The Grant Park Music Festival
The Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only remaining free, outdoor classical music series. Each summer, the Festival is committed to providing free classical music to all of Chicago in its new venue — the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.
Grant Park Music Festival Beginnings
Original band shell, Grant Park
The Grant Park Music Festival was conceived by Mayor A. J. Cermak during the Great Depression in 1931 when the city presented a series of free concerts to lift the spirits of Chicagoans. The following year, James C. Petrillo, the president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, vigorously labored to turn these concerts into a permanent summer tradition. Petrillo’s motives were twofold — to make classical music available for all Chicagoans, and to provide secure employment for union musicians.
As Petrillo pursued his dream of a concert series in Grant Park, the area just south of the park was being transformed for the Century of Progress Fair to commemorate Chicago’s 100th anniversary. Among the developments was a venue for daily concerts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In 1934, Petrillo was appointed to the newly created Park Commission and convinced the commission that a permanent series of open-air symphonic performances in the new shell would benefit the city. With the venue, seats, security, parking and $100,000 raised from the public, Petrillo inaugurated the symphonic series in 1935.
On July 1, 1935, the Grant Park Concerts made their debut, commencing with the march from Wagner’s Tannhauser. The following year, the Chicago Park District assumed complete financing of the concerts. During that time, some of music’s biggest stars performed at Grant Park, including violinist Jascha Heifetz, conductor Andre Kostelanetz and soprano Lily Pons. The concerts were often broadcast on NBC and CBS.
The Grant Park Orchestra
The Grant Park Orchestra
In 1943, the Chicago Park District assembled a single resident orchestra — the Grant Park Orchestra, under the direction of Principal Conductor Nicolai Malko. Since then, other prestigious conductors have held the position, including Irwin Hoffman, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Zdnek Macal and Hugh Wolff. James W. Palermo was named Artistic and General Director in 1995. In 2000, Carlos Kalmar was named the Festival’s Principal Conductor. The Grant Park Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy award in 2004 for its CD entitled Robert Kurka: Symphonic Works.
The Grant Park Chorus
The Grant Park Chorus
The 100 member Grant Park Chorus was formed in 1962 by Thomas Peck, who led the group until his death in 1994. His protégé, Michael Cullen, then led the chorus until 1997, after which a series of guest conductors worked with the ensemble until an international search identified current chorus director, Christopher Bell. With Bell’s appointment in 2002, the Festival's artistic leadership roster was solidified.
Grant Park Music Festival Venues
A new “temporary” music shell was built in Grant Park in 1978 and named in honor of Petrillo. The Petrillo Music Shell was home to the Grant Park Music Festival for the next 25 years. The shell is now used as a venue for numerous other Chicago festivals, but the Grant Park Orchestra returns to the Petrillo each summer to perform an Independence Eve concert, complete with a fireworks display presented by the city of Chicago.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
In 2004, the Festival moved to its new home in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. This state-of-the-art music pavilion was designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry and features an unparalleled acoustic system created by the Talaske Group, Inc. of Oak Park, IL. The first permanent outdoor installation of its kind in the United States, the Pavilion’s sound system features digitally processed “virtual architecture” and an open-air acoustical canopy to create a state-of-the-art sonic experience.
Presenters of the Grant Park Music Festival
Since 2001, the Festival has been presented through a unique collaboration of the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Grant Park Orchestral Association. The Grant Park Orchestral Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Festival’s programs and priorities. The Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus reach over one million people annually through free classical music performances and the Festival’s extensive community engagement program brings music education to young people from across the city each summer.
