Elgin Symphony ’25-’26: Enduring Classics, Notable Soloists, and New Works

Guest artists include cellist Oliver Herbert, violinist Geneva Lewis, and pianist Orion Weiss.

Mendelssohn’s Magnificence

Along with his siblings, Felix Mendelssohn began music instruction early in his life, performed his first concert at just nine years old, and composed his first symphony at fifteen.

The Evolution of the Orchestra: A Brief History

The modern orchestra as we know it today only took shape in the last 150 years.

Playlist: Music for Piano Four Hands

Any chamber music demands a deceptive level of coordination and mastery. But what about when two artists are playing the same instrument, side-by-side?

Emotion

Two works — by Respighi and Mendelssohn — conveying keen, raw emotion.

Grant Park Music Festival 2025 Season: Guerrero Era Begins

Marking the free classical music festival’s first season led by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero.

A Legendary Love Story at the Royal Concertgebouw

Love is in the air in this all-orchestral program from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and conductor Elim Chan.

In Switzerland with Mäkelä and Andsnes

Music by Felix Mendelssohn, Edvard Grieg, and Robert Schumann.

Lost and Found: 8 Classical Music Masterworks Rescued From History

Music that vanished, whether by accident or by design, only to be brought back into the light years, or centuries, later.

Nathan Milstein Plays Mendelssohn

A 1945 recording of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring conductor Bruno Walter and soloist Nathan Milstein who performed more than 70 concerts with the Orchestra.

10 Composers Who Were Inspired by Their Travels

From Bolivia to Ghana to India to the US, the perspective-changing experience of travel influenced many of your favorite composers.

Genius Peers: Schumann and Mendelssohn

A Robert Schumann string quartet, and a Felix Mendelssohn piano sextet.

Composers’ Early Successes

Most of the music on this program was written by teenagers: Mendelssohn was seventeen years old when he composed his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rachmaninoff completed his First Piano Concerto and Strauss his First Horn Concerto at age eighteen, and nineteen-year-old Shostakovich submitted his First Symphony as a graduation exercise from the Petrograd Conservatory. The Overture to Rienzi …

Celebration

Jubilant works by Felix Mendelssohn and Antonín Dvořák.

The Art of Johanna Martzy

The renowned Hungarian violinist in music by Bach, Brahms, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.

Lucas Meachem on Mendelssohn’s Elijah

The sought-after American baritone previews his upcoming performances with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra.

Muti, Glass & Mendelssohn

Join Riccardo Muti and the CSO for a sensuous journey to Italy.

Playlist: Beginner Concertos to Excite the Senses

Classical concertos are a great entry point for beginners. High-flying, exciting, virtuosic, they are often a pinnacle of solo performance.

90 Years: Grant Park Music Festival Announces 2024 Season

Another packed summer of live music awaits.

Young Mendelssohn

An early string quintet by Felix Mendelssohn, plus a violin sonata by JS Bach.

Music of the Baroque: Holiday Choral and Brass Concert

Enjoy this festive celebration brimming with beautiful music for the season.

Celebrating Frederick Stock

This broadcast celebrates the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s second music director Frederick Stock!

19th Century Lyricism

Music by Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Schubert.

Season Finale: Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances

Closing out the 2023 Grant Park Music Festival season with music by Modest Mussorgsky, Felix Mendelssohn, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Hough Plays Mendelssohn

Respected pianist Stephen Hough performs Felix Mendelssohn’s 1st Piano Concerto.