of Handel’s Messiah with the CSO, Chorus
and vocal soloists soprano Lydia Teuscher, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, tenor Jeremy Ovenden
and bass-baritone Philippe Sly. (December 10, 11, 12, 15 and 20)

The Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus perform with the CSO and guest conductor Cristian
Măcelaru in Holst’s The Planets, which received its U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1920. A work by Ibert
and the world premiere of a CSO-commissioned cello concerto by Dusapin round out the program.
(May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31, 2016)
CSO RADIO
The weekly CSO Radio Broadcast Series is syndicated nationally to more than 300 radio stations, reaching over
250,000 listeners each week nationwide via the WFMT Radio Network.
With commentary designed to illustrate the stories of the music and to provide insight into the themes of the
CSO’s concert season, the series has offered a distinctive approach to classical music radio since 2007. The
broadcasts include recorded concert performances by the CSO; produced segments featuring interviews with
musicians of the Orchestra, guest artists and composers; and explorations of the CSO’s rich catalog of
commercial recordings.
A strong online presence at cso.org/soundsandstories gives music lovers access to additional content, including
full-length interviews and commentary, program notes and biographical information.
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The series is heard locally on 98.7 WFMT in Chicago on Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. For other cities, please
check local listings.
BANK OF AMERICA
Bank of America is proud to be the Global Sponsor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
As one of the world's largest financial institutions and a major supporter of arts and culture, Bank of America has a
vested interest and plays a meaningful role in the international dialogue on cultural understanding. As a global
company, Bank of America demonstrates its commitment to the arts by supporting such efforts as after-school arts
programs, grants to help expand libraries and programs to conserve artistic heritage as well as a campaign to
encourage museum attendance. Bank of America’s unique program offers customers free access to more than
150 of the nation’s finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in our
Communities® shares exhibits from the company’s corporate collection with communities across the country
through local museum partners. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation also provides philanthropic support
to museums, theaters and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and
communities.
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SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS
Each season, through the prestigious Symphony Center Presents (SCP) series, the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra Association offers a wide range of exceptional programs performed by visiting soloists and
ensembles. Chicago audiences can experience the artistry of internationally acclaimed musicians in the various
SCP series—Piano, Chamber Music, Jazz and Orchestra—and in Special Concerts.
SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS PIANO SERIES
Keyboard legends, veteran masters, rising stars and returning virtuosos comprise the roster of distinguished
artists who make up this singular series of 10 Sunday afternoon concerts. The 2015/16 series celebrates
keyboard artistry in programs such as the final two installments of the “Last Sonatas” project of Sir András
Schiff; much-anticipated return appearances by Richard Goode, Evgeny Kissin and David Fray; and the series
debut of young pianist Lise de la Salle.

Maurizio Pollini, a landmark artist on the SCP Piano series, follows up his 2014 recital to open the
2015/16 series. (October 4)

Completing his multi-season exploration of the final sonatas by early classical music composers, Sir
András Schiff offers two programs that feature, in the first, Mozart’s Sonata in B-flat Major, Beethoven’s
Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Haydn’s Sonata No. 61 in D Major and Schubert’s Sonata in A Major.
(November 1)
Haydn’s Sonata in E-flat Major, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Mozart’s Sonata in D Major, and
Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat Major comprise Schiff’s final recital program this season. (February 14,
2016)

Evgeny Kissin returns to the SCP Piano series for a recital program showcasing his passionate and
technically dazzling style. His program includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Albéniz and
Larregla. (November 15 – note special start time of 2 p.m.)

