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The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of American conductor, pianist and composer Michael Tilson Thomas. He enjoyed a remarkable partnership with the Orchestra and Chorus, appearing on the podium—in Orchestra Hall, at the Ravinia Festival, in Milwaukee and on tour to Australia—over the course of more than fifty years. Tilson Thomas died in San Francisco on April 22, 2026, at the age of eighty-one, following a long illness.
For Tilson Thomas’s Orchestra Hall debut with the CSO in May 1981, John von Rhein in the Chicago Tribune wrote, “Normally, the presence of Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Charles Ives on a Chicago Symphony program would inspire a rush of ticket returns, but not on Thursday night. . . . Thomas’ interesting program achieved a welcome balance of the brainy and the accessible, the unusual and the familiar. . . . Thomas, who once was assistant to Pierre Boulez, retains some of that conductor’s ability to clarify line, texture and nuance without sacrificing a sensuous wash of vivid atmosphere.”
Prior to his November and December 2023 performances with the Orchestra, he reflected on his many decades leading the ensemble. “I very much love making music with the Chicago Symphony,” he said. “I always have. I find it a revitalizing experience. . . . I, of course, love the huge energy with which they approach everything, but I’m also a big fan of their great subtlety. . . . There’s no limit to how quickly and expertly and movingly they will take the music on; it’s incredible rapidity. I think that’s remarkable.”
For those final appearances, Tilson Thomas closed the program with Schoenberg’s arrangement of Brahms’s G minor piano quartet. “All night, one half-expected Tilson Thomas, among the most charismatic musical explainers since Bernstein, to address the audience, or somehow acknowledge the weight of this moment in ways only the torrents of applause dared to,” wrote Hannah Edgar in the Chicago Tribune. “But in the silence before the Brahms-Schoenberg, Tilson Thomas looked out over the orchestra for what felt like minutes, as though taking stock of each face. Later, lifting his baton for the third movement, he did something unusual: he spoke to the orchestra. ’Enjoy,’ he told them. ’Take it easy.’”
A complete list of Michael Tilson Thomas’s appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is below.
July 12, 1970, Ravinia Festival
J.C. BACH Sinfonia for Double Orchestra in E-flat Major
HAYDN Symphony No. 60 in C Major
VARÈSE Intégrales
STRAVINSKY Suite from Pulcinella
August 1, 1970, Ravinia Festival
BACH Suite No. 4 in D Major, BWV 1069
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488
John Browning, piano
RUGGLES Sun-Treader
WAGNER Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March, and Brünnhilde’s Immolation from Götterdämmerung
May 21, 22, and 24, 1981, Orchestra Hall
BACH/Schoenberg Chorale Preludes (Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele and Komm, and Gott Schöpfer, heiliger Geist)
IVES Symphony No. 2
STRAVINSKY The Firebird
July 22, 1982, Ravinia Festival
HAYDN Symphony No. 81 in G Major
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Shlomo Mintz, violin
STRAVINSKY Symphony in Three Movements
RAVEL La valse
July 24, 1982, Ravinia Festival
BERLIOZ Overture to Benvenuto Cellini
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Emanuel Ax, piano
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
August 7, 1983, Ravinia Festival
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
GERSHWIN Summertime; It Ain’t Necessarily So; and I Loves You, Porgy from Porgy and Bess
GERSHWIN Sweet and Low-Down
GERSHWIN Medley: But Not for Me, Love is Here to Stay, Embraceable You, and Someone to Watch over Me
GERSHWIN Fascinatin’ Rhythm
GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody for Orchestra with Piano
Miichael Tilson Thomas, piano
GERSHWIN My Man’s Gone Now from Porgy and Bess
GERSHWIN The Man I Love
GERSHWIN Do It Again!
GERSHWIN Medley: Nice Work If You Can Get It, They Can’t Take That Away from Me, ‘S Wonderful, Swanee, Strike Up the Band
Sarah Vaughan, vocal
George Gaffney, piano
Andy Simpkins, bass
Harold Jones, drums
August 11, 1983, Ravinia Festival
JANÁČEK Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen
DEBUSSY La mer
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23
Misha Dichter, piano
August 13, 1983, Ravinia Festival
BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Henryk Szeryng, violin
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
November 10, 11, and 12, 1983, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
STRAVINSKY Apollon musagète
TCHAIKOVSKY Manfred, Op. 58
November 17, 18, and 19, 1983, Orchestra Hall
November 21, 1983, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
IVES Symphony No. 3 (The Camp Meeting)
GERSHWIN/Tilson Thomas Nocturne for Lily Pons
Michael Tilson Thomas, piano
VARÈSE Arcana
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Misha Dichter, piano
August 9, 1984, Ravinia Festival
GLINKA Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Yefim Bronfman, piano
STRAVINSKY The Firebird
August 11, 1984, Ravinia Festival
DEBUSSY Incidental Music for King Lear
DEBUSSY First Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra
Larry Combs, clarinet
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
June 13, 14, and 15, 1985, Orchestra Hall
GRAINGER Arrival Platform Humlet from In a Nutshell
GRIFFES Clouds
CHABRIER Joyeuse marche
DEL TREDICI March to Tonality
GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody for Orchestra with Piano
Michael Tilson Thomas, piano
DELIUS On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
RESPIGHI Feste romane
SOUSA New Mexico March
August 8, 1985, Ravinia Festival
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Four Pieces from Mlada
RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Misha Dichter, piano
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
August 10, 1985, Ravinia Festival
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
August 15, 1985, Ravinia Festival
IVES Thanksgiving and Forefathers’ Day from Holidays Symphony
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
MAHLER Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Resurrection)
Marvis Martin, soprano
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
August 17, 1985, Ravinia Festival
MOZART Symphony No. 34 in C Major, K. 338
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
May 1, 2, and 3, 1986, Orchestra Hall
May 5, 1986, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
IVES The Unanswered Question
Adolph Herseth, trumpet
IVES Central Park in the Dark
MOZART Concerto for Violin No. 5 in A Major, K. 219
Young Uck Kim, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Suite No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 43
Ives’ The Unanswered Question (the original and revised versions) and Central Park in the Dark were recorded in Medinah Temple on May 10 and 12, 1986. For CBS Bud Graham was the recording engineer and Graham and Tim Geelan were the post-production engineers.
May 8, 9, and 10, 1986, Orchestra Hall
IVES Symphony: New England Holidays
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
BARTÓK Three Village Scenes
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
Ives’ New England Holidays Symphony was recorded in Medinah Temple on May 10 and 12, 1986. For CBS Bud Graham was the recording engineer and Graham and Tim Geelan were the post-production engineers.
July 24, 1986, Ravinia Festival
COPLAND Billy the Kid, Suite from the Ballet
SCHUBERT/Liszt Fantasy in C Major, D. 760 (The Wanderer)
Illana Vered, piano
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
July 26, 1986, Ravinia Festival
BERLIOZ Overture to Benveunto Cellini
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14a
February 19, 20, 22, and 24, 1987, Orchestra Hall
BRAHMS Tragic Overture, Op. 81
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104
BRAHMS/Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
February 26, 27, and 28, 1987, Orchestra Hall
WAGNER Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin
WUORINEN Piano Concerto No. 3
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
December 3, 4, and 6, 1987, Orchestra Hall
REICHA Musique pour célébrer la memoire des grands hommes de la République francaise
HAYDN The Storm
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass
Linda Kelm, soprano
Dolora Zajic, mezzo-soprano
Gary Lakes, tenor
Kevin Langan, bass
Thomas Weisflog, organ
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
February 18, 19, 20, and 23, 1988, Orchestra Hall
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72
IVES Symphony No. 3 (The Camp Meeting)
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
March 5, 1988, Perth Concert Hall, Perth, Australia
March 10, 1988, Adelaide Festival Center, Adelaide, Australia
March 15, 1988, Melbourne Concert Hall, Melbourne, Australia
March 18, 1988, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
IVES Symphony No. 3 (The Camp Meeting)
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
April 6, 7, 8, and 11, 1989, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Symphony No. 81 in G Major
HAYDN Horn Concerto in D Major, Hob. VIId:3
Dale Clevenger, horn
IVES Symphony No. 1
Ives’ Symphony no. 1 was recorded in Medinah Temple on April 15 and 17, 1989. For Sony Stephen Epstein was the producer, Bud Graham was the recording engineer, and Graham and Kevin P. Boutote were the post-production engineers.
