Listen: Late critic Andrew Patner celebrated during panel featuring Riccardo Muti and Alex Ross

Andrew Patner, WFMT’s late critic-at-large and music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times, passed away in 2015, but his characteristic wit and wisdom live on in his book, A Portrait in Four Movements: The Chicago Symphony under Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink, and Muti.

CSO Contract Ratified, Strike Ends After 7 Weeks

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra strike has ended and a new, five-year contract through September 2023 has been ratified, the CSO musicians and management have confirmed.

CSO Musicians Call for Continued Negotiations Amid Ongoing Strike

The musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra publicly called for management to return to the table to resolve the labor dispute now in its seventh week, the longest in the orchestra’s history.

‘I am here with my musicians’: Maestro Muti joins striking CSO musicians

Usually caught in a neither-nor position straddling the artistic and administrative halves of the organizations, music directors have historically stayed out of labor disputes in major orchestras.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Musicians take to the picket line

Picketing began yesterday on the sidewalks outside the entrances to Symphony Center in the Loop, as the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra marched off their first full day on strike.

Rome opera hires Gatti, who lost job over #MeToo allegations

Rome’s opera house on Friday defended hiring conductor Daniele Gatti, who was fired by an Amsterdam-based orchestra last summer over sexual misconduct allegations.

Riccardo Muti Conducts CSO, Civic in Free ‘Concert for Chicago’

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

Carl Grapentine’s 10 Favorite Musical Performances During His 32 Years in Chicago

Looking back on his many years experiencing great music in Chicago, Carl shares some of his very favorite performances.

Riccardo Muti and Chicago Symphony dedicate Florida concert to victims of school shooting

“The musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and I extend our condolences to the families of the victims of today’s tragedy.”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces 2018/19 Season, Muti Extends Contract Through 2022

Today, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced programming for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Center Presents 2018/19 season.

The Top 12 Classical Recordings of 2017

Each day of the year, Lisa Flynn shares her favorite New Releases with music lovers around the world. Here are her 12 favorite classical recordings of 2017.

“Only beauty with a capital ‘B’ can save the world,” Riccardo Muti Reminds High Schoolers

17 year-old Rebecca Vazquez said that hearing the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform at Lane Tech College Prep High School, where she is a student, is a “a once in a lifetime opportunity.” The orchestra performed there on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, as part of its efforts to bring music to communities throughout Chicago.

Riccardo Muti and CSO Dedicate Performance to Victims of Northern California Fires during West Coast Tour

CSO music director Riccardo Muti decided to dedicate an encore to victims after a concert in Berkeley, where the orchestra had a multi-day residency.

Is Verdi’s Last Opera, ‘Falstaff,’ Also His Best?

Sometimes, composers save their best work for last. Is Verdi’s last opera, “Falstaff,” his best?

Maestro Muti’s Most Memorable Chicago Moments

Since Riccardo Muti became the CSO’s music director in 2010, Chicagoans have enjoyed many magical moments with the maestro.

Meet CSO Solti Conducting Apprentice Erina Yashima

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

Riccardo Muti and CSO Present Haydn’s ‘Seven Last Words’ at Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral

Holy Name Cathedral is an architectural landmark in the heart of downtown Chicago. On February 17, 2017, the church opened its doors to another Chicago treasure, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The 1 Concert That Inspired Riccardo Muti to Create the CSO’s African American Network

Maestro Muti sat down with Sheila Jones, coordinator of the CSO’s African American Network, years ago to ask, “How do we bring the African American community into Symphony Center?”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces 2017-2018 Season

Riccardo Muti will conduct ten weeks of subscription programs at Symphony Center and lead the orchestra on two U.S. tours, to the West Coast in October and to the East Coast in February 2018.

Pianist Mary Sauer Retires from Chicago Symphony Orchestra After 57 Years of Service

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.

Riccardo Muti “Lifts Every Voice” at the Apostolic Church of God on Chicago’s South Side

As soon as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played the first four notes of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, an audience of over 3,000 at the Apostolic Church of God on Chicago’s South Side broke into applause.

$32 Million to the CSO

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.