An Evening of Celebrations

Every fall, Festival fans get a taste of their favorite summertime tradition at the annual Advocate for the Arts Awards Benefit—but this time, they also got to help us welcome Giancarlo.

On Thursday, October 24, Grant Park Music Festival friends gathered for—what else?—good wine, a tasty meal and live music, all while raising critical funds for the Festival's free summertime programming in Millennium Park. But this year's gathering came with an added air of excitement as the recently appointed artistic director and principal conductor Giancarlo Guerrero was on hand to support the Festival. He spoke eloquently about his committment to the Festival's mission and his love of Chicago (he attended Northwestern University), and his deep respect for the musicians of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus.

For the second year in a row, the Grant Park Music Festival pulled in nearly one million dollars at its signature fundraiser, the Advocate for the Arts Awards Benefit, at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park. The funds raised will support the Festival’s ten-week season of free classical concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Proceeds also support the Festival’s robust education and community engagement programming.

Always, the presentation of the Advocate for the Arts Awards is a highlight of the annual event. This year’s honorees included two founding members of the Grant Park Orchestral Association board who helped shepherd the organization's move to Millennium Park in 2004: Eileen Friestad and Julian Oettinger. Both played a part in the Festival's astonishing growth over the past two decades. The Benefit co-chairs, Jenny Willcox and Lisa Tesarik, also serve on the board.

The gathering also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of Millennium Park. One of the Park's founders and original planners, Millennium Park Foundation Chair and President Donna LaPietra, was on hand to share reminiscences and to present a video featuring some of the Park's breathtaking range of offerings.

With CBS news anchor Irika Sargent serving as emcee, some 400 Festival friends and civic leaders attended the event. Guests enjoyed musical performances by the international opera star Janai Brugger, a one-time member of the Grant Park Chorus, and the thrilling young pianist Clayton Stephenson. The Festival’s 2024 String Fellows also performed. The Festival’s String and Vocal Fellowship is a professional development initiative that aims to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the classical music field.