April 13, 14, 16, and 18, 1989, Orchestra Hall
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83
Emanuel Ax, piano
American Hymns: Nearer, My God, to Thee; From Greenland’s Icy Mountains; Ye Christian Heralds; Jesus, Lover of My Soul; and Sweet By and By
Richard Webster, organ
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
IVES Symphony No. 4
Mary Sauer, piano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
The American hymns and Ives’ Symphony no. 4 were recorded in Medinah Temple on April 15 and 17, 1989. For Sony Stephen Epstein was the producer, Bud Graham was the recording engineer, and Graham and Kevin P. Boutote were the post-production engineers.
March 31, April 1, 2, and 5, 1994, Orchestra Hall
J.C. BACH Symphony for Double Orchestra in E-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 1
REICH Three Movements
Patricia Dash, Albert Payson, James Ross, and Michael Green, percussion
MAHLER Symphony No. 1 in D Major
April 7, 8, and 9, 1994, Orchestra Hall
BERNSTEIN Imaginary Coney Island Scene from On the Town
BERNSTEIN Chichester Psalms
Ryan Cox, boy soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Cheryl Frazes Hill, director
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique)
March 16, 17, and 18, 2006, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Resurrection)
Celena Shafer, soprano
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
May 29, 30, and 31, 2008, Orchestra Hall
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
OLIVER Federal Street (Great God, we sing that mighty hand)
HATTON Duke Street (God, beneath thy guiding hand)
ROOT The Shining Shore
TRADITIONAL Good Night, Ladies
BISHOP Home, Sweet Home
IVES Symphony: New England Holidays
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
October 2, 3, and 4, 2008, Orchestra Hall
TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass
Daniel Gingrich, David Griffin, Oto Carrillo, Susanna Drake, and Alice Render, horns
Christopher Martin, Mark Ridenour, John Hagstrom, and David Gauger, trumpets
Jay Friedman, Michael Mulcahy, and Charles Vernon, trombones
Gene Pokorny, tuba
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
February 11, 12, and 13, 2010, Orchestra Hall
CRAWFORD SEEGER Andante for Strings
BERG Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Yefim Bronfman, piano
February 18, 19, 20, and 21, 2010, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Ode
STRAVINSKY Apollon musagète
STRAVINSKY Oedipus Rex
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
William Burden, tenor
Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone
Stanford Olsen, tenor
Sir Patrick Stewart, narrator
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
November 4, 5, and 6, 2010, Orchestra Hall
COPLAND Quiet City
Scott Hostetler, english horn
Christopher Martin, trumpet
COPLAND Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Paul Jacobs, organ
COPLAND Orchestral Variations
COPLAND Appalachian Spring
December 8, 9, and 10, 2011, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Blumine
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Jeremy Denk, piano
BRAHMS/Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
November 21, 22, 23, and 24, 2013, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Elegy for J.F.K.
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
John Bruce Yeh, Gregory Smith, and J. Lawrie Bloom, clarinets
MAHLER Symphony No. 9
March 17, 18, and 19, 2016, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Scherzo à la Russe
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Emanuel Ax, piano
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
December 15, 16, 17, and 18, 2016, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Scènes de ballet
SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
Guatier Capuçon, cello
PROKOFIEV Suite from Romeo and Juliet
December 13, 14, and 15, 2018, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Concerto in D for String Orchestra
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63
Nicola Benedetti, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique)
November 30, December 1, 2, and 5, 2023, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Six German Dances, K. 509
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488
Orion Weiss, piano
BRAHMS/Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
Tilson Thomas was preceded in death by his husband and partner of nearly fifty years, Joshua Robison. Numerous tributes have appeared online, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Francisco Standard, among numerous others.
This article also appears here.
Wishing a very happy seventieth birthday to the incomparable American cellist Yo-Yo Ma!
Born to Chinese parents living in Paris, Ma began studying the cello with his father at age four. Three years later, he moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies at the Juilliard School to study with Leonard Rose. A prolific recording artist, Ma is the recipient of nineteen Grammy awards and has performed for nine American presidents. He has received numerous recognitions, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Birgit Nilsson Prize, the Polar Music Prize, and a Kennedy Center Honors, among numerous others. Ma has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Since making his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1979 and on the Allied Arts (now Symphony Center Presents) series in 1981, Ma has been one the most frequent visitors to the Orchestra Hall stage. Since then—over the course of five decades—he has appeared with the CSO as soloist in Orchestra Hall, at the Ravinia Festival, and in Carnegie Hall, as well as on several recordings. A complete list of Ma’s appearances is below.
December 13, 14, and 15, 1979, Orchestra Hall
KABALEVSKY Cello Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 49
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
July 1, 1982, Ravinia Festival
HAYDN Cello Concerto in D Major
Charles Dutoit, conductor
August 11, 1984, Ravinia Festival
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
November 5 and 7, 1986, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Sinfonia concertante in E-flat Major, K. 364
Isaac Stern, violin
Claudio Abbado, conductor
November 6 and 8, 1986, Orchestra Hall
BRAHMS Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op. 102 (Double)
Isaac Stern, violin
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Recorded in Orchestra Hall on November 8, 1986. For Sony, Bud Graham was the control engineer, Tim Geelan was the post-production engineer, Tom MacClskey was the editing engineer, and Hank Altman was the remote technical supervisor.
February 22, 23, 24, and 27, 1990, Orchestra Hall
LADERMAN Cello Concerto (world premiere)
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
October 6, 1990, Orchestra Hall
Gala Centennial Concert
HAYDN Allegro molto from Cello Concerto in C Major
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
August 6, 1993, Ravinia Festival
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 107
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
May 5, 6, and 7, 1994, Orchestra Hall
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
July 27, 1996, Ravinia Festival
BOCCHERINI Cello Concerto in B-flat Major
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme in A Major, Op. 33
James Conlon, conductor
September 20, 1996, Orchestra Hall
Opening Night and Musicians’ Pension Fund Concert
ELGAR Cello Concert in E Minor, Op. 85
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
September 26, 27, and 28, 1996, Orchestra Hall
BRAHMS Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op. 102 (Double)
Itzhak Perlman, violin
Daniel Barenboim
Recorded live by Teldec. Renate Kupfer was the executive producer, Martin Sauer was the recording producer, Michael Brammann was the recording engineer, Philipp Nedel and John Newton were assistant engineers, and Stefan Witzel was the digital editor.
October 6, 1997, Carnegie Hall
ELGAR Cello Concert in E Minor, Op. 85
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
August 26, 1998, Ravinia Festival
BLOCH Schelomo
STRAUSS Don Quixote, Op. 35
Charles Pikler, viola
Ascher Fisch, conductor
January 7, 8, and 9, 1999, Orchestra Hall
HARBISON Cello Concerto
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
June 26, 1999, Ravinia Festival
HAYDN Cello Concerto in C Major
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 239
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
January 6, 7, and 8, 2000, Orchestra Hall
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
June 25, 2000, Ravinia Festival
SAINT-SAËNS La muse et le poète, Op. 132
Robert Chen, violin
ELGAR Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
September 15, 2000, Orchestra Hall
Opening Night Gala
LALO Cello Concerto in D Minor
SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
June 22, 2001, Ravinia Festival
BOCCHERINI Cello Concerto in B-flat Major
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme in A Major, Op. 33
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
September 27, 28, and 29, 2001, Orchestra Hall
October 18, 2001, Carnegie Hall
BRUCH Kol nidre, Op. 47
Performed in memory of Isaac Stern, who died on September 22, 1001
CARTER Cello Concerto (world premiere)
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
October 24, 25, and 26, 2002, Orchestra Hall
KALHOR (arr. Kalhor/Prutsman) Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur
Silk Road Ensemble
November 12, 2003, Orchestra Hall
Jewish Community Centers of Chicago Centennial Benefit Concert
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
David Zinman, conductor
January 16, 2004, Orchestra Hall
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, conductor
August 6, 2006, Ravinia Festival
HAYDN Cello Concerto in C Major
GOLIJOV Azul
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
September 30, 2006, Orchestra Hall
Opening Night
YANOV-YANOVSKY Night Music: Voice in the Leaves
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
April 12, 13, and 17, 2007, Orchestra Hall
ZHOU Song of Eight Unruly Tipsy Poets from Poems from Tang for String Quartet and Orchestra
Colin Jacobsen and Jonathan Gandelsman, violins
Nicholas Cords, viola
Traditional/Sang and Magpie Ambush from Ten Sides
Wu Man, pipa
Wu Tong, sheng and xun
Liu Lin, guitar
BLOCH Schelomo
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Schelomo was recorded live for CSO Resound and Song of Eight Unruly Tipsy Poets and Ambush from Ten Sides was recorded live for Sony. David Frost was the producer and editor, Christopher Willis was the recording engineer, Tom Lazarus and Frost were the mixing engineers, and Richard King was the mastering engineer. The CSO Resound release won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album–Classical.
