Grant Park Music Festival

NOTE: Especially during the week of July 24th, due to conflicting events, the date and time may vary, regardless of the calendar published on our website. Scroll below to view any changes in the schedule. Visit the appropriate website for the latest info!

Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell announce a rich array of programming for the Festival’s 2016 season, taking place June 15—August 20 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park and venues throughout the city.

The season includes an ambitious roster of Festival, regional, and world premieres; revivals of important classical works from the 20th century to present day; with guest artists of national and international renown, and collaborations with Chicago cultural organizations.

All concerts are free and most will take place on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m., and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

2016 SEASON REPERTOIRE
all programs subject to change
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Wednesday, June 15 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Anne-Marie McDermott and Andrew von
Oeyen, piano
Barber: Essay No. 2
Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Opening night with Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra, featuring Andrew von Oeyen and AnneMarie
McDermott in Poulenc’s jazzy Concerto for Two Pianos, followed by Mussorgsky’s popular
orchestral showcase.
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 1
Friday, June 17 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus
director; Alisa Jordheim, soprano; Tyler Duncan, baritone
Kernis: Whisper, Echo, A Cry
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Torke: Book of Proverbs
Carlos Kalmar conducts the Midwest premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’ Whisper, Echo, A Cry, and the Grant
Park Chorus makes its season debut with Michael Torke’s dazzling Book of Proverbs. Beethoven’s
mischievous First Symphony rounds out the evening.
STORM LARGE: THE CRAZY ARC OF LOVE
Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Storm Large, vocalist
Backed by the Grant Park Orchestra, Storm Large of Pink Martini fame sings classics from the Great
American Songbook, including “My Funny Valentine,” “Someone to Watch Over Me, ”“Miss Otis Regrets”
and more.
MAHLER SYMPHONY NO. 6
Friday, June 24 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, June 25 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A Minor, Tragic
The Orchestra flexes its muscle with Mahler’s colossal symphony.
CHOPIN PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2
Wednesday, June 29 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Juho Pohjonen, piano
Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony No. 2, Antar
Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 2
Rouse – Thunderstuck
Young Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen makes his Festival debut with Chopin’s romantic Piano Concerto
No. 2. Rimsky-Korsakov’s sensuous symphonic suite opens the performance, and the rock-inspired
Thunderstuck brings the evening to an electrifying close.
DVOŘÁK GOLDEN SPINNING WHEEL
Friday, July 1 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, July 2 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus
director; Angela Meade, soprano; David John Pike, baritone; Gidon Saks, bass
Dvořák: Golden Spinning Wheel
Martinů: The Epic of Gilgamesh
An evening of musical storytelling opens with Dvořák’s fairy tale-inspired Golden Spinning Wheel. The
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus then present Martinů’s rarely performed heroic oratorio, The Epic of
Gilgamesh.
INDEPENDENCE DAY SALUTE (NOTE DAY)
Monday, July 4 at 6:30 PM
Performers: National Youth Choir of Scotland; Christopher Bell, conductor and director; Chicago Youth
Symphony Orchestras, Allen Tinkham, director
The 110-voice National Youth Choir of Scotland, under the direction of Christopher Bell, joins the Chicago
Youth Symphony Orchestras for an evening of patriotic favorites. The Grant Park Orchestra will not
perform
MOVIE NIGHT: CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S “CITY LIGHTS” (FILM)
Wednesday, July 6 at 8:00 PM (NOTE TIME)
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Andrés Franco, guest conductor
Andrés Franco leads the Grant Park Orchestra as they provide a live soundtrack to the silent romantic
comedy film City Lights, written, directed and starring Charlie Chaplin.
A COLE PORTER CELEBRATION
Friday, July 8 at 8:00 PM (NOTE TIME)
Saturday, July 9 at 8:00 PM
Performers: 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
Anything goes when conductor Kevin Stites leads the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus and guest
soloists through the works of the legendary and witty composer/lyricist, Cole Porter.
RACHEL BARTON PINE PLAYS BRUCH
Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Michał Nesterowicz, guest conductor; Rachel Barton Pine, violin
Lutosławski: Little Suite (Mala Suite)
Bruch: Violin Concerto in G Minor
Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Violin virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine returns to the Festival performing Bruch’s Concerto in G Minor. Polish
conductor Michał Nesterowicz leads the orchestra in a program that also features Lutosławski’s Mala
Suite and Schumann’s masterful Fourth Symphony.
BRUCKNER ROMANTIC SYMPHONY
Friday, July 15 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, July 16 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Christoph König, guest conductor
Haydn: Symphony No. 55
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4, Romantic
Christoph König returns to the Festival to conduct Bruckner’s Romantic, the Austrian composer’s first
mature symphony. Haydn’s Symphony No. 55 (The Schoolmaster) opens the program.
PHILIP GLASS: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Wednesday, July 20 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Marin Alsop, guest conductor; Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Michael WardBergeman,
accordion; Jamey Haddad and Cyro Baptista, percussion
Golijov: Azul
Glass: Life: A Journey through Time
Marin Alsop conducts a multimedia piece featuring music by Philip Glass with projected images by famed
National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting. Osvaldo Golijov’s “21st-century Baroque adagio” Azul
opens the program.
THE NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Friday, July 22 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Marin Alsop, guest conductor; Regina Carter, violin
Johnson: Harlem Symphony
Ellington: Slave Song/Come Sunday
Ellington: Imagine My Frustration
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, From the New World
Johnson: Victory Stride
Marin Alsop’s week-long residency continues with an exploration of immigration and assimilation, in a
program that includes Dvořák’s New World Symphony and jazz violinist Regina Carter playing orchestral
works by Duke Ellington.
GRANT PARK CHORUS: SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK (NOTE DATE, TIME AND LOCATIONS)
Sunday, July 24 at 3:00 PM, Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W. Jackson Boulevard
Tuesday, July 26 at 7:00 PM, South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive
Grant Park Chorus; Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus go on the road with a concert of a cappella choral songs and
settings of The Bard’s verse, as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago.
RYAN OPERA CENTER: OF MICE AND MEN
Wednesday, July 27 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Edwin Outwater, guest conductor; Artists from Lyric Opera’s Patrick G.
and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center
Floyd: Of Mice and Men, Act I
Conductor Edwin Outwater makes his Festival debut with artists from the Ryan Opera Center performing
Floyd’s dustbowl opera Of Mice and Men, based on John Steinbeck’s novella.
MENDELSSOHN ITALIAN SYMPHONY (NOTE LOCATIONS)
Friday, July 29 at 6:30 PM, South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive
Saturday, July 30 at 7:30 PM, Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Street
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Thomas Wilkins, guest conductor
Berlioz: Overture: Roman Carnival
Lehar: Gold and Silver Waltzes
Saint-Saëns: Samson and Delilah: Bacchanale
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, Italian
Guest conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the Grant Park Orchestra in an international program that
transports listeners from Vienna to the Middle East, culminating with Mendelssohn’s cheerful Italian
Symphony.
RACHMANINOV RHAPSODY
Wednesday, August 3 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Stephen Hough, piano
MacMillan: Britannia
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Ibert: Escales
Piano virtuoso and Festival favorite Stephen Hough brings his scintillating technique to Rachmaninov’s
tour-de-force Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagnanini. The program also includes MacMillan’s orchestral
fantasy Britannia and Ibert’s Escales.
MOZART MASS IN C MINOR
Plus a WORLD PREMIERE
Friday, August 5 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, August 6 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christopher Bell, chorus
director; Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi, soprano; Janai Brugger, soprano; Hoss Brock, tenor; Daniel Eifert, bass
Gandolfi: World Premiere for Orchestra
Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor
Carlos Kalmar conducts the world premiere of a new work by Michael Gandolfi, inspired by the
magnificent Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Scotland. The program also includes Mozart’s Great Mass,
with the Grant Park Chorus and guest soloists.
SHOSTAKOVICH CELLO CONCERTO
Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christian Poltéra, cello
Harris: Symphony No. 3 in One Movement
Piston: Symphony No. 2
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
Acclaimed Swiss cellist Christian Poltéra makes his Festival debut performing Shostakovich’s 1959 Cello
Concerto. Two American masterworks round out the evening.
TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR
Friday, August 12 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Kirill Gerstein, piano
Tchaikovsky – Marche Slave
Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No. 1 (1879 version)
Tchaikovsky – Orchestral Suite No. 3
World-renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein “rediscovers” the 1879 version of Tchaikovsky’s joyful Piano
Concerto No. 1, in a weekend devoted to Russia’s most popular composer.
MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO
Wednesday, August 17 at 6:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, violin
Mozart: Ballet music from Idomeneo
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor
Schubert: Symphony No. 4
Violinist Christian Tetzlaff returns to the Pritzker Pavilion, bringing his signature style to Mendelssohn’s
lyrical and flowing Violin Concerto in E Minor.
DAMNATION OF FAUST
Friday, August 19 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, August 20 at 7:30 PM
Performers: Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Allyson McHardy, mezzosoprano;
Jonathan Johnson, tenor; Stephen Hegedus, baritone; Kristinn Sigmundsson, bass
Berlioz: La damnation de Faust
The Festival’s 2016 season comes to a thrilling close with Berlioz’s masterpiece, The Damnation of Faust,
featuring the Grant Park Chorus and an all-star line-up of vocalists.