Chicago Symphony Orchestra Releases Schedule of Events for 2015-2016 Season
By: Matt Smith Jan. 26, 2015
CHICAGO (January 26, 2015)- Riccardo Muti, Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Jeff Alexander, President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA), announce the programming for the CSO and Symphony Center Presents (SCP) 2015/16 season-the Orchestra's 125th season and Muti's sixth as music director.
Central to Riccardo Muti's programming for the 2015/16 season is honoring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's distinguished history. Muti, the Orchestra's 10th music director, continues to guide the CSO to new levels of renown, building on the legacy of his predecessors: Theodore Thomas, Frederick Stock, Désiré Defauw, Artur Rodzinski, Rafael Kubelík, Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, Sir Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim.
On most programs during the 125th season, the CSO performs at least one work that was given its world or United States premiere by the Orchestra. Much of this repertoire reflects the long-standing commitments that the CSO had or has with those composers, many of whom have also appeared with the Orchestra as conductors or soloists numerous times.
"The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's legacy is unparalleled," remarked CSO President Jeff Alexander. "The Orchestra's stellar reputation for artistic excellence has remained at its core for many decades. As we celebrate this 125th season milestone, we honor the past, we celebrate where we are now as an institution and we also look ahead to the coming decades to continue to enrich and transform lives through music here in Chicago and around the world."
Riccardo Muti's dedication to bringing live symphonic music, performed at the highest artistic level, to the broadest possible audience in greater Chicago and around the world, has served as the cornerstone of the CSO's mission since his tenure as music director began in 2010. That commitment remains paramount today as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 125th season.
In this anniversary season, the CSO also continues its rich tradition of international touring, which began in 1892, and recording, which began in 1916. Since its founding, the CSO has made 58 international tours, performing in 29 countries on five continents, and recordings by the CSO have earned 62 Grammy Awards. Both have contributed significantly over the years to the CSO's international reputation. Global engagement continues now also through webcasts, streaming and an online magazine, CSO Sounds & Stories: www.csosoundsandstories.org.
This season, Muti leads 11 weeks of subscription concerts in five residencies with the Orchestra in Chicago, with appearances in September and October, December, February, April and June. In addition, he leads the Orchestra on a three-city tour of the U.S. in October and on a three-week tour of Asia in January 2016-their first together there.
Of particular note in 2015/16 are concert performances of Giuseppe Verdi's final opera, Falstaff. Recognized as one of the greatest living interpreters of Verdi's work, Muti completes his traversal of Verdi's Shakespeare- inspired operas with the CSO-which included Otello in 2011 and Macbeth in 2013-with three performances of Falstaff, while also marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death in 2016.
Highlights of the Orchestra's 2015/16 season include:
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? A free season-opening Concert for Chicago at Millennium Park, conducted by Muti, in celebration of the CSO's 125th anniversary season
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? The culmination of Muti's traversal of Verdi's Shakespeare-inspired operas with three concert performances of Giuseppe Verdi's final operatic work, Falstaff
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? 125 community events in greater Chicago
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? The appointment of two new Mead Composers-in-Residence to three-year terms: Samuel Adams and
Elizabeth Ogonek
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? World premiere performances of CSO-commissioned works by Pascal Dusapin and Elizabeth Ogonek
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? The CSO's first Asian tour with Muti to five cities for nine performances in Taipei, Taiwan; Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai and Beijing, China; and Seoul, South Korea
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? A week-long United States tour, led by Muti, which includes performances in Kansas City and Ann Arbor, and the CSO's debut in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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? Debuts by talented soloists and conductors
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? Explorations of works by Bernstein, Falla and Janá?ek in the CSO's innovative, multimedia Beyond the
Score® series
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? One-night only appearances by pianists Evgeny Kissin and Lang Lang with the CSO
The Symphony Center Presents series continues to bring a wide range of today's leading artists and ensembles from all genres of music to Chicago. Highlights this season include CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma's annual collaboration with musicians of the CSO on the Chamber Music series, as well as bringing pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Leif Ove Andsnes and violinist Joshua Bell to the Symphony Center stage. The SCP Chamber Music, Orchestra and Piano series further expand the broad spectrum of talent from
around the world that comes to Chicago to perform at Symphony Center. The 2015/16 SCP Jazz series programming details will be announced in April.
The programs of Symphony Center Presents and the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2015/16 complement the CSO's subscription programs and demonstrate the commitment of Muti and the CSOA to supporting young musicians and to serving the greater Chicago community through music.
Bank of America is proud to be the Global Sponsor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
As one of the world's largest financial institutions and a major supporter of arts and culture, Bank of America has a vested interest and plays a meaningful role in the international dialogue on cultural understanding. As a global company, Bank of America demonstrates its commitment to the arts by supporting such efforts as after-school arts programs, grants to help expand libraries and programs to conserve artistic heritage as well as a campaign to encourage museum attendance. Bank of America's unique program offers customers free access to more than 150 of the nation's finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in our Communities® shares exhibits from the company's corporate collection with communities across the country through local museum partners. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation also provides philanthropic support to museums, theaters and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and communities.
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