August 20 and 21, 2008, Orchestra Hall
Special non-subscription concerts
WILLIAMS Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha
John Williams, conductor
Recorded live for Sony. John Williams was the producer and Christopher Willis was the recording engineer.
January 9, 2009, Orchestra Hall
Musicians’ Pension Fund Concert
GOLIJOV Azul
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
August 14, 2009, Ravinia Festival
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
James Conlon, conductor
May 13, 14, and 15, 2010, Orchestra Hall
YANOV-YANOVSKY Cello Concerto
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
May 12, 13, and 14, 2011, Orchestra Hall
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129
Riccardo Muti, conductor
May 17, 2011, Orchestra Hall
Corporate Night
WILLIAMS Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha
John Williams, conductor
August 5, 2011, Ravinia Festival
TCHAIKOVKY Andante cantabile from String Quartet in D Major, Op. 11
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme in A Major, Op. 33
James Conlon, conductor
May 5 and 6, 2012, Orchestra Hall
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
May 10 and 11, 2012, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Cello Concerto in D Major
Ton Koopman, conductor
February 28, March 1, and 2, 2013, Orchestra Hall
LUTOSŁAWSKI Cello Concerto
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
January 30, 31, and February 1, 2014, Orchestra Hall
SOLLIMA Antidotum Tarantulae, Concerto for Two Cellos and Orchestra (world premiere)
Giovanni Sollima, cello
Riccardo Muti, conductor
March 19, 20, and 21, 2015, Orchestra Hall
SAINT-SAËNS La muse et le poète, Op. 132
Robert Chen, violin
LALO Cello Concerto in D Minor
Charles Dutoit, conductor
February 25, 26, 27, and March 1, 2016, Orchestra Hall
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 107
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
March 9, 10, and 11, 2017, Orchestra Hall
SALONEN Cello Concerto (world premiere)
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
June 14, 15, and 16, 2018, Orchestra Hall
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 126
Riccardo Muti, conductor
May 1, 2023, Orchestra Hall
Musicians’ Pension Fund Concert
ELGAR Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma also has performed on the Allied Arts and Symphony Center Presents series along with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association’s Institute for Learning, Access, and Training and the Negaunee Music Institute. All concerts listed below were given in Orchestra Hall unless otherwise noted.
February 8, 1981
BEETHOVEN Sonata in F Major, Op. 5, No. 1
BEETHOVEN Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2
BRAHMS Sonata in F Major, Op. 99
Emanuel Ax, piano
January 12, 1986
PENDERECKI Cello Concerto No. 2
Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra
Krzysztof Penderecki, conductor
September 27, 1987
BACH Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028
HINDEMITH Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 25, No. 3
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2
BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108 (arranged for cello by Yo-Yo Ma)
Patricia Zander, piano
December 9, 1990
BRAHMS Scherzo for Violin and Piano in C Minor from the F-A-E Sonata
FAURÉ Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 1
BRAHMS Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25
Isaac Stern, violin
Jaime Laredo, viola
Emanuel Ax, piano
December 2, 1992
CRUMB Sonata for Solo Cello
BACH Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007
KIRCHNER For Solo Cello
PAGANINI Nos. 11, 9, and 24 from Caprices, Op. 1
WILDE The Cellist of Sarajevo, Op. 12
BACH Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012
April 18, 1993
BOCCHERINI Quintet in E Major, Op. 13, No. 5, G. 275
BRAHMS Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111
SCHUBERT Quintet in C Major, D. 956
Isaac Stern and Cho-Liang Lin, violins
Jaime Laredo and Michael Tree, violas
Sharon Robinson, piano
May 8, 1994
SCHUBERT Sonata in A Minor, D. 821 (Arpeggione)
BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
Daniel Barenboim, piano
May 1, 1996
BEETHOVEN Twelve Variations in F Major on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Op. 66
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
Emanuel Ax, piano
September 29, 1996
BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38
BRAHMS Trio in A Minor for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 114
BRAHMS Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99
Larry Combs, clarinet
Daniel Barenboim, piano
January 13, 1998
STRAVINSKY Suite italienne
BRAHMS Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99
BERNSTEIN Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (arranged for cello by Yo-Yo Ma)
GERSHWIN/Heifetz Three Preludes
PIAZZOLLA/Assad Andante
PIAZZOLLA/Assad Allegro
PIAZZOLLA Le Grand Tango
Kathryn Stott, piano
February 25, 1998
MOZART Quartet in G Minor, K. 478
SCHUMANN Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47
BRAHMS Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60
Isaac Stern, violin
Jaime Laredo, viola
Emanual Ax, piano
March 8, 1998 (3:30 p.m.)
BACH Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007
BACH Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008
BACH Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009
March 8, 1998 (7:00 p.m.)
BACH Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major, BWV 1010
BACH Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011
BACH Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012
October 13, 1999
O’CONNOR Appalachia Waltz
SHENG Seven Tunes Heard in China
WILDE The Cellist of Sarajevo, Op. 12
KODÁLY Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello, Op. 8
January 9, 2000
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1
CARTER Cello Sonata
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2
Daniel Barenboim, piano
April 3, 2000
The program was announced from the stage.
Mark O’Connor, violin
Edgar Meyer, bass
November 19, 2000
SCHUMANN Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44
MESSIAEN Quartet for the End of Time
BRAHMS Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34
Robert Chen and Itzhak Perlman, violins
Pinchas Zukerman, viola
Larry Combs, clarinet
Daniel Barenboim, piano
May 21, 2001
BACH Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007
BACH Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011
BACH Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012
May 1, 2002
Traditional Music (China)
ZHAO Moon over Guan Mountains
Classical Music from Azerbaijan
ALI-ZADEH Dervish
KIM Tryst
SHOSTAKOVICH Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67
Silk Road Ensemble
October 25, 2002
SHARAV Legend of Herlen
SHARAFYAN The Sun, the Wine, and the Wind of Time
CHEN YI Ning
MAMIYA Five Finnish Folk Songs
RAVEL Trio in A Minor
Silk Road Ensemble
May 13, 2003
MOZART Trio in C Major, K. 548
BEETHOVEN Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (Ghost)
MENDELSSOHN Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
Daniel Barenboim, piano
January 16, 2005
CHOPIN Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65
DEBUSSY Sonata
FRANCK Sonata in A Major (Version for Cello and Piano)
Daniel Barenboim, piano
April 8, 2005
Various (China and Iran) Silk Road Suite
Collected by KImitas Vartabed/arr. S. Aslamazyan Armenian Folk Songs
Various (Azerbaijan) Azerie Suite
DAS Tarang
ALI-ZADEHJ Mugan-sajahy
Various (France and Romania) Music of the Roma
PERAPASKERO (arr. Golijov and Ljova) Turceasca
Silk Road Ensemble
April 15, 2007
Traditional Chinese Rainbow Dance
HUANG Galloping Horses
ZIPORYN Sulvasutra
ABOU-KHALIL Arabian Waltz
KIM/Umezaki When the Wind Circles . . .