Menahem Pressler, known for his commanding keyboard presence at the helm of the critically
acclaimed Beaux Arts Trio for more than five decades, makes a rare recital appearance with a program
that includes works by Kurtág and Schubert. (January 24, 2016)

Lise de la Salle, who made her professional debut at age nine on a Radio France broadcast, makes her
Symphony Center debut in this SCP Piano series recital. Her program features music by Bach, Ravel
and Liszt. (March 6, 2016)

Richard Goode, who is known for his emotionally powerful interpretations of middle-European Classical
repertoire, returns to the SCP Piano series for the first time since March 2012 with an all-Bach program.
(April 3, 2016)

Yefim Bronfman performs an all-Prokofiev recital program including the Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Sonata
No. 7 in B-flat Major and Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major. (May 1, 2016)
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
Marc-André Hamelin’s uncommon artistry and range of repertoire take center stage in this SCP
appearance that marks his fourth on the series and first since May 2013. His recital program includes
two of his own compositions, as well as works by Mozart, Debussy and Schubert. (May 22, 2016)

Named the “Newcomer of the Year” by BBC Music Magazine in 2008, David Fray brings the SCP Piano
season to a thrilling conclusion. (June 5, 2016)
SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
The four concerts in the 2015/16 Symphony Center Presents Chamber Music series showcase some of today’s
most exceptional soloists and musicians in the intimate setting of chamber music.

Violinist Joshua Bell returns for a solo recital, with piano. (October 30)

Pianist Mitsuko Uchida joins musicians from the CSO for a program including Mozart’s Quintet for
Piano and Winds in E-flat Major. (February 28, 2016)

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes assembles an extraordinary chamber ensemble including internationally
acclaimed violinist Christian Tetzlaff, violist Tabea Zimmerman and cellist Clemens Hagen to perform
the complete Brahms Piano Quartets (No. 1 in G Minor, No. 2 in A Major and No. 3 in C Minor) in one
program. (April 10, 2016)

World-renowned cellist and the CSO’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma returns
for his annual chamber music program with musicians of the CSO and special guests. This season’s
program is titled A Distant Mirror. (June 12, 2016)
SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS ORCHESTRA SERIES
Presenting visiting orchestras from around the world is a long-standing tradition at Orchestra Hall. In 2015/16,
Symphony Center Presents continues this tradition with a three-concert series that celebrates the returns of the
Israel Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Throughout this series,
audiences encounter new repertoire and experience the sounds and styles of visiting ensembles.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has been a staple on the series since its first appearance at
Orchestra Hall under the auspices of Allied Arts in 1951. Returning with its Music Director for Life Zubin
Mehta, the IPO performs a program that features a work by American composer John Adams, Ravel’s
La valse and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Eroica). (November 15)

Pianist Daniil Trifonov joins the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, led by its acclaimed Music Director Kent
Nagano, for an extraordinary program that also includes Stravinsky’s orchestral masterpiece The Rite
of Spring. (March 18, 2016)

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by its Chief Conductor, Mariss Jansons, returns to
Symphony Center for the first time since 2006 with a performance of Mahler’s powerful Symphony
No. 5. (April 17, 2016)
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SPECIAL CONCERTS
During the 2015/16 season, the CSO and Symphony Center Presents offer an array of nonsubscription special
concerts that showcase today’s internationally renowned soloists and ensembles in a range of genres—
classical, world, folk and jazz—as well as unique holiday programs.

Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the CSO in its annual fundraising gala, Symphony Ball, celebrating
the 125th anniversary season. The concert program includes Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition;
John Corigliano’s Campane di Ravello, which the CSO premiered in 1987 when Corigliano was a
composer-in-residence with the Orchestra; and Elgar’s In the South (Alassio), a work that received its
U.S. premiere by the CSO in 1904. (September 19)

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán returns to Symphony Center for its annual appearance during Hispanic
Heritage Month to celebrate the rich tradition of this joyous and festive musical art form. (October 11)

The CSO welcomes pianist Evgeny Kissin for a special concert program featuring Tchaikovsky’s Piano
Concerto No. 1, which Kissin and the CSO will perform for the first time together, under the baton of Sir
Andrew Davis. Also on the program are Davis’ orchestration of Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C
Minor and Stravinsky’s Divertimento, Suite from The Fairy’s Kiss. (October 15)

The CSO Brass make its annual winter appearance at Symphony Center with a program of classics
and arrangements for brass ensemble. (December 16)

Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion return to Symphony Center for a one-time genre-defying
performance of contemporary world music. (March 20, 2016)

Pianist Lang Lang performs with the CSO at Orchestra Hall for the first time since his 2011 Ravinia
Festival appearances in an all-Russian program that features the pianist in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto
No. 3. Also included on the program are Stravinsky’s Fireworks and The Firebird. (May 20, 2016)
HOLIDAY PROGRAMS

Returning for its annual Symphony Center appearance, the Vienna Boys Choir performs a festive
program of traditional and contemporary vocal selections. (November 28)

Called the “world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker, the Grammy Award–winning vocal
ensemble Chanticleer shares a program of familiar and new seasonal pieces in a cappella
arrangements. (December 1 and 2. Note location: Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut,
Chicago)

The classic American Christmas comedy Home Alone comes to the big screen at Symphony Center for
three special presentations. Members of the CSO, led by guest conductor Richard Kaufman, perform
the delightful score by Academy Award–winning composer John Williams live while the hijinks of little
Kevin McCallister and the wily burglars unfold. (December 11, 12, 13)
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
“Merry, Merry Chicago” is the newest addition to the CSO’s treasured collection of holiday programming
designed for audiences of all ages. Guest conductor Stuart Chafetz leads this joyous musical
celebration which features members of the CSO, guest artists The von Trapps, and Chicago’s own
Midwest Young Artists: Voices Rising children’s vocal ensemble, directed by Stevi Marks. (December
18, 19, 21, 22, 23)
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THE NEGAUNEE MUSIC INSTITUTE AT THE CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Negaunee Music Institute for at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra seeks to create and sustain connections to
music for individuals and communities by sharing the extraordinary musical resources of the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra. The Institute engages more than 200,000 people annually in Chicago and beyond through programs
for people of all ages and backgrounds. The Institute was created in 2008 as the umbrella for the CSO’s education
and engagement programs. Originally called the Institute for Learning, Access and Training, it was renamed in
2014 after the CSO received a generous gift from the Negaunee Foundation that endows the Institute in
perpetuity. The Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO maintains relationships with the greater Chicago community
that the CSO has been fostering for decades, and is home to some of the CSOA’s most innovative programming,
all of which endeavors to inspire and transform lives through music.
In 2015/16, the Institute will continue to focus on building relationships with the greater Chicago community, its
ongoing commitment to training the next generation of musicians and the values embodied by the Citizen
Musician InitiativeTM, which was developed under the leadership of Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant
Yo-Yo Ma.
CITIZEN MUSICIANSHIP
Although the term “Citizen Musician” was coined upon the formal launch of the CSO’s Citizen
Musician Initiative™ in 2011, the practice of Citizen Musicianship—using music to create connections and build
community—has a long history at the CSO. It began when the Orchestra was established 1891, as the CSO’s
founders and leaders sought to create both a great orchestra and a shared culture among a city of immigrants,
bringing diverse groups together through the common language of music.
Throughout the years, the CSO has introduced many initiatives and programs that pre-date the Citizen
Musician Initiative, but that fully express the values of Citizen Musicianship. These include the founding of the
Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the CSO’s concert series for families, which were both introduced by the CSO’s
second music director, Frederick Stock, in 1919.
This work expanded over the years, and it was intensified when Riccardo Muti became Music Director of the CSO
in 2010 and appointed Yo-Yo Ma as the CSO’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant in the same year. In
the CSO’s 125th anniversary season, Muti continues his work with youth who are incarcerated at several Chicagoarea facilities and leads free, open rehearsals for the community with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in Orchestra
Hall.
As part of its Citizen Musician Initiative, the Institute has arranged for 125 performances at community sites across
the city throughout the 2015/16 season. Some of these events will be based in schools for their students or in
community venues for invited audiences, and others will be open to the public; all will be free. For most of these
events, musicians from the CSO and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO’s preprofessional training
ensemble, will perform chamber concerts. The 125 events include the annual Civic Orchestra community concert
at the South Shore Cultural Center, and a free CSO concert led by Riccardo Muti at Millennium Park. Details of
additional programming will be announced at a later date.
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FAMILY AND SCHOOL CONCERTS
The Negaunee Music Institute presents opportunities for engagement with the extraordinary musicmaking by the
CSO for children of all ages, with programs for families and school classes geared specifically to various age
groups: ages 3-5, ages 5 and up, grades K-3 and grades 4 and above.
Once Upon a Symphony, for Children Ages 3-5
During 2015/16, the Institute presents two unique Once Upon a Symphony programs, including Goldilocks and the
Three Bears. These performances, featuring a small ensemble of CSO musicians, are designed especially for
children ages 3 to 5 with age-appropriate music, storytelling, video projections, activities, sets and costumes that
give young children a fun introduction to classical music and encourage them to make music at home.
Performances in the 2015/16 season will occur in December through May. Once Upon a Symphony programs are
presented on Saturdays for families with children ages 3 to 5 and on corresponding Mondays for preschool,
daycare and Head Start audiences.
Family Matinees (Saturdays), for Children Ages 5 and Up
Three unique programs explore how, when and why music is used as part of celebrations that bring communities,
friends and families together. Each concert is designed to introduce children to great works of orchestral literature,
igniting their imagination through an opportunity to hear some of the most dynamic, exciting music that they may
have ever experienced.

