Clayton Stephenson, piano
The Chicago Sinfonietta has announced its 2025-2026 season, Ignite.
The orchestra — fueled by a mission to make classical music more accessible and diverse — will share five programs between October and May.
Ignite kickstarts Sinfonietta President and CEO Sidney P. Jackson, Jr.’s tenure with the orchestra. He was named to the position in May, and was most recently the Vice President of development at the New Jersey Symphony.
The season starts in October with Bollywood & Beyond, a South Asian forward program that coincides with Diwali. Featuring traditional selecvtions from Symphony Masala and a work by Reena Esmail, the evening also features music by Maurice Ravel, Tyzen Hsiao, and An-Lun Huang. Music director Mei-Ann Chen and guest conductor Roger Kalia share podium duties.
In December, recently appointed Oakland Symphony music director Kedrick Armstrong — formerly a Sinfonietta conducting fellow — leads a festive holiday concert.
In January, the orchestra returns for its annual MLK tribute concert. 2026’s installment features cellist Jeffrey Zeigler in a CS-commissioned work by Joel Thompson alongside music of Kathryn Bostic and Antonín Dvořák. Mei-Ann Chen conducts.
March marks Women’s History Month, and the Sinfonietta shares a full slate of music by women: Florence Price, Amy Beach, Marinna Martines, and an orchestra commission by Shirley J. Thompson. Mei-Ann Chen again conducts.
Closing out the season is American Rhapsody, which features pianist Clayton Stephenson as the soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, William Dawson’s pivotal Negro Folk Symphony, and an orchestra-commissioned tribute to Miles Davis. Chen conducts once more.
Each program receives two performances — one of each will be held at Naperville’s Wentz Concert Hall.
For more information, visit chicagosinfonietta.org.
