The 2018 Season saw the return of Festival favorite Natasha Paremski performing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3, the World Premiere of Êriks Ešenvalds' piece The Pleaiades and a percussion marathon Switch performed by Collin Curie. Other notable performances included the music of Broadway's Lerner and Loewe and a Season finale of epic proportions, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
Haydn and Walton
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Dashon Burton, Baritone
Program
Sean Shepherd: Magiya
Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 99
William Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Mozart Violin Concerto
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
William Hagen, Violin
Program
Christoph Willibald Gluck: Overture: Orfeo ed Euridice
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe Overture
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations
Bernstein, Brahms and a World Premiere
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Program
Johannes Brahms: Gesang der Parzen
Olivier Messiaen: O Sacrum Convivium
Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Êriks Ešenvalds: World Premiere - Festival Commission
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Natasha Paremski, Piano
Program
Walter Piston: Symphony No. 6
Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
Schubert Symphony No. 3
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Adam Walker, Flute
Program
Albert Roussel: Le festin de l'araignée
Carl Nielsen: Concerto for Flute
Charles Tomlinson Griffes: Poem
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 3
Dvořák Cello Concerto
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Johannes Moser, Cello
Program
Antonin Dvořák: Cello Concerto
Zoltán Kodály: Summer Evening
Leoš Janáček: Sinfonietta
Independence Day Salute
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Christopher Bell, Conductor
Emily Bear, Piano
Program
John Williams: Liberty Fanfare
Aaron Copland: Variations on a Shaker Melody
Adolphus Hailstork: Three Spirituals
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
John Philip Sousa: The Belle of Chicago
Robert Wendell: From Sea to Shining Sea
(Arr. Robert Lowden): Armed Forces Salute
(Arr. Carmen Dragon): America the Beautiful
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
John Philip Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Dennis Russell Davies, Guest Conductor
Kelley O'Connor, Mezzo Soprano
Program
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
William Bolcom: Symphony No. 4, The Rose
William Bolcom: Machine from Symphony No. 5
Vivaldi Four Seasons: Grant Park Orchestra in the Parks
Featuring
Members of the Grant Park Orchestra
Jeremy Black, Violin And Conductor
Program
Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite
Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Music of the Silver Screen: An American in Paris and More
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Vinay Parameswaran, Guest Conductor
Program
Miklós Rózsa: Parade of the Charioteers from Ben Hur
Serge Prokofiev: Suite from Lieutenant Kije
Bernard Herrmann: Overture to Citizen Kane
Erich Korngold: The Adventures of Robin Hood
George Gershwin: An American in Paris
John Williams: "Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark
I Could Have Danced All Night: Broadway's Lerner and Loewe
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Kevin Stites, Guest Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Sierra Boggess, Soprano
Ryan Silverman, Tenor
Ben Crawford, Baritone
Program
Lerner and Loewe: Classic Broadway
Beethoven Symphony No. 2
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Roderick Cox, Guest Conductor
Jeremy Black, Violin
Eric Hall, Bassoon
Walter Haman, Cello
Nathan Mills, Oboe
Program
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Franz Joseph Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante
Richard Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser
Grant Park Chorus in the Parks 2018
Featuring
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Program
Samuel Barber: God’s Grandeur
William Henry Harris: Faire is the Heaven
Anton Bruckner: Virga Jesse
Anton Bruckner: Christus Factus Est
Anton Bruckner: Ave Maria
Benjamin Britten: Hymn to St. Cecilia
Michael Tippet: Spirituals from Child of Our Time
Kenneth Leighton: God’s Grandeur
Barber Violin Concerto
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Markus Stenz, Guest Conductor
Paul Huang, Violin
Program
Detlev Glanert: Frenesia
Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 1 - Spring
Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Gemma New, Guest Conductor
Kirill Gerstein, Piano
Program
Douglas Lilburn: Aotearoa Overture
Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Mendelssohn Scottish Symphony
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
David Danzmayr, Guest Conductor
Colin Currie, Percussion
Program
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Norfolk Rhapsody No. 2
Andrew Norman: Switch
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, Scottish
Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Program
Antonin Dvořák: Othello Overture
Richard Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Richard Strauss: Macbeth
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy
Haydn and Debussy
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Janai Brugger, Soprano
Lauren Segal, Mezzo Soprano
Brendan Tuohy, Tenor
Michael Sumuel, Bass
Program
Franz Joseph Haydn: Overture: "The Representation of Chaos" from The Creation
Claude Debussy: Nocturnes
Franz Joseph Haydn: Mass in B-flat Major: Theresa Mass
Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
George Li, Piano
Program
John Vincent: Symphony in D Major
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
Frédéric Chopin (arr. Igor Stravinsky): Nocturne in A-flat Major
Frédéric Chopin (arr. Igor Stravinsky): Grande Valse Brillante
Prokofiev and Vaughan Williams
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Pablo Ferrández, Cello
Program
Sergei Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No 4
Ryan Opera Center: The Old Maid and the Thief
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Artists Of The Patrick G. And Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center
Ann Toomey, Soprano
Whitney Morrison, Soprano
Lauren Decker, Contralto
Christopher Kenney, Baritone
Ron Magers, Narrator
Program
Gian Carlo Menotti: The Old Maid and the Thief
Carmina Burana
Featuring
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Benjamin Rivera, Guest Chorus Director
Claire De Sevigne, Soprano
Michael Maniaci, Counter Tenor
James Westman, Baritone
Members Of The Anima - Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus
Program
Antonin Dvořák: The Water Goblin
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana