Stories

Best Classical Christmas Albums of 2025

From the serene to the upbeat, this stockingful of 2025 Christmas albums will fill your festivities with joy and wonder.

Keegan MorrisMarch 31, 2025

Chicago Opera Theater ’25-26 Season Announced

Keegan MorrisMarch 28, 2025

Classical Voyages: London

Pianist Jeremy Liu with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago at Symphony Center

Robbie EllisMarch 25, 2025

Middle School Pianist Wins CSO Young Artist Competition

Independence Day Parade Playlist

Adela SkowronskiJuly 2, 2025

Celebrate with marches written by Sousa... and other American composers!

close up of timpani instrument and mallets

The Evolution of the Orchestra: Percussion

Katherine BuzardJuly 2, 2025

Humans across cultures have played percussion instruments to accompany music and dance or for ritual, religious, or military purposes. But percussion’s rise in prominence within the context of the Western symphony orchestra only really began in the 20th century.

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Playlist: Architecture & Music

Katherine BuzardMarch 19, 2025

Frank Lloyd Wright recognized the connection between music and architecture, going so far as to claim, “They are practically one.”

New Releases Mar. 18: Gut Strings, Marsalis, Sondheim, and Selaocoe

March 18, 2025

An ambitious and inventive take on Tchaikovsky’s chamber music, a Wynton Marsalis symphony, piano reimaginings of music of Sondheim, and the multifaceted Abel Selaocoe. Plus, selections from contemporary operas without singing, and a vocal exploration on the theme of light.

Violinist Anne Harris and violinmaker Amanda Ewing

Making History as a Black Woman Luthier

Adela SkowronskiMarch 18, 2025

How a collaboration between Anne Harris and Amanda Ewing is shining light on the history of Black luthiers in the United States.

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff