Chicago Symphony Orchestra Radio Broadcast Series

Sundays at 8:00 pm

Hear live performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra every week.

The Chicago Symphony presents the full range of orchestral works under the seasoned baton of music director Riccardo Muti. The top tier soloists and guest conductors complete the series with artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Matthias Goerne, and Daniil Trifonov; as well as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mitsuko Uchida, and Bernard Haitink. Hosted by Lisa Simeone, the two-hour Chicago Symphony Orchestra broadcasts include dynamic and innovative commentary, which takes the listener behind the scenes and into the music.

Upcoming Episodes
Latest Episodes

Simone Young conducts Wagner and Brahms

October 20, 2019

Conductor Simone Young takes the podium to lead the CSO in a program of works by Liszt, Wagner, and Brahms.

Riccardo Muti conducts Scheherazade

October 27, 2019

This week’s program features Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade, plus two works by Mozart.

Riccardo Muti and Joyce DiDonato

November 3, 2019

Star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato takes the Symphony Center stage to perform Berlioz’s The Death of Cleopatra with Riccardo Muti and the CSO. Also featured in this program are works by Bizet, Respighi, and Prokofiev.

Michael Tilson Thomas and Gautier Capuçon

October 13, 2019

Michael Tilson Thomas, the longtime music director of the San Francisco Symphony, leads the CSO and guest artist Gautier Capuçon in this performance of works by Stravinsky, Saint-Saëns, and Prokofiev.

Pianist Simon Trpčeski performs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3

October 6, 2019

Pianist Simon Trpčeski joins guest conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

Riccardo Muti Conducts Copland’s Lincoln Portrait

September 29, 2019

Riccardo Muti leads the CSO and narrator John Malkovich in a performance of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. Works by George Walker, Dvořák, Mussorgsky, and Ravel round out this week’s program.

Riccardo Muti conducts Tchaikovsky and Debussy

September 22, 2019

Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program of works by Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, and Mascagni.

Conductor Riccardo Muti and Cellist Yo-Yo Ma

September 13, 2019

Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma returns to Symphony Center for a program of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, led by Maestro Riccardo Muti.

Pianist Daniil Trifonov and Guest Conductor Marin Alsop

September 8, 2019

Pianist Daniil Trifonov joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Marin Alsop to perform works by Bach, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev. In addition to works by Bridge and Copland, Alsop also conducts a world premiere, CSO commission: Bruno Mantovani‘s Threnos.

Edo de Waart Conducts Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss

September 1, 2019

Conductor Edo de Waart leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program of works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss.

Marin Alsop and Hilary Hahn

August 25, 2019

Conductor Marin Alsop and violinist Hilary Hahn join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for this program of works by Brahms, Sibelius, and Rachmaninoff.

Susanna Mälkki and Gil Shaham

August 18, 2019

Susanna Mälkki leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program featuring violinist Gil Shaham.

Thomas Søndergård conducts music of Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff

August 11, 2019

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård made his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut with this program of works by Sibelius and Rachmaninoff. Plus, pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk joins the CSO to perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Bernard Haitink conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Photo: Todd Rosenberg)

Bernard Haitink conducts An Alpine Symphony

August 4, 2019

Bernard Haitink, the former Principal Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, returns to Symphony Center to lead performances of Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 with pianist Till Fellner.

Conductor James Feddeck and Pianist Nicholas Angelich

July 28, 2019

James Feddeck, winner of the Solti Conducting Award, leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and pianist Nicholas Angelich in a program of Beethoven and Dvořák.

Manfred Honeck conducts Respighi and Tchaikovsky

July 21, 2019

Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in works of Respighi, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák in this program featuring the CSO’s concertmaster Robert Chen.

Semyon Bychkov (Photo: Umberto Nicoletti)

Semyon Bychkov conducts Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony

July 14, 2019

Maestro Bychkov leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony. Edward Gardner conducts Wagner's Rienzi Overture and Nielsen's "The Inextinguishable" Symphony No. 4.

Conductor Yuri Temirkanov and pianist Denis Matsuev

July 7, 2019

Sweeping, impressive works by Rachmaninoff and Brahms on this week’s broadcast.

American Music with Bramwell Tovey and Thomas Hampson

June 30, 2019

Conductor Bramwell Tovey leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and baritone Thomas Hampson in a program of American songs and orchestral music by Ives, Copland, Still, and more.

Riccardo Muti conducts Schubert’s Mass in E-Flat Major

June 23, 2019

Maestro Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and vocal soloists Amanda Forsythe, Elizabeth Deshong, Paul Appleby, Nicholas Phan, and Nahuel di Pierro in a performance of Schubert’s Mass No. 6. Plus, Weber’s Overture to Oberon, and a world premiere by CSO violist Max Raimi featuring mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Deshong.

Mornings with Dennis Moore