2013 Season
Violinist Stefan Jackiw joins the Festival on Opening Night.
Opening Night Season 79 
The 2013 Season opens with Carlos Kalmar conducting Tchaikovsky's passionate Fourth Symphony. Captivating young violinist Stefan Jackiw makes his Festival debut with Mozart's Turkish Concerto.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 6:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Stefan Jackiw, Violin
The Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus perform Prokofiev's cantata Alexander Nevsky.
Alexander Nevsky
Immerse yourself in an evening of history and myth with Copland’s wild west bandit Billy the Kid, Barber’s ancient sorceress Medea, and Prokofiev’s cