Muti Conducts Mozart & Prokofiev

We celebrate Riccardo Muti’s 13th and culminating season as the CSO’s tenth music director.

Riccardo Muti becomes Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director emeritus for life

The announcement was made on the stage of Orchestra Hall on Friday night after a performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis,” the start of Muti’s final subscription weekend as music director.

Muti Conducts Beethoven and Glass

Featuring Mitsuko Uchida.

Muti Conducts Montgomery & Beethoven

Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the world premiere of Hymn for Everyone by CSO Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery.

CSO 2023-24 Season Announced: Myriad Guest Conductors as Muti Era Closes

The season will be the first following the departure of Riccardo Muti as music director. But the maestro will be close at hand as he continues his association with the CSO.

Muti’s legacy: respect composers, reject revisionists

“In 20 to 30 years, when everything will collapse, you will say maybe Muti was right,” the 80-year-old Italian conductor said.

Playlist: Classical Music for Travel

WFMT brings you a “musical getaway,” whether you’re enjoying the comfort of your cushiest armchair or exploring somewhere new!

Pianist Radu Lupu has Died, Aged 76

Lupu was renowned for his thoughtful interpretations of “19th-century German and Austrian piano works, especially those of Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms,” notes WFMT’s Candice Agree.

Muti Tests Positive for COVID, April 5 CSO Concert Canceled

The CSO shares that the 80-year-old conductor is experiencing mild symptoms and is in high spirits.

CSO 2022-23: Muti’s Farewell Season

Banner works by Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev headline Muti’s three CSO residencies, ahead of the conclusion of his tenure with Beethoven’s Missa solemnis.

After 28 Years, Chicago Symphony Chorus Director Duain Wolfe Gives a ‘Joyous Farewell’

“I’ve been very lucky. Not only did I get the world’s best job, but I also got to work closely with the world’s best conductors: Barenboim, Muti, Boulez, Haitink, you name it!”

CSO Announces Winter/Spring 2022 Concerts

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.

Muti Extends With CSO, Will Stay as Music Director Through 2023

The 2021-22 season was initially meant to be Muti’s final as music director, but because of the many Muti-led concerts that were canceled as a consequence of the pandemic, that date has been pushed back.

COVID Vaccine or Negative Test Required for Concert Attendees, CSO Announces

When its season kicks off this autumn, the CSO will require audiences to share proof of full COVID vaccination or a recent negative test.

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.”