DAS Shristi
KALHOR The Silent City
PERAPASKERO (arr. Golijov and Ljova) Turceasca
Silk Road Ensemble
April 20, 2007
ADLER Music for a Royal Palace
Chinese Traditional (arr. Lin) Yanzi
LAM Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain
KIM Once We Were . . .
YANOV-YANOVSKY Paths of Parables
GOLIJOV Night of Flying Horses
GOLIJOV Lua Descolorida
Silk Road Ensemble
March 24, 2010
SCHUBERT Sonata in A Minor, D. 821 (Arpeggione)
SHOSTAKOVICH Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40
PIAZZOLLA Le Grand Tango
GISMONTI and CARNEIRO Bodas de Prata & Quatro Canos
FRANCK/Delsart Sonata A Major
Kathryn Stott, piano
January 30, 2011
BEETHOVEN Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
BRAHMS Trio in A Minor for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 114
MENDELSSOHN Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 47
SCHUMANN Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 47
Robert Chen, Jaime Gorgojo, Robert Hanford and Susan Synnestvedt, violins
Catherine Brubaker and Rami Solomonow, violas
Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Emanuel Ax, piano
March 18, 2012
MARTINŮ Suite from La revue de cuisine
ZYMAN Selections from Suite for Two Cellos
SOLLIMA Violincelles, Vibrez!
BRAHMS Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, Op. 34
Robert Chen, Stephanie Jeong and John Xia, violins
Diane Mues, viola
Loren Brown, Kenneth Olsen, Richard Hirschl, Daniel Katz, Katinka Kleijn, John Sharp, Gary Stucka and Brant Taylor, cellos
John Bruce Yeh, clarinet
Dana Jackson, bassoon
Rachel Serber, trumpet
Jorge Federico Osorio, piano
April 29, 2012
MARIANO/Calandrelli Cristal
PIAZZOLLA Milonga en Re
VILLA-LOBOS/Calandrelli Alma Brasileira
PIAZZLLA/Yamamoto Oblivion
GUARNIERI/Calandrelli Dansa Negra
GISOMONTI/Assad Palhaço
VILLA-LOBOS/Assad Melodia sentimental
LEVY/Assad Baião de 5
PEIXE/Assad Mourão
PIAZZOLLA Medley of Three Brazilian Songs
JOBIM/Assad Amparo
JOBIM/Assad Stone Flower
ASSAD Tahhiyya Li Ossoulina
ASSAD and ASSAD Back to Our Roots Suite
Sérgio Assad and Odair Assad, guitars
Kathryn Stott, piano
Joseph Gramley, percussion
May 7, 2012, Benito Juarez Community Academy
FALLA/Colón Seven Popular Spanish Songs
ZYMAN Selections from Suite for Two Cellos
BRAHMS Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, Op. 34
Robert Chen and Stephanie Jeong, violins
Diane Mues, viola
John Sharp, cello
Jorge Federico Osorio, piano
October 13, 2012
ZORN/Blumenkranz, Gandelsman, Pato, and Shanahan Suite from Book of Angels
JACOBSEN Atashgah
IYER Playlist for an Extreme Occasion
YANOV-YANOVSKY Sacred Signs: Concerto for Thirteen Musicians
Silk Road Ensemble
May 15, 2013
BACH/Yanov-Yanovsky Two-Part Inventions
DVOŘÁK Quartet for Strings No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 (American)
BEETHOVEN Septet for Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Yuan-Qing Yu and Hermine Gagné, violins
Jonas Benson and Li-Kuo Chang, violas
Alexander Hanna, bass
Jennifer Gunn, flute
Megan Kyle, oboe
J. Lawrie Bloom and Stephen Williamson, clarinets
William Buchman, bassoon
Daniel Gingrich, horn
Tage Larsen, trumpet
Charles Vernon, trombone
Robert Kistler and Cynthia Yeh, percussion
February 21, 2014
BRAHMS Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38
BRAHMS Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 78
DEAN Hommage à Brahms
BRAHMS Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99
Emanuel Ax, piano
March 6, 2015
UMEZAKI Side In, Side Out
SOLLIMA Taranta Project
PEREZ The Latina 6/8 Suite
LIN Paramita
DAS/Kalhor Jugalbandi
AZMEH Wedding
Silk Road Ensemble
May 17, 2015
RAVEL Chansons madécasses
AUCOIN Dual (world premiere)
RAVEL Sonata for Violin and Cello
MESSIAEN Quartet for the End of Time
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Stephanie Jeong and Baird Dodge, violins
Alexander Hanna, bass
Jennifer Gunn, flute
J. Lawrie Bloom, clarinet
Orion Weiss, piano
June 12, 2016
Incan Traditional/Block Hanacpachap
ARAÑÉS/Block Chacona: A La Vida Bona
GERVAISE/Dejardin Four Dances from the Third Book of Danceries
BEY/Block Nikriz Pesrev
JACOBSEN Mirror for a Prince
SHANAHAN Saidi Swing
DIAZ de LEON Anima
SOLLIMA Guglielmo Scrollalanza
SALINAS/Block Romance del Conde Claros
Ashley Bathgate, Mike Block, Loren Brown, Richard Hirschl, Katinka Kleijn, John Sharp, and Jeffrey Zeigler, cellos
Shane Shanahan and Cynthia Yeh, percussion
April 24, 2017
The program was announced from the stage.
Edgar Meyer, bass
Chris Thile, mandolin
June 11, 2017, Saint Sabina Church
COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man
DVOŘÁK Fourth movement from Quartet for Strings No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 (American)
JOPLIN/Clark Maple Leaf Rag
ELLINGTON/Drayton Come Sunday
DANNY/Fink My Love
Traditional/Casals Song of the Birds
Anonymous South African Medley in Honor of Oliver Tambo
GRAHAM and LOVELAND/Fink You Raise Me Up
Sarah Ponder, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Children’s Choir
Josephine Lee, director
Musicians of Saint Sabina Church Ensemble
Musicians from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago
Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
February 25, 2018
BRAHMS Trio for Piano and Strings No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87
BRAHMS Trio for Piano and Strings No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 101
BRAHMS Trio for Piano and Strings No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Emanuel Ax, piano
June 10, 2018, Saint Sabina Church
OWENS Believe in Love
BRUMFIELD/Horan and Lee One Day at a Time
PIERCE/Fink Peace and Love, Coby
MARSHBANKS/Horan and Lee One Red Rose
SILVER/Drayton Peace
BOSLEY/Fink Song for Terrell
DVOŘÁK Silent Woods, Op. 68
CHERRY/Horan and Lee Hurricane
BACH Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
FRASIER and WALKER/Dilworth and Goodwin/Owens I Need You to Survive
Takesha Mieshé Kizart, soprano
Sarah Ponder, mezzo-soprano
Journey Allison, mezzo-soprano
Saint Sabina Band
Chicago Children’s Choir
Josephine Lee, director
Musicians From the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Musicians From the Civic Orchestra of Chicago
Erina Yashima, conductor
June 20, 2019, Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park
BACH Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007
BACH Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008
BACH Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009
BACH Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major, BWV 1010
BACH Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011
BACH Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012
March 2, 2020
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in B-flat Major, Op. 97 (Archduke)
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Emanuel Ax, piano
March 11, 2022
BEETHOVEN/Wosner Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (Pastoral)
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in B-flat Major, Op. 11
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (Ghost)
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Emanuel Ax, piano
February 3, 2024
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (Ghost)
BEETHOVEN/Wosner Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
BEETHOVEN Trio for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Emanuel Ax, piano
April 7, 2024
FAURÉ Berceuse, Op. 16
DVOŘÁK Songs My Mother Taught Me
ASSAD Menino
BOULANGER Cantique
FAURÉ Papillon, Op. 77
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40
PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel
FRANCK Violin Sonata in A Major
Kathryn Stott, piano
August 26, 2025, Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park
The program was announced from the stage.
