Honoring Outstanding Women Making their Mark this Summer

"Women have played a pivotal role in the Grant Park Music Festival's history, says its President and CEO Paul Winberg.

"From renowned conductors and composers to celebrated performers, their contributions have been essential to the Festival's vibrant tradition of classical music in Chicago."

In honor of Women's History Month, the Grant Park Music Festival highlights several accomplished musicians featured in this year's concerts, including American composers Valerie Coleman, Jennifer Higdon and Augusta Read Thomas, along with violinist Jennifer Koh and conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. “Their artistry serves as a powerful reminder of women’s vital contributions to the cultural landscape of classical music,” Winberg emphasizes.

Valerie Coleman: Paying Tribute to Phenomenal Women

Valerie Coleman is a celebrated American composer, GRAMMY®-nominated flutist, and educator, known for her innovative contributions to contemporary classical music. Drawing inspiration from various genres, including classical, jazz, Afro-Cuban music, poetry, and more, she blends them to create unique and vibrant compositions. On June 25, we will perform one of her notable works, Phenomenal Women, a powerful and evocative piece for orchestra and woodwind quintet that embodies strength, resilience, and the indomitable spirit of women. Phenomenal Women is also a tribute to powerful women, as it was inspired by the poem of the same name by renowned poet and activist Maya Angelou. The poem celebrates the inner strength, grace and confidence of women, qualities that Coleman channels into her composition. Each of the piece’s five movements are inspired by a particular woman: Angelou, mathematician Katherine Johnson, tennis star Serena Williams, former first lady Michelle Obama and Olympic boxer Claressa Shields. Through this composition, Coleman not only honors these women but also contributes to the ongoing conversation about representation, empowerment, and the importance of celebrating women's achievements in all fields.

Jennifer Higdon: A Pulitzer Prize-Winner Collaborates with Acclaimed Violinist Jennifer Koh

Jennifer Higdon is a prominent and innovative American composer known for her expressive, contemporary music that often blends lyricism with vibrant, energetic textures. She has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2010. One of her well-regarded works, Singing Rooms, was composed in 2005 and is written for solo violin, choir, and orchestra, set to poems by Jeanne Minahan. The Festival’s performances on Aug 8 and 9 will be the piece’s Chicago debut.

The piece explores the relationship between sound and space, inspired by the concept of "rooms" filled with voices or echoes. Its fluid, evolving textures create a sense of movement and transformation, capturing both intimacy and grandeur. Singing Rooms exemplifies Higdon's ability to create music that is emotionally resonant, with sweeping melodies and rich orchestrations that invite listeners into a dynamic sonic environment.

Violinist Jennifer Koh, who was the featured soloist when Singing Rooms received its World Premiere in 2008 in Philadelphia, will come to the Festival to perform the work. This Chicagoan is renowned for her dynamic performances and has garnered accolades for her technical brilliance and expressive range. She has performed with major orchestras worldwide and collaborated with prominent composers to premiere numerous works. Her repertoire spans from the classical canon to avant-garde compositions, often focusing on expanding the boundaries of violin music.

Augusta Read Thomas: A Chicago-based Composer Receives her Festival Debut

Chicago composer Augusta Read Thomas is known for her expressive and dynamic music, which often blends traditional classical forms with modern, innovative techniques. She served as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Composer-in-Residence from 1997-2006 and is a University Professor of Composition in the Department of Music at the University of Chicago, where she is also director of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition. Festival Artistic Director Giancarlo Guerrero personally picked Brio, composed in 1995, for Thomas’ Festival debut on June 27 and 28 at the Harris Theatre.

This lively and vibrant piece was commissioned by the Des Moines Symphony and is dedicated to Carolyn (Kay) Bucksbaum, an arts-devotee and philanthropist who Thomas described as radiant, elegant, brilliant, expressive, graceful, fun, beautiful, generous, sophisticated and positive. Thomas went on to say that the piece’s title, Brio, meaning vivacity, gusto and zest, “captures the spirit of Kay’s magnificence, twinkle, and positive energy.” Hedy Weiss, reviewing a performance of the piece by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for WTTW, wrote that the”11- minute piece ... hooks you from the start.”

Keri-Lynn Wilson: A Renowned Conductor Takes the Podium

Keri-Lynn Wilson is a distinguished conductor known for her powerful interpretations and dynamic leadership across a wide range of orchestral and operatic works. She will take the baton to lead the Festival Orchestra on July 18 and 19 in a program that features Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (featuring violist Augustin Hadelich) as well Lysenko’s Overture to Taras Bulba and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.

Wilson is the founding conductor and music director of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. The ensemble was created in 2022 in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion as a bold initiative to defend Ukraine’s cultural legacy as the country fights for its freedom. She also has conducted major ensembles around the world, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Wilson is also highly regarded for her work in opera, having led productions at renowned venues such as the Metropolitan Opera and the Salzburg Festival.