In its 82nd season, the Grant Park Music Festival featured an array of musical favorites which included Martinu's rarely performed oratorio The Epic of Gilgamesh and Rachmaninov's tour-de-force Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by virtuoso pianist Stephen Hough. The Festival also celebrated the MacArthur Foundation's contributions to the arts with a weeklong program curated by guest conductor Marin Alsop. Before the season's close, it welcomed composer Michael Gandolfi back for the world premiere of his commissioned piece The Cosmic Garden in Bloom, inspired by the magnificent Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Scotland.
Opening Night: Pictures at an Exhibition
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Andrew Von Oeyen, Piano
Fabio Bidini, Piano
Program
Samuel Barber: Essay No. 2
Francis Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos
Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Beethoven Symphony No. 1
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Alisa Jordheim, Soprano
Tyler Duncan, Baritone
Program
Aaron Jay Kernis: Whisper, Echo, A Cry
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Michael Torke: Book of Proverbs
Storm Large: The Crazy Arc of Love
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Storm Large, Vocalist
James Beaton, Piano
Scott Weddle, Guitar
Matt Brown, Bass
Greg Eklund, Drums
Program
Cole Porter: I've Got You Under My Skin
Cole Porter: It's Alright With Me
Jacques Brel: Ne Me Quitte Pas
John Farrar arr. Jerry Yester: Hopelessly Devoted to You
Tom Waits arr. Jerry Yester: Saving All My Love for You
Adam Mackintosh arr. Stephen Taylor: Forbidden Fruit
Augustín Lara and María Teresa Lara: Piensa en Mi
Elton John and Bernie Taupin: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Storm Large: A Woman's Heart
Storm Large: Call Me Crazy
Steven Tyler arr. Matt Catingub: Dream On
Storm Large and James Beaton arr. Jherek Bischoff: Angels in Gas Stations
Storm Large: Stand Up for Me
Freddie Mercury: Somebody to Love
Mahler Symphony No. 6
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Program
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A Minor, Tragic
Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Juho Pohjonen, Piano
Program
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony No. 2, Antar
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
Christopher Rouse: Thunderstuck
Dvořák Golden Spinning Wheel
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Angela Meade, Soprano
Dane Thomas, Tenor
David John Pike, Baritone
Gidon Saks, Bass
Bernard Jacobson, Narrator
Program
Antonín Dvořák: Golden Spinning Wheel
Bohuslav Martinů: The Epic of Gilgamesh
Independence Day Salute
Featuring
National Youth Choir Of Scotland
Christopher Bell, Conductor And Director
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras
Allen Tinkham, Director
Program
An Evening of Patriotic Favorites
Movie Night: Charlie Chaplin's City Lights
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Andrés Franco, Guest Conductor
Program
Charlie Chaplin's City Lights
A Cole Porter Celebration
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Kevin Stites, Guest Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Kathy Voytko, Soprano
Karen Mason, Mezzo-soprano
Hugh Panaro, Tenor
Ben Crawford, Baritone
Program
A Cole Porter Celebration
Rachel Barton Pine Plays Bruch
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Michal Nesterowicz, Guest Conductor
Rachel Barton Pine, Violin
Program
Witold Lutoslawski: Little Suite (Mala Suite)
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto in G Minor
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Bruckner Romantic Symphony
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Christoph König, Guest Conductor
Program
Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 55, The Schoolmaster
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4, Romantic
Frans Lanting's Life: A Journey Through Time
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Marin Alsop, Guest Conductor
Frans Lanting, Concept And Images
Alisa Weilerstein, Cello
Michael Ward-Bergeman, Accordian
Jamey Haddad, Percussion
Cyro Baptista, Percussion
MacArthur Fellows Celebration Program
Program
Osvaldo Golijov: Azul
Philip Glass: Life: A Journey through Time
The New World Symphony
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Marin Alsop, Guest Conductor
Regina Carter, Violin
Program
James Price Johnson: Harlem Symphony
Duke Ellington: Slave Song/Come Sunday
Duke Ellington: Imagine My Frustration
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, From the New World
James Price Johnson: Victory Stride
Grant Park Chorus: Shakespeare in the Park
Featuring
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Program
Thomas Morley: It was a lover and his lass
Thomas Arne: Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Ralph Vaughan-Williams: Three Shakespeare Songs
Matthew Harris: Shakespeare Songs Book VI
Matthew Harris: Who is Sylvia
John Tavener: Fear No More
Nancy Wertsch: A Shakespeare Suite
Kevin Olson: A Summer Sonnet
Bernard Hughes: If we shadows have offended
Ryan Opera Center: Of Mice and Men
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Edwin Outwater, Guest Conductor
Annie Rosen, Mezzo-Soprano
Jesse Donner As Lennie Small
Emmett O'Hanlon As George Milton
Alec Carlson As Curley, Ballad Singer
Bradley Smoak As Candy
Diana Newman As Curley's Wife
Takaoki Onishi As Slim, Carlson
Program
Nico Muhly: Mixed Messages
Nico Muhly: Two Songs for Soprano and Orchestra
Carlisle Floyd: Of Mice and Men, Act I
Mendelssohn Italian Symphony
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, Guest Conductor
Program
Hector Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Arturo Márquez: Danzon No. 2
Franz Lehar: Gold and Silver Waltzes
Michael Daugherty: Desi
Camille Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila
Jacques Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, Italian
Rachmaninov Rhapsody
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Stephen Hough, Piano
Program
James MacMillan: Britannia
Sergei Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Jacques Ibert: Escales
Mozart Mass in C Minor
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi, Soprano
Janai Brugger, Soprano
Hoss Brock, Tenor
Daniel Eifert, Bass
Program
Michael Gandolfi: The Cosmic Garden in Bloom (World Premiere)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor
Shostakovich Cello Concerto
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christian Poltéra, Cello
Program
Roy Harris: Symphony No. 3 in One Movement
Walter Piston: Symphony No. 2
Dimitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Kirill Gerstein, Piano
Program
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 (1879 version)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 3
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin
Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ballet Music from Idomeneo
Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 4
Damnation of Faust
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Allyson McHardy, Mezzo-soprano
Jonathan Johnson, Tenor
Stephen Hegedus, Baritone
Kristinn Sigmundsson, Bass
Program
Hector Berlioz: La damnation de Faust