Angélique Kidjo, vocals
Thierry Vaton, piano
David Donatien, percussion
Ronnie Lanziolotta, bass
Dave Palazola, drums
Ahmed Gallab, guitar and keyboards
James “Jas” Walton, horns
Corbin Andrick, saxophone
Constantine Alexander, trumpet
Magatte Sow, percussion
Imania Detry, Tosha Alston, Idris Daniel, Victoria Boeteng, Joyce Lindsey, and Nafi Diabate, African percussion
Happy, happy birthday!
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Wishing a very happy eightieth birthday to legendary American conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas! A frequent and favorite visitor to the podium for over fifty years, he has led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Orchestra Hall, at the Ravinia Festival, on tour to Australia, and in the recording studio.
Following twenty-five-year-old Tilson Thomas’s CSO debut at the Ravinia Festival in July 1970, the headline in the Chicago Sun-Times raved, “Young conductor in brilliant debut.” The program was “as sophisticated as it was well played,” according to Robert C. Marsh. “Thomas is a strong candidate to become a big name in a very short time [having] already mastered the art of understatement. He does not play down to his audience by underlining his interpretive decisions, but instead conveys the feeling that through his conducting we are in contact with the thought processes of the composer himself. It is wonderful to hear music played this way . . .”
After Tilson Thomas first appeared with the CSO in Orchestra Hall in May 1981, John von Rhein in the Chicago Tribune wrote, “Thomas’s interesting program achieved a welcome balance of the brainy and the accessible, the unusual and the familiar. . . . Thomas, who once was assistant to Pierre Boulez, retains some of that conductor’s ability to clarify line, texture and nuance without sacrificing a sensuous wash of vivid atmosphere.”
A complete list of Michael Tilson Thomas’ appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is below.
July 12, 1970, Ravinia Festival
J.C. BACH Sinfonia for Double Orchestra in E-flat Major
HAYDN Symphony No. 60 in C Major
VARÈSE Intégrales
STRAVINSKY Suite from Pulcinella
August 1, 1970, Ravinia Festival
BACH Suite No. 4 in D Major, BWV 1069
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488
John Browning, piano
RUGGLES Sun-Treader
WAGNER Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March, and Brünnhilde’s Immolation from Götterdämmerung
May 21, 22, and 24, 1981, Orchestra Hall
BACH/Schoenberg Chorale Preludes (Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele and Komm and Gott Schöpfer, heiliger Geist)
IVES Symphony No. 2
STRAVINSKY The Firebird
July 22, 1982, Ravinia Festival
HAYDN Symphony No. 81 in G Major
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Shlomo Mintz, violin
STRAVINSKY Symphony in Three Movements
RAVEL La valse
July 24, 1982, Ravinia Festival
BERLIOZ Overture to Benvenuto Cellini
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Emanuel Ax, piano
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
August 7, 1983, Ravinia Festival
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
GERSHWIN Summertime; It Ain’t Necessarily So; and I Loves You, Porgy from Porgy and Bess
GERSHWIN Sweet and Low-Down
GERSHWIN Medley: But Not for Me, Love is Here to Stay, Embraceable You, and Someone to Watch over Me
GERSHWIN Fascinatin’ Rhythm
GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody for Orchestra with Piano
Miichael Tilson Thomas, piano
GERSHWIN My Man’s Gone Now from Porgy and Bess
GERSHWIN The Man I Love
GERSHWIN Do It Again!
GERSHWIN Medley: Nice Work If You Can Get It, They Can’t Take That Away from Me, ‘S Wonderful, Swanee, Strike Up the Band
Sarah Vaughan, vocal
George Gaffney, piano
Andy Simpkins, bass
Harold Jones, drums
August 11, 1983, Ravinia Festival
JANÁČEK Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen
DEBUSSY La mer
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23
Misha Dichter, piano
August 13, 1983, Ravinia Festival
BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Henryk Szeryng, violin
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
November 10, 11, and 12, 1983, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
STRAVINSKY Apollon musagète
TCHAIKOVSKY Manfred, Op. 58
November 17, 18, and 19, 1983, Orchestra Hall
November 21, 1983, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
IVES Symphony No. 3 (The Camp Meeting)
GERSHWIN/Tilson Thomas Nocturne for Lily Pons
Michael Tilson Thomas, piano
VARÈSE Arcana
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Misha Dichter, piano
August 9, 1984, Ravinia Festival
GLINKA Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Yefim Bronfman, piano
STRAVINSKY The Firebird
August 11, 1984, Ravinia Festival
DEBUSSY Incidental Music for King Lear
DEBUSSY First Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra
Larry Combs, clarinet
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
June 13, 14, and 15, 1985, Orchestra Hall
GRAINGER Arrival Platform Humlet from In a Nutshell
GRIFFES Clouds
CHABRIER Joyeuse marche
DEL TREDICI March to Tonality
GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody for Orchestra with Piano
Michael Tilson Thomas, piano
DELIUS On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
RESPIGHI Feste romane
SOUSA New Mexico March
August 8, 1985, Ravinia Festival
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Four Pieces from Mlada
RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Misha Dichter, piano
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
August 10, 1985, Ravinia Festival
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
August 15, 1985, Ravinia Festival
IVES Thanksgiving and Forefathers’ Day from Holidays Symphony
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
MAHLER Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Resurrection)
Marvis Martin, soprano
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
August 17, 1985, Ravinia Festival
MOZART Symphony No. 34 in C Major, K. 338
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
May 1, 2, and 3, 1986, Orchestra Hall
May 5, 1986, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
IVES The Unanswered Question
Adolph Herseth, trumpet
IVES Central Park in the Dark
MOZART Concerto for Violin No. 5 in A Major, K. 219
Young Uck Kim, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Suite No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 43
May 8, 9, and 10, 1986, Orchestra Hall
IVES Symphony: New England Holidays
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
BARTÓK Three Village Scenes
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
July 24, 1986, Ravinia Festival
COPLAND Billy the Kid, Suite from the Ballet
SCHUBERT/Liszt Fantasy in C Major, D. 760 (The Wanderer)
Illana Vered, piano
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
July 26, 1986, Ravinia Festival
BERLIOZ Overture to Benveunto Cellini
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14a
February 19, 20, 22, and 24, 1987, Orchestra Hall
BRAHMS Tragic Overture, Op. 81
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104
BRAHMS/Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
February 26, 27, and 28, 1987, Orchestra Hall
WAGNER Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin
WUORINEN Piano Concerto No. 3
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
December 3, 4, and 6, 1987, Orchestra Hall
REICHA Musique pour célébrer la memoire des grands hommes de la République francaise
HAYDN The Storm
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass
Linda Kelm, soprano
Dolora Zajic, mezzo-soprano
Gary Lakes, tenor
Kevin Langan, bass
Thomas Weisflog, organ
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
February 18, 19, 20, and 23, 1988, Orchestra Hall
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72
IVES Symphony No. 3 (The Camp Meeting)
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
March 5, 1988, Perth Concert Hall, Perth
March 10, 1988, Adelaide Festival Center, Adelaide
March 15, 1988, Melbourne Concert Hall, Melbourne
March 18, 1988, Sydney Opera House, Sydney
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
IVES Symphony No. 3 (The Camp Meeting)
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
April 6, 7, 8, and 11, 1989, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Symphony No. 81 in G Major
HAYDN Horn Concerto in D Major, Hob. VIId:3
Dale Clevenger, horn
IVES Symphony No. 1
April 13, 14, 16, and 18, 1989, Orchestra Hall
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83
Emanuel Ax, piano
American Hymns: Nearer, My God, to Thee; From Greenland’s Icy Mountains; Ye Christian Heralds; Jesus, Lover of My Soul; and Sweet By and By
Richard Webster, organ
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
IVES Symphony No. 4
Mary Sauer, piano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
March 31, April 1, 2, and 5, 1994, Orchestra Hall
J.C. BACH Symphony for Double Orchestra in E-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 1
REICH Three Movements
Patricia Dash, Albert Payson, James Ross, and Michael Green, percussion
MAHLER Symphony No. 1 in D Major
April 7, 8, and 9, 1994, Orchestra Hall
BERNSTEIN Imaginary Coney Island Scene from On the Town
BERNSTEIN Chichester Psalms
Ryan Cox, boy soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Cheryl Frazes Hill, director
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique)
March 16, 17, and 18, 2006, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Resurrection)
Celena Shafer, soprano
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
May 29, 30, and 31, 2008, Orchestra Hall
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
OLIVER Federal Street (Great God, we sing that mighty hand)
HATTON Duke Street (God, beneath thy guiding hand)
ROOT The Shining Shore
TRADITIONAL Good Night, Ladies
BISHOP Home, Sweet Home
IVES Symphony: New England Holidays
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
October 2, 3, and 4, 2008, Orchestra Hall
TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass
Daniel Gingrich, David Griffin, Oto Carrillo, Susanna Drake, and Alice Render, horns
Christopher Martin, Mark Ridenour, John Hagstrom, and David Gauger, trumpets
Jay Friedman, Michael Mulcahy, and Charles Vernon, trombones
Gene Pokorny, tuba
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
February 11, 12, and 13, 2010, Orchestra Hall
CRAWFORD SEEGER Andante for Strings
BERG Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Yefim Bronfman, piano
February 18, 19, 20, and 21, 2010, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Ode
STRAVINSKY Apollon musagète
STRAVINSKY Oedipus Rex
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
William Burden, tenor
Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone
Stanford Olsen, tenor
Sir Patrick Stewart, narrator
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
November 4, 5, and 6, 2010, Orchestra Hall
COPLAND Quiet City
Scott Hostetler, english horn
Christopher Martin, trumpet
COPLAND Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Paul Jacobs, organ
COPLAND Orchestral Variations
COPLAND Appalachian Spring
December 8, 9, and 10, 2011, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Blumine
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Jeremy Denk, piano
BRAHMS/Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
November 21, 22, 23, and 24, 2013, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Elegy for J.F.K.
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
John Bruce Yeh, Gregory Smith, and J. Lawrie Bloom, clarinets
MAHLER Symphony No. 9
March 17, 18, and 19, 2016, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Scherzo à la Russe
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Emanuel Ax, piano
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
December 15, 16, 17, and 18, 2016, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Scènes de ballet
SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
Guatier Capuçon, cello
PROKOFIEV Suite from Romeo and Juliet
December 13, 14, and 15, 2018, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Concerto in D for String Orchestra
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63
Nicola Benedetti, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique)
November 30, December 1, 2, and 5, 2023, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Six German Dances, K. 509
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488
Orion Weiss, piano
BRAHMS/Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
For CBS and Sony, Tilson Thomas also recorded a number of works (all in Medinah Temple) by Charles Ives with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus:
IVES Central Park in the Dark
Recorded May 12, 1986
IVES New England Holidays Symphony
Fred Spector, Jew’s harp
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
Recorded May 10 and 12, 1986
IVES Symphony No. 1 in D Minor
Recorded April 15 and 17, 1989
IVES Symphony No. 4
Mary Sauer, piano
Members of the Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
Recorded April 15 and 17, 1989
IVES The Unanswered Question (original version)
IVES The Unanswered Question (revised version)
Adolph Herseth, trumpet
Recorded May 10, 1986
Happy, happy birthday!
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The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family wishes American conductor Leonard Slatkin a very happy eightieth birthday! A frequent and favorite guest conductor, he has appeared with the Orchestra on numerous occasions—in Orchestra Hall, the Ravinia Festival, in Milwaukee, and throughout Illinois on tour—over the last five decades.
At the invitation of CSO general manager John Edwards, Slatkin—in his second season as assistant conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra—made his debut in Orchestra Hall with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago on March 6, 1970, leading the following program:
SCHUBERT Overture to Rosamunde, D. 644
WAGNER Siegfried Idyll
SCHUMAN New England Triptych
FAURÉ Pelleas and Melisande, Op. 80
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome
The following year in 1971, Slatkin first led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducting two free, outdoor Symphony in the Streets concerts. Also during that residency, he led the Orchestra on a children’s concert at the Ravinia Festival.
In April 1974, Slatkin first led the CSO in Orchestra Hall. “Leonard Slatkin, an enormously talented young American musician who will be the principal conductor of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra this summer, made his subscription concert debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Thursday night at Orchestra Hall,” wrote Robert C. Marsh in the Chicago Sun-Times. “He has at twenty-nine all the skills and all the qualities of leadership necessary to win the respect of a great orchestra and have them play for him with enthusiasm and the fullest measure of their talent. . . . What was impressive in the manner in which Slatkin could prepare three new works [Purcell, Vaughan Williams, and Piston] and have the Orchestra playing them with security and bravura as if they were repertory standards. This, plus the clarity and precision of his beat, promises good things to come . . .”
“As a result of Daniel Barenboim’s cancellation—to be with his ailing wife [Jacqueline du Pré]—Slatkin, who is associate conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony, has this week’s subscription concerts,” added Thomas Willis in the Chicago Tribune. “He has a direct, music-oriented competence which shows the thoroughness of his training and his concentration on things that matter. Conductors with more experience than he have foundered on the tempo changes in Ravel’s La valse, but he piloted the ensemble through each tempo change with an easy skill, catching the upbeats, shifting into overdrive, and pacing the rising line of apotheosis precisely.”
A staunch advocate for new music, Slatkin led the Orchestra in the world premieres of Donald Erb’s Concerto for Brass and Orchestra in April 1987, Jacob Druckman’s Brangle in March 1989, and, along with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Ned Rorem’s Goodbye My Fancy in November 1990. He also led the U.S. premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Quatre chansons françaises in May 1983.
A complete list of Leonard Slatkin’s appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is below.
