News & Stories
News
A Pastoral Picnic in White
It's Our Backyard Party for the City! On the evening of Saturday, July 27, people from all over Chicago will be dressed in white, enjoying dinner on the Great Lawn in Millennium Park, listening to Dvořák's Seventh Symphony played by the Grant Park Orchestra.
News
Open Rehearsals Begin Tuesday, June 11
The sounds of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus come alive on Tuesday through Fridays at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion when the Festival is in season. Each summer, more than 28,000 Chicagoans and visitors spend their lunch break watching rehearsals and listening to docent-led talks about the Festival's concert programs.
Insights
Rising Star Benjamin Beilman Comes Home
Opening night cannot come soon enough and with it comes the Festival debut of the brilliant young violinist Benjamin Beilman, one of the classical world’s most rapidly rising stars.
News
New in 2019: Pritzker Pavilion Sound System Gets an Upgrade
The speakers and audio control systems at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion have been completely upgraded.
Behind the Scenes
Concertmaster Jeremy Black's Picks for Choose Your Own Concerts
As Concertmaster of the Grant Park Orchestra, Jeremy Black is in the center of the action at the Festival. Like many of us, he's hard-pressed to choose favorite works from the upcoming season, but we prevailed upon him to help us create a "Choose Your Own" member package to share with family and friends.
News
Festival HD: A New Multimedia Series
On four special nights, the Grant Park Orchestra’s performance will be augmented by spectacular visuals, featuring live performance video, images and video related to the music.
Interviews
Carlos Kalmar Talks About the Historic 2019 Season
On a warm summer night in Millennium Park, the lights of the city twinkle and the air is filled with beautiful music as you turn to your friend and exchange a glance that says "I'm so glad we're here." You're experiencing the Grant Park Music Festival, which, for 85 seasons, has sparked the same feelings for thousands of fans.
News
WFMT Brings the Festival to You
Can't make it to a Grant Park Music Festival this summer? Again this year, many of the Festival concerts will be broadcast on 98.7WFMT, Chicago's classical and fine arts radio station.
News
Mars and the Stars Arrive at the Festival
See the stars of the Grant Park Orchestra on August 1 for Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, featuring the return of the Festival's Principal Conductor, Carlos Kalmar. Then, join us after the concert when the Chicago Astronomical Society leads view of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with telescopes from the back of the Great Lawn.
Insights
A Homecoming for a World-Class Violin
The legendary violin, the ‘Wieniakwski’ Guarneri del Gesù returns to Chicago for the first time since 2010 in the trusted hands of guest violinist, Paul Huang.