Surprise Party
Guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru leads members of the CSO in their very own 125th birthday
celebration in this concert that features several musical surprises including Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 in
G Major (Surprise) and J. Strauss Jr.’s Champagne Polka and other selections perfect for the occasion.
This one-of-a-kind musical birthday party celebrates the CSO’s legacy as well as the future of the
Orchestra. (November 21)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by guest conductor Edwin Outwater, performs a program inspired
by Shakespeare’s comic masterpiece, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring Mendelssohn’s brilliant
incidental music for the play. Actors join the fun at this party filled with fairy revelry to perform a
condensed version of Shakespeare’s text. (February 13, 2016)

Spanish Rhythm and Dance
The rich and varied traditions of Spanish dance are celebrated in this program featuring members of the
CSO and special guest artists from the Chicago-based Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, in
residence at Northeastern Illinois University. The ensemble celebrates its 40th anniversary during the
2015/16 season. This festive program includes excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen as well as RimskyKorsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, led by guest conductor Scott Speck. (April 30, 2016)
School Concerts (Fridays), for Children Grades K-3 and 4-12
The Institute’s School Concerts for student groups in grades K-3 offer weekday performances of each of the
Family Matinee programs. These take place on the Friday preceding each Family Matinee concert, on
November 20, 2015, February 12 and April 29, 2016.
For students in grades 4-12, the Institute presents two performances each on April 27 and 28, 2016, of a program
that explores the many musical interpretations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
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CIVIC ORCHESTRA AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association’s prestigious training ensemble for
emerging professional musicians, is the only one of its kind affiliated with a major American orchestra. Founded in
1919 by then-Music Director Frederick Stock, the Civic Orchestra is a signature program of the Negaunee Music
Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This unique alliance, propelled by an expansive vision, has enabled
the Civic Orchestra to produce exceptional musical experiences that engage people of all ages and backgrounds
under the guidance of the CSO’s Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti, Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant
Yo-Yo Ma and the Civic’s Principal Conductor Cliff Colnot as well as the many guest artists who visit Symphony
Center each season.
The Civic’s 2015/16 season includes a full roster of free performances at Symphony Center as well as an annual
community concert at the South Shore Cultural Center. It also includes the Civic Chamber Music Series (formerly
known as MusiCorps: In the Park with Civic) presented at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Zhou B Art
Center, as well as Chicago Park District locations throughout the city. The roster of conductors and programs will
be announced at a later date.
In addition to the critically acclaimed live concerts at Symphony Center, Civic Orchestra performances can be
heard locally on WFMT (98.7 FM) and in nationally syndicated radio broadcasts on 160 broadcast outlets in 30
states. These are supported by a generous gift from the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.
As part of the CSO’s commitment to Citizen Musicianship, the Civic Orchestra created the Citizen MusicianTM
Fellowship program in the 2013/14 season. The program returns in 2015/16 with eight Civic musicians
participating in the second year of a two-year assignment that takes them throughout the Chicago area for a
variety of Citizen Musician activities. These include performing, teaching and advocating in ways that generously
use or promote the power of music to contribute to our culture, our communities and the lives of others.
