CHICAGO, IL - (June 20, 2022) Chicago Philharmonic has announced its 2022-23 symphonic season on the heels of a 2021-22 season that ended with the sold-out Chicago Premiere of Marvel Studios' Black Panther in Concert. The season, which was created by the organization's musician-led Artistic Committee, is the most diverse season in Chicago Philharmonic's three decades of music making.
"Our Artistic Committee, composed of several of our creative musicians, our composers in residence, Terell Johnson and myself, came together to create a season unlike anything else happening in Chicago right now. The outcome is extremely exciting," said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Scott Speck. "We're going to introduce a lot of people to music they've never experienced live, and I can't wait."
"While this is my second season with Chicago Philharmonic, it will be the first season I helped plan with the Artistic Committee," said Executive Director Terell Johnson. "There are so many elements coming together in each concert: our incredible roster of nearly 250 musician members, guest artists from around the world, and our three immensely talented Donna Milanovich Composers in Residence. I'm so excited to see it all come together on the stage."
The season begins Oct. 8 with an orchestral performance of the beloved film Ghostbusters in Concert. Maestro Peter Bernstein will lead the orchestra in Elmer Bernstein's beloved score, as the full movie plays on stage at the historic Auditorium Theatre.
"Movie scores are a great way to bring fine orchestral music to new audiences - people love the symphonic music from their favorite movies, and many may not know they're classical music fans in the making!" said Speck. Chicago Philharmonic's recent increase in film concerts has brought thousands of new patrons to classical music. Summer film concerts with Chicago Philharmonic include Marvel Studios' Black Panther in Concert on Juneteenth weekend, as well as Ravinia's Lion King (2019) and The Goonies in Concert in June and July 2022.
Then on Oct. 13, Chicago Philharmonic and Maestro Speck return to the Harris Theater for Music and Dance for a concert featuring groundbreaking American composer William Grant Still's Symphony No. 1, dubbed the Afro-American Symphony. Also featured are Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, weaving together Bach's counterpoint and Brazilian folk music; Arturo Márquez's racing Danzón No. 2, an homage to the music and dance style that began in Cuba and later took root in the Veracruz region on Mexico; and Florence Price's folk-tinged Ethiopia's Shadow in America. Donna Milanovich Composer in Residence Jonathan Bingham will join the orchestra for a second World Premiere after his 2021 premiere Tautology.
On January 14, Chicago Philharmonic rings in the Chinese Lunar New Year with a concert celebrating the work of Academy and Grammy Award winning Chinese-American composer Tan Dun at the Harris Theater. Multi-Grammy Award winner Sharon Isbin will perform the American Premiere of Dun's Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (Yi2), which draws inspiration from Spanish Flamenco and an ancient Chinese flute called the Pipa. Then, Dun's Crouching Tiger Cello Suite weaves music from the soundtrack of the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with solo cello performed by charismatic Joshua Roman, joining Chinese percussion, and orchestra. Plus, Donna Milanovich Composer in Residence Reinaldo Moya presents a World Premiere cello concertino.
On February 4, Chicago Philharmonic and Speck return to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts with Songs of a Wayfarer, featuring the titular Lieder by Gustav Mahler. Mezzo soprano Susan Platts, who has enjoyed an impressive worldwide career and is most esteemed for her interpretations of Mahler's work, will perform Songs of a Wayfarer. Also featured is living composer Libby Larsen's Deep Summer Music, offering a beautiful slice of Americana; and Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 3, one of the composer's final bursts of euphoric, creative energy.
On Valentine's Day, February 14, Chicago Philharmonic and Maestro Speck perform Eight Seasons at the Harris Theater with Chee-Yun Kim, widely regarded as one of the world's most talented living violin soloists. The orchestra will offset movements of Antonio Vivaldi's beloved Le Quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) with Astor Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
The season finishes on April 14 at the Harris Theater with award-winning multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Kishi Bashi's Improvisations on EO9066. The piece explores Executive Order 9066, which saw the incarceration of thousands of innocent Japanese Americans during the Second World War. This immersive, multimedia experience with Kishi Bashi and the full Chicago Philharmonic features photography by Dorothea Lange and the filmmaking expertise of Director JJ Gerber. Kishi Bashi's work has been described as "an uplifting documentary about a musician, but also about sympathy, compassion, and basic humanity" (Screen Zealots).
Tickets
Tickets start at $25, with discounted options for students. In lieu of a subscription program, all tickets will be 20% off from June 18 through July 15. Tickets can be purchased at chicagophilharmonic.org, or by calling the following box office numbers:
Auditorium Theatre: 312-341-2300, M-F 12pm-5pm
Harris Theater for Music and Dance: 312-334-7777, M-F 12pm-5pm
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts: 847-673-6300, T-S 11am-5pm
