News & Stories

Carlos Kalmar Previews Summer 2020
News

Carlos Kalmar Previews Summer 2020

Expect the unexpected and some classic favorites, too — that's according to Carlos Kalmar, who spoke to a gathering of Festival friends onstage at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

The Birth of Gospel: A Chicago Tradition
Insights

The Birth of Gospel: A Chicago Tradition

On July 1-2, the Grant Park Music Festival welcomes conductor Charles Floyd and the Soul Children of Chicago to honor one of the city's native art forms: gospel music.

Beethoven: A Musical Behemoth
History

Beethoven: A Musical Behemoth

2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, a giant in music who continues to haunt, challenge and inspire composers, performers and audiences, alike. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Ludwig van Beethoven is “widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived.

Chicago Proud: Inside the Year of Chicago Music
Insights

Chicago Proud: Inside the Year of Chicago Music

Classical. Blues. Gospel. House music. Jazz. Chicago is a heavy hitter within America's musical landscape. Now it's time to celebrate.

Thinking About a Family Gathering?
Insights

Thinking About a Family Gathering?

Unique in its ability to move young and old, music is—and always has been—the perfect family entertainment.

Acclaimed Violinist Vadim Gluzman Comes Home
Insights

Acclaimed Violinist Vadim Gluzman Comes Home

This August, world-renowned violinist Vadim Gluzman will step off his international tour and return to the Grant Park Music Festival on August 2 and 3 to perform Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade. The concert takes place at the intimate Harris Theater, with Carlos Kalmar conducting. 

Piano Virtuoso Conrad Tao Returns Home
Insights

Piano Virtuoso Conrad Tao Returns Home

An Illinois native and former student of the Music Institute of Chicago's late, legendary faculty member Emilio del Rosario, award-winning Chinese American pianist Conrad Tao returns to the Pritzker Pavilion to perform Shostakovich’s delightful Piano Concerto No. 2 on Wednesday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Internationally Acclaimed Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis
Insights

Internationally Acclaimed Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis

Yolanda Kondonassis is celebrated as one of the world’s premiere solo harpists and is today’s most recorded classical harpist. Her many albums have earned universal critical praise as she continues to be a pioneering force in the harp world, striving to push the boundaries of what listeners expect of the harp.

Piano Virtuoso Stephen Hough Returns
Interviews

Piano Virtuoso Stephen Hough Returns

It is with great delight that we welcome the return of polymath, piano virtuoso, and Grant Park Music Festival favorite Stephen Hough for two nights of concerts, performing Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 led by British conductor Martyn Brabbins in his Festival debut on Friday July 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday July 20 at 7:30 p.m. 

Grant Park Chorus in the Parks
News

Grant Park Chorus in the Parks

Join the Grant Park Chorus for an evening of a cappella works, as we go off campus to two of the city's cultural hubs: the Columbus Park Refectory (July 18) and South Shore Cultural Center (July 22). Celebrating the legacy of music written by women, Festival Chorus Director Christopher Bell leads the Grant Park Chorus in performances of works by Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, and the world premiere of Hands by composer Lori Laitman.