July 12, 1971, Park Forest, Illinois (Symphony in the Streets)
July 21, 1971, Westmont, Illinois (Symphony in the Streets)
BARBER Adagio for Strings
GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
GRIEG Ingrid’s Lament from Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55
ROSSINI Overture to William Tell
J. STRAUSS, Jr. On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Op. 314
J. STRAUSS, Jr. Overture to Die Fledermaus
J. STRAUSS, Jr. Perpetual Motion, Op. 257
SOUSA The Stars and Stripes Forever
July 13, 1971, Ravinia Festival (Children’s concert)
IVES/Schuman Variations on America
SATIE/Debussy Gymnopédie Nos. 3 and 1
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
BACH/Cailliet Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578 (Little)
MUSSORGSKY/Ravel The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba-Yagá), The Great Gate of Kiev, Bydło (Oxcart), and Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks from Pictures at an Exhibition
TCHAIKOVSKY Third movement from Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
April 4, 5, and 7, 1974, Orchestra Hall
PURCELL Chacony in G Minor
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 6 in E Minor
PISTON Symphony No. 2
RAVEL La valse
January 8, 1975, Orchestra Hall (Jewish Community Centers of Chicago benefit under the auspices of Allied Arts)
TCHAIKOVSKY Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique)
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23
Ronald Turini, piano
January 9, 10, and 12, 1975, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Symphony No. 87 in A Major
ELGAR Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Zara Nelsova, cello
COPLAND Symphony No. 3
February 26, 27, and 29, 1976, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Symphony No. 85 in B-flat Major (The Queen)
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63
Viktor Tretyakov, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 17
June 3 and 4, 1976, Orchestra Hall
SCHUMAN Symphony No. 10 (American Muse)
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93
September 14, 1976, Shryock Auditorium, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
September 18, 1976, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100
September 15, 1976, Mississippi River Festival, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
BARBER Adagio for Strings
STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100
September 17, 1976, Shrine Mosque, Peoria
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
September 20, 1976, Lanz Gymnasium, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston
BERLIOZ Overture to Benvenuto Cellini
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
September 21, 1976, Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Millikin University, Decatur
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
BARBER Adagio for Strings
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
September 22, 1976, University Union and Auditorium, Illinois State University, Bloomington
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
September 23, 1976, Springfield High School Auditorium, Springfield
BERLIOZ Overture to Benvenuto Cellini
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100
September 25, 1976, Centennial Hall, Augustana College, Rock Island
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
BARBER Adagio for Strings
STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
January 25, 27, and 28, 1978, Orchestra Hall
January 30, 1978, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
BACH Air from Suite No. 3, D Major, BWV 1068 (January 27 and 28)
Performed in memory of CSO Viola Sheppard Lehnhoff, who died January 22, 1978
POULENC Suite française after Claude Gervaise
RAVEL Mother Goose
BARTÓK The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19
Chicago Symphony Chorus
James Winfield, director
February 2, 3, and 4, 1978, Orchestra Hall
DRUCKMAN Chiaroscuro
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major, K. 537
Bruno Leonardo Gelber, piano
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39
September 30, 1978, Orchestra Hall
DVOŘÁK Carnival Overture, Op. 92
BARBER Adagio for Strings
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
Nathan Milstein, violin
November 2, 3, and 4, 1978, Orchestra Hall
November 6, 1978, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
STRAVINSKY Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
Walter Klien, piano
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44
November 9, 10, and 11, 1978, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Serenade No. 6 in D Major K. 239 (Serenata notturna)
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 7, C Major, Op. 105
BERNSTEIN Symphony No. 1 (Jeremiah)
Claudine Carlson, mezzo-soprano
CHÁVEZ Symphony No. 2 (Sinfonia India)
April 16, 1979, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
MOZART Serenade No. 6 in D Major K. 239 (Serenata notturna)
MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
RACHMANINOV Isle of the Dead, Op. 29
CHÁVEZ Symphony No. 2 (Sinfonia India)
December 13, 14, and 15, 1979, Orchestra Hall
PURCELL Fantasia Upon One Note
BOLCOM Commedia for (almost) 18th-Century Orchestra
KABELEVSKY Cello Concerto, Op. 49
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
STRAUSS Symphonia domestica, Op. 53
December 20, 21, and 22, 1979, Orchestra Hall
VARÈSE Intégrales
GINASTERA Concerto per corde, Op. 33
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82
January 21, 1980, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
PURCELL Fantasia Upon One Note
BOLCOM Commedia for (almost) 18th-Century Orchestra
VARÈSE Intégrales
STRAUSS Symphonia domestica, Op. 53
April 9, 10, and 11, 1981, Orchestra Hall
April 13, 1981, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
SCHWANTNER Aftertones of Infinity
BARBER Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Jaime Laredo, violin
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
October 22, 23, and 24, 1981, Orchestra Hall
BEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
MOZART Nehmt meinen Dank, K. 383
MOZART Ah, lo previdi, K. 272
Lucia Popp, soprano
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 65
December 7, 1981, Orchestra Hall (Concert to dedicate the Möller Organ)
BACH Sinfonias to Part One Part Two from Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35
Frederick Swann, organ
HANDEL But oh! what art can teach and Orpheus could lead from Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day
Lucia Popp, soprano
Frederick Swann, organ
MENDELSSOHN Sonata for Organ No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 65
Frederick Swann, organ
HAYDN Benedictus from Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo
Lucia Popp, soprano
Frederick Swann, organ
POULENC Concerto in G Minor for Organ, String Orchestra, and Timpani
Frederick Swann, organ
Donald Koss, timpani
COPLAND Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Frederick Swann, organ
March 25, 26, and 27, 1982, Orchestra Hall
March 29, 1982, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
DRUCKMAN Aureole
BLOCH Schelomo
Zara Nelsova, cello
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70
April 1, 2, and 4, 1982, Orchestra Hall
SIBELIUS The Swan of Tounela from Four Legends from the Kalevala, Op. 22
Grover Schiltz, english horn
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104
MARTINŮ Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, H. 293
Josef Suk, violin
RESPIGHI Roman Festivals
May 11, 12, 13, and 15, 1983, Orchestra Hall
FINZI Nocturne (New Year Music)
TELEMANN Suite for Flute and String Orchestra
Donald Peck, flute
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 103 (The Year 1905)
May 19 and 20, 1983, Orchestra Hall
May 21, 1983, Paramount Arts Center, Aurora
BEETHOVEN Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
HAYDN Symphony No. 70 in D Major
BRITTEN Quatre chansons françaises
Claudine Carlson, mezzo-soprano
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
May 23, 1983, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
WAGNER Overture to Rienzi
HAYDN Symphony No. 70 in D Major
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
May 26, 27, and 28, 1983, Orchestra Hall
HANLON Cumulus Nimbus
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 3 (Pastoral)
Barbara Pearson, soprano
February 16, 17, and 18, 1984, Orchestra Hall
February 20, 1984, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
HAYDN Symphony No. 60 in C Major (Il Distratto)
BAX The Garden of Fand
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63
February 23, 24, and 26, 1984, Orchestra Hall
LYADOV Eight Russian Folk Songs, Op. 58
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60 (Leningrad)
March 1, 2, and 3, 1984, Orchestra Hall
ROUSE The Infernal Machine
ELGAR Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61
Itzhak Perlman, violin
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
March 8, 9, and 10, 1984, Orchestra Hall
RAVEL Menuet antique
RAVEL Pavane for a Dead Princess
CARTER Symphony of Three Orchestras
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 (Emperor)
Radu Lupu, piano
November 8, 9, and 10, 1984, Orchestra Hall
BACH/Respighi Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532
KARLINS Reflux
Joseph Guastafeste, bass
ELGAR Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 63
November 14, 1984, Orchestra Hall
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide
SCHULLER Three Selections from Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee
SLATKIN The Raven
Peter Ustinov, narrator
COPLAND Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
GERSHWIN/Bennett Porgy and Bess, A Symphonic Picture
November 15, 16, and 17, 1984, Orchestra Hall
November 19, 1984, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
BEETHOVEN Overture to King Stephan, Op. 117
HINDEMITH Violin Concerto
Mark Peskanov, violin
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 6 in E-flat Minor, Op. 111
November 21, 23, and 24, 1984, Orchestra Hall
PREVIN Principals
GOLDMARK Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 28
Christian Altenburger, violin
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 6 in D Major, Op. 60
February 9 and 12, 1985, Orchestra Hall
HANDEL Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon
SCHWANTNER Magabunda
Lucy Shelton, soprano
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
February 6, 7, and 8, 1986, Orchestra Hall
SCHUMANN Overture to Manfred, Op. 115
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
Ivo Pogorelich, piano
BARBER Adagio for Strings
SCHUMAN Symphony No. 3 in Two Parts
February 13, 14, and 16, 1986, Orchestra Hall
BRITTEN War Requiem, Op. 66
Margaret Marshall, soprano
John Aler, tenor
Benjamin Luxon, baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
Doreen Rao, director
February 20 and 22, 1986, Orchestra Hall
FINE Notturno for Strings and Harp
Edward Druzinsky, harp
BRUCH Scottish Fantasy in E-flat Major, Op. 46
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
NIELSEN Symphony No. 5, Op. 50
Gordon Peters, percussion
Larry Combs, clarinet
Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy was recorded in Medinah Temple on February 21, 1986, for CBS Records.
February 24, 1986, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee
FINE Notturno for Strings and Harp
Edward Druzinsky, harp
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
NIELSEN Symphony No. 5, Op. 50
Gordon Peters, percussion
Larry Combs, clarinet
Bruch’s First Violin Concerto was recorded in Medinah Temple on February 25, 1986, for CBS Records.
February 27, 28, and March 1, 1986, Orchestra Hall
ERB Prismatic Variations
Students from York Community High School
Bruce Moss, director
SCHUBERT/Liszt Fantasy in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 (The Wanderer)
Jeffrey Siegel, piano
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54
April 9, 10, 11, and 14, 1987, Orchestra Hall
TOWER Silver Ladders
BARBER Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131
April 16, 17, and 18, 1987, Orchestra Hall
April 21, 1987, Edman Memorial Chapel, Wheaton College
HAYDN Symphony No. 68 in B-flat Major
ERB Concerto for Brass and Orchestra
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 5 in D Minor
November 5, 6, 7, and 10, 1987, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Symphony No. 67 in F Major
RODRIGO Fantasia para un gentilhombre
Christopher Parkening, guitar
SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3, C Minor, Op. 78 (Organ)
Michael Murray, organ
November 12, 13, 14, and 17, 1987, Orchestra Hall
BARBER The School for Scandal Overture, Op. 5
HANSON Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 (Romantic)
SCHUMAN On Freedom’s Ground
William Powers, baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
March 16, 17, 18, and 21, 1989, Orchestra Hall
BARTÓK Kossuth
WOLFE Violin Concerto
Mark Peskanov, violin
BARTÓK Romanian Folkdances
JANÁCEK Sinfonietta
March 23, 24, 25, and 28, 1989, Orchestra Hall
HAYDN Symphony No. 66 in B-flat Major
DRUCKMAN Brangle
BRAHMS Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11
December 7, 8, and 9, 1989, Orchestra Hall
ERB Solstice
BARBER Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Elmar Oliveira, violin
HAYDN Symphony No. 87 in A Major
GINASTERA Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23
December 14, 15, and 16, 1989, Orchestra Hall
BACH/Stravinsky Choral Variations on Von Himmel hoch, da komm’ich her
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
STRAVINSKY Requiem Canticles
Rochelle Ellis, soprano
Emily Lodine, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Potter, tenor
Richard Cohn, baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
STRAVINSKY Mass
Deanna Lang, soprano
Emily Lodine, mezzo-soprano
David Anderson, tenor
Kevin McKelvie, tenor
William Diana, baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
Lucy Ding, director
STRAVINSKY Praeludium
STRAVINSKY Tango
STRAVINSKY Rag-time
STRAVINSKY Scherzo à la Russe
STRAVINSKY Ebony Concerto
John Bruce Yeh, clarinet
October 6, 1990, Orchestra Hall (Gala Centennial Concert)
HAYDN Allegro molto from Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
MOZART Adagio in E Major, K. 261 and Rondo in C Major, K. 373
Isaac Stern, violin
BARBER Essay No. 2, Op. 17
November 1, 2, and 3, 1990, Orchestra Hall
CARPENTER Sea Drift
GINASTERA Piano Concerto No. 1
Barbara Nissman, piano
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition (arranged by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lucien Cailliet, Sergei Gorchakov, Lawrence Leonard, Leonidas Leonardi, Maurice Ravel, Leopold Stokowski, Mikhail Tushmalov, and Henry Wood)
November 8, 9, and 10, 1990, Orchestra Hall
CORIGLIANO Three Hallucinations
PISTON Symphony No. 2
ROREM Goodbye My Fancy
Wendy White, mezzo-soprano
John Cheek, bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
April 8, 9, and 10, 1993, Orchestra Hall
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
TOWER Concerto for Orchestra
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100
April 13, 14, and 15, 1995, Orchestra Hall
CORIGLIANO Fantasia on an Ostinato
MAHLER/Mazzetti Symphony No. 10 in F-sharp Minor
March 14, 15, and 16, 2002, Orchestra Hall
GABRIELI Canzon IX from Canzoni et sonate
GABRIELI Sonata pian’e forte from Sacrae symphoniae
GABRIELI Canzon XVII from Canzoni et sonate
SCHWANTNER Percussion Concerto
Evelyn Glennie, percussion
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 (Polish)
July 5, 2003, Ravinia Festival
MCTEE Circuits
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19
Emanuel Ax, piano
MAHLER Symphony No. 1 in D Major
July 6, 2003, Ravinia Festival
CORIGLIANO The Mannheim Rocket
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466
Emanuel Ax, piano
CHOPIN Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 22
Emanuel Ax, piano
RAVEL Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2
July 9, 2004, Ravinia Festival
RACHMANINOV Caprice bohemian, Op. 12
RACHMANINOV Isle of the Dead, Op. 29
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
July 10, 2004, Ravinia Festival
RACHMANINOV The Rock, Op. 7
RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
December 9, 10, and 11, 2004, Orchestra Hall
PISTON Symphony No. 2
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major
Jonathan Biss, piano
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54
December 14, 2004, Orchestra Hall (Celebrating the centennial of Orchestra Hall)
WAGNER Hail! Bright Abode from Tannhäuser
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
WAGNER Overture to Tannhäuser
STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
HANDEL Hallelujah! from Messiah
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
HILL Happy Birthday to You (encore)
Lady Valerie Solti, host
April 14, 15, 16, and 19, 2005, Orchestra Hall
MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture, Op. 26
BERG Violin Concerto
Julian Rachlin, violin
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
April 26, 2005, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 in A Minor
April 30, 2005, Orchestra Hall
STRAVINSKY Petrushka
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
July 29, 2005, Ravinia Festival
PROKOFIEV Suite from Lieutenant Kijé, Op. 60
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
André Watts, piano
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100
June 5, 6, 7, and 8, 2008, Orchestra Hall
HINDEMITH Overture to Neues vom Tage
HINDEMITH Trauermusik for Viola and Strings
Pinchas Zukerman, viola
FRIEDMAN Sacred Heart: Explosion
BERLIOZ Harold in Italy, Op. 16
Pinchas Zukerman, viola
SAMARA/Breiner Olympic Hymn (encore)
July 9, 2008, Ravinia Festival
ENESCU Romanian Rhapsody in A Major, Op. 11, No. 1
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Joshua Bell, violin
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
July 10, 2008, Ravinia Festival
RACHMANINOV Vocalise in E Minor, Op. 34, No. 14
RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Denis Matsuev, piano
January 20 and 20, 2011, Orchestra Hall
ELGAR In the South (Alassio), Op. 50
STRAVINSKY Symphony in Three Movements
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
February 3 and 4, 2011, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467
Mitsuko Uchida, conductor and piano
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
February 5 and 8, 2011, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 11 in F Major, K. 413
Mitsuko Uchida, conductor and piano
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
April 17, 18, 19, and 22, 2014, Orchestra Hall
BARBER The School for Scandal Overture, Op. 5
SCHUMAN Symphony No. 6
BATES Violin Concerto
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
August 7, 2019, Ravinia Festival
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Denis Matsuev, piano
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Sheherazade
BIZET/F. Slatkin Carmen’s Hoedown (Fantasy on Les Toreadors)
Happy, happy birthday!
This article also appears here.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of British conductor Raymond Leppard, who died yesterday in Indianapolis. He was 92.
Raymond Leppard (Frank Espich photo for the IndyStar)
Leppard appeared with the Orchestra on several occasions, both in Orchestra Hall and at the Ravinia Festival, and a complete list of his appearances is below.
May 15, 16, and 17, 1980, Orchestra Hall
BACH Air from Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
Performed in memory of Guido Rizzo, a member of the CSO’s viola section since 1947
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Serenade to Music
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A Sea Symphony
Isobel Buchanan, soprano
John Shirley-Quirk, bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
December 17, 18, and 20, 1981, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Serenade No. 13 G Major, K. 525 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik)
DEBUSSY Nocturnes
Chicago Symphony Chorus
James Winfield, director
SCHUMAN Three Colloquies for French Horn and Orchestra
Dale Clevenger, horn
STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
April 28, 29, and May 1, 1983, Orchestra Hall
BRITTEN Occasional Overture
DAVIES Stone Litany: Runes from a House of the Dead
Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
BAX Tintagel
ELGAR Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 55
January 9, 10, and 11, 1986, Orchestra Hall
CHABRIER Suite pastorale
BARTÓK Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion, and Orchestra
Anthony and Joseph Paratore, pianos
BIZET Symphony No. 1 in C Major
July 18, 1986, Ravinia Festival
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
HAYDN Piano Concerto in D Major, H. XVIII:2
Alfred Brendel, piano
LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major
Alfred Brendel, piano
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
July 19, 1986, Ravinia Festival
DVORÁK Symphonic Variations, Op. 78
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Sheherazade, Op. 35
Samuel Magad, violin
Numerous tributes have been posted in The New York Times, NPR, and The Indianapolis Star, among several others.
from the archives 