Presented by the League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, the Crain-Maling CSO Youth
Auditions are held annually for young musicians between the ages of 14 and 17 who are residents of Illinois. Each
year, one outstanding soloist is selected via audition to perform with the CSO. The auditions also make additional
awards of scholarships to music camps for select participants. A three-year rotation schedule determines the
eligible instruments for each competition: strings, piano and woodwinds/brass/percussion. Auditions in the
2015/16 season will be open to woodwinds, brass and percussion.
Established in 1995, the Percussion Scholarship Program celebrated its 20th anniversary during the 2014/15
season. The program offers intensive, individual, weekly and year-round percussion instruction for young
musicians on a full scholarship basis. Participating students—all of whom are Chicago residents in grades 4
through 12—are selected for the group through a rigorous application and personal interview process, by which 510 new students are identified annually. As an ensemble, the Percussion Scholarship Group has had numerous
compositions arranged especially for it by nationally known artists. The group performs twice a year in Buntrock
Hall at Symphony Center and has appeared on WTTW, on WGN and WFMT radio, on NPR's “From the Top” and
as soloists with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as part of CSO Youth Concerts, the CSO Family
Matinee Series and Welcome Yule! concerts, as well as the Chicago Youth in Music Festival. Graduates of the
Percussion Scholarship Program have gone on to attend top-tier universities and music conservatories, later
assuming notable careers within and outside of music.
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SUBSCRIPTION AND TICKET INFORMATION
Subscription materials for the 2015/16 season of Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Center Presents
concerts are now available, offering savings of up to 49% off regular single ticket prices on a wide variety of
concert packages, from three to 10 concerts each. Subscribers also receive reduced prices on additional tickets
when purchased by August 7, 2015, plus ticket exchange options and other subscriber-only benefits, including
priority service, pre-paid parking options and discounts on Symphony Center merchandise and at Tesori
restaurant at Symphony Center. Box seat and 10-concert subscribers also receive unlimited free ticket
exchange privileges throughout the season.
Tickets for Special Concerts are currently available for purchase only with subscriptions. Subscriptions may be
purchased or renewed by any of five methods: online, by phone, by fax, by mail or in person at the box office.
The CSO provides an easy payment plan option for subscribers: subscription purchases made by credit card by
March 7, 2015 are eligible for the payment plan and will be automatically charged in two, three or four monthly
installments.
For more information, patrons should call CSO Ticketing Services at 312-294-3000 or 800-223-7114, Monday
through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; or visit the CSO’s website at
cso.org. Groups of 10 or more who are interested in subscribing to the 2015/16 season should call Symphony
Center’s Group Sales Department at 312-294-3040.
Patrons also can visit cso.org to order tickets and parking, learn about other nearby attractions and restaurants,
purchase CSO merchandise and make donations. For background on the performances and the performers,
patrons should go to CSO Sounds and Stories, the CSO’s online magazine at www.csosoundsandstories.org. It
features program notes, articles and audio and video to enhance patrons’ experience before and after the
performance.
Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is at 220 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago.
CSO Tuesday series concerts are sponsored by United Airlines.
###
Media contacts:
Rachelle Roe, roer@cso.org, 312-294-3090
Eileen Chambers, chamberse@cso.org, 312-294-3092
Celeste Wroblewski, wroblewskic@cso.org, 312-294-3093
For photos: Clay Baker, bakerc@cso.org, 312-294-3089
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