Ken-David Masur — music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago — takes the Millennium Park stage.

The 17-year-old violinist claimed first prize with her performance of Ernest Chausson’s Poème for violin and orchestra.

The first movement of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 — with its “unique suspenseful opening” — secured the young artist the prize.

Music director Riccardo Muti will conduct music by Beethoven, Price, Glass, and Montgomery while welcoming guest artists like Anne-Sophie Mutter, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Mitsuko Uchida.

The CSO announces an array of concerts from September to January.

The CSO’s music director made a remote return to the Windy City on Wednesday to lead an online masterclass with fellows from Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative.

The 35-minute program features an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, stitched together from more than 60 separate remote recordings of Civic musicians.

On Saturday, March 7, four young artists competed for a dream opportunity: to perform with the CSO. With her performance of the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, violinist Isabella Brown won the competition.

This is no normal flute. Civic Orchestra’s Alexandria Hoffman explains how the gunbarrel flute was made, and how she came to play it with Yo-Yo Ma.

Between February 2020 and June 2021, Lina González-Granados will have the opportunity to study and work with Maestro Muti, conduct the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and participate in cultural activities and outreach throughout the greater Chicago area.

For Ken-David Masur, artistry is just one aspect of a successful career in classical music; community engagement and outreach are of equal importance in building both a thriving artist and a flourishing orchestra.

Many musicians dream of performing on the stage of Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition makes this dream come true for one young musician every year. On Saturday, February 23, four young musicians competed on that famous stage for the opportunity to perform with the CSO during the 2019-2020 season. …

Riccardo Muti, addressing the 10 thousand-plus crowd, remarked that “all 3 pieces connect the desire of freedom, libertà, liberty!”

Yo-Yo Ma, the CSO’s creative consultant, learned about the decades-long commitment to social justice and outreach within the Faith Community of St. Sabina, and wanted to see how he could honor its work through music.

“Yo-Yo Ma wanted to meet with me, and I thought it was a joke,” Reverend Michael L. Pfleger said to an audience of over 1,000 people at St. Sabina Church.

Net proceeds from the remaining ticket sales will benefit St. Sabina’s Strong Futures employment program, which currently serves 50 young people ages 17-26 by providing training, mentorship, and other services.

For ten weeks each year, Erina Yashima works directly with Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti and leads the Civic Orchestra.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is not only one of the world’s most renowned musicians; he’s also a passionate advocate for using the power of music to create community.

Sauer began her long tenure with the CSO in 1959 when Music Director Fritz Reiner invited her to perform with the orchestra. During the 1967-68 season, Music Director Jean Martinon officially added her to the roster. She was named principal piano at the start of the 2000-01 season.

Chicago-based Sam and Helen Zell acknowledged a $17 million dollar gift from the Zell Family Foundation for the endowment of the position currently held by music director Riccardo Muti.