Mayor Lightfoot Designates ‘Riccardo Muti Day’ To Honor Maestro’s 80th Birthday

July 28, 2021, the 80th birthday of the CSO music director, is Riccardo Muti Day in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proclaimed.

Prokofiev, Hahn, Lang Lang Headline CSO’s 2021-22 Return To Stage

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

CSO Announces Hilary Hahn as Orchestra’s First-Ever Artist-in-Residence

“I have great admiration for the orchestra and Maestro Muti,” shares Hilary Hahn, “and it is an honor to join their organization and be present in the city of Chicago over the next two seasons.”

After 18+ Months, Muti Will Return To Chicago To Kick Off 2021-22 CSO Season

Riccardo Muti will return to Chicago this September to launch the 2021-22 CSO season, his first stint conducting the CSO in Symphony Center since February 2020.

Muti: Pandemic year silenced culture, leaving world stunned

Conductor Riccardo Muti has once again reopened the Italian musical season in his adopted hometown of Ravenna after another — and if all goes well perhaps final — round of pandemic closures.

In Return to Stage, CSO To Welcome Audiences for Concerts in May, June

The CSO will return in May and June for a slate of performances, the orchestra’s first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

CSO Announces Next Mead Composer-in-Residence

Riccardo Muti has appointed Jessie Montgomery as the Mead Composer-in-Residence. Montgomery will succeed the CSO’s current composer-in-residence, Missy Mazzoli, in July of this year.

Maestro Muti Mentors Chicago Teen Musicians… Virtually

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.

2021 Grammys: Classical Music Nominees and Winners

It’s been a strange, difficult year for the music world, which is all the more reason to celebrate musical excellence.

Waltzes in a Pandemic: How Vienna Phil Will Continue Its New Year’s Tradition

It wouldn’t be New Year without the Vienna Philharmonic. But as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, what will come of the annual New Year’s Concert?

CSO Cancels Fall Performances

In a statement, CSOA president Jeff Alexander expressed, “As we look ahead and make plans for ensemble concerts for the fall, we are also eager for the day when Maestro Muti and the full orchestra can come together again to share music with local, national and international audiences.”

WFMT, CSO Extend Joint Series ‘From the CSO’s Archives: Maestro’s Choice’ Into September

Featured in the eleven new programs is a wide array of music conducted by Muti, including selections by Bruckner, Berlioz, and Verdi. Additional programs are dedicated to performances conducted by Fritz Reiner, Pierre Boulez, and Bernard Haitink.

From Italy, Muti looks to reopen US classical music scene

Riccardo Muti has sent a resounding message that live classical music has returned the Italian stage after the coronavirus lockdown.

Muti to conduct classical music’s return to Italian stage

Organizers are billing the open-air concert as Italy’s first live classical music performance since its coronavirus lockdown.

WFMT, CSO Announce Extension of Joint Series ‘From the CSO’s Archives: Maestro’s Choice’

The joint series, which is curated by CSO music director Riccardo Muti, launched in April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CSO Cancels Remainder of 2019-20 Season

The CSO’s season was set to continue through June 27 and include a two-week residency with music director Riccardo Muti. Per the statement, the CSO is working to reschedule canceled programs in future seasons.

CSO to Premiere Video of Beethoven’s 9th for Facebook Streaming

This Sunday, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will host a Facebook premiere for a video recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 from its archives, in part because it is “widely recognized as one of music’s most powerful and inspiring works.”

WFMT and CSO Partner for New Broadcast and Streaming Series Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Today, WFMT and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra announce the launch of an exciting new broadcast and streaming series: From the CSO’s Archives: Maestro’s Choice—For All Music Lovers in These Difficult Times.

Is This the Real Life? Opera Artists on Singing ‘Verismo’ With Muti & CSO

Rather than depicting nobility or mythology, ‘verismo’ opera tells stories of everyday people, and ‘Cavalleria rusticana’ by Pietro Mascagni is a premiere example of the genre.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces 2020-2021 Season

The CSO’s 130th season begins on September 17 with a free concert for Chicago at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Meet Lina González-Granados, the CSO’s New Solti Conducting Apprentice

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.

Marcello Giordani, tenor of beauty and heft, dies at 56

Giordani had a heart attack at his home in Sicily.

Esteban Batallán Named CSO Principal Trumpet

Since his first CSO performances in June 2018, Batallán has served as guest principal trumpet many times. The Spanish-born trumpeter performed with the orchestra during its 2019 Florida tour as well as in Tokyo during the 2019 Asia tour.

Finding the Details in Grand Opera: Muti, CSO, and CSO Chorus Present Verdi’s ‘Aida’

Verdi’s Aida is the apotheosis of grant opera, but the true beauty of Verdi lies not only in its grandeur but also in its details.

Riccardo Muti Releases New Book (But You Have to Know Italian to Read It)

Despite Maestro Muti’s tireless activity in the musical realm, he has not neglected the written word.