Chicago Symphony Orchestra Classical Concert Listings

Ravinia is grateful for the support ofThe Negaunee FoundationPremier SponsorMahler 6 Consortium“A symphony must be like the world,” Mahler said. “It must contain everything.” Marshaling the profound energy of the CSO for Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, Marin Alsop leads a riveting search for meaning in a complex, rapidly changing world. Moving through moments of idyllic nostalgia to devastating fanaticism and fateful blows, this monumental work perfectly anticipates the challenges and longing of the 21st century.Writing for NPR, Alsop elaborates: “I’m not sure there has ever been a more fitting symphony for our time than Mahler’s Symphony No. 6. … Today, as we have become immune to shock, where nothing seems too extreme and where hyperbole rules, Mahler and his Sixth Symphony seem to fit right in.” More than a century after its premiere, the Sixth still confronts audiences with its prophetic intensity and unflinching emotional truth.For all its thunder and tragedy, the Sixth is also a refuge: a vast emotional landscape where beauty and brutality coexist, and where life’s biggest questions are asked with fearless honesty. Leonard Bernstein, Alsop’s mentor and one of Mahler’s most passionate champions, called him “the prophet of the 20th century.” In this searing performance, Alsop and the CSO reveal why Mahler’s voice speaks just as urgently to our own time.

Ravinia is grateful for the support ofSusan & Don CivginBreaking Barriers SponsorDaniela O’Leary-Gill & George GillBreaking Barriers SponsorEllen Rudnick & Paul EarleBreaking Barriers SponsorMarin Alsop and Oscar-nominated composer Laura Karpman co-curate highlights on original orchestral music’s magic in screen storytelling. A 30-year veteran of prestige TV, documentary, game, and Marvel scores, Karpman has collaborated with some of the most renowned filmmakers of our time, including Francis Ford Coppola, Cord Jefferson, Nia DaCosta, and Steven Spielberg. Nominated for an Oscar in 2024 for her work on American Fiction, Karpman continues to push the boundaries of storytelling with her powerful, imaginative scores.With performances by Alsop and the CSO, Karpman demonstrates how music can guide interpretation of a film scene, sharpening dramatic tension and revealing layers of meaning that might otherwise remain unseen. Together, Karpman and Alsop bring the focus to women composers—long under-represented on the screen—sharing music by the likes of Shirley Walker, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Rachel Portman, and Chanda Dancy. Alsop premieres Karpman’s Unsung, featuring music for iconic female characters who never before had a theme, and Taki Alsop Conducting Fellow Chi-Yuan Lin leads Star Wars themes by John Williams and Natalie Holt, the first woman to compose for the storied franchise.This centerpiece of the fifth Breaking Barriers Festival is bookended by a pre-concert panel and, before Saturday’s concert, an extended live demonstration of music setting film moods.

Ravinia is grateful for the support ofHunter Family FoundationSpotlight SponsorA testament to American possibility, Antonín Dvořák’s famous Ninth Symphony is a quest for the identity of American music and a vision of what the nation’s voice could become. Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in 1893, the work draws inspiration from Indigenous and Black American musical traditions, creating a sweeping, deeply human portrait of a nation.More than a century later, the question of what defines a uniquely American sound continues to resonate. This summer, Dvořák’s monumental work is paired with a contemporary voice shaping the answer as Alsop and the CSO present the Midwest premiere of Carlos Simon’s Good News Mass. Blending gospel spirituality with Black Catholic tradition and classical liturgy, Simon’s work carries forward the same spirit of cultural dialogue that inspired Dvořák more than a century ago.Speaking to The New York Times, Simon reflects on the universality he seeks in his music: “If this music is done in the right way, if it’s being honest, it doesn’t matter whatever your language, whatever your background, whether you’re white, Black, whoever — it goes straight to you. And that’s what I always strive for.”