Chicago fest dates for 2019 set by the city
The schedule for next year’s festival has been announced by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs & Special events. Among the highlights: 21st Annual Chicago Kids and Kites Festival: May...
Home > Reviews
All Stories
CSO review: Haitink falls, then recovers after profound performance
This story has been updated to reflect new information from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The rigors of conducting Bruckner’s epic Symphony No. 6 — following Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2...
Fat Babies still going strong at the Green Mill
On any given Tuesday night, there’s one club in Chicago that’s sure to be packed: the Green Mill. That’s not just because of the room’s singular ambience but also due...
Daniel Barenboim reflects on his return to CSO, 12 years later
It has been 12 years since conductor Daniel Barenboim stood before the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which he led as music director from 1991 to 2006 (and as music director designate...
CSO review: ‘Threnos’ world premiere leaves mixed impression
The end of World War I doesn’t get much attention in our popular culture these days, but with the centennial of Armistice Day approaching next month, Symphony Center is placing...
Lyric Opera review: A dark and compelling ‘Idomeneo’
Mozart’s “Idomeneo” can be a tough sell for contemporary audiences, its mythological underpinnings, far-fetched turns of plot and leisurely pace testing our ever-shortening attention spans. But the production that launched...
Logan Center celebrates the blues with weekend fest
Many listeners may think of the blues as late-night, party-time music, but there’s more to it than that. Like jazz, gospel and other musical forms born in the USA, it...
Chicago Symphony Orchestra annual report features mostly positive figures
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association’s ticket sales rose $1.1 million for the 2017-18 season, even as the institution faced an operating deficit of $900,000 during that period. This marked the...
Lyric Opera adds ‘La Boheme’ performances
Lyric Opera of Chicago will add two performances to its co-production of Puccini’s “La Boheme” in January. The performances will start at 2 p.m. Jan. 29 and 7 p.m. Jan....
CSO composer Missy Mazzoli: ‘The chance … to work with an orchestra of that stature is nothing I was going to turn down’
Missy Mazzoli may be one of the busiest American composers under age 40, with her operas, especially, performed across the country. But as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s newest Mead composer-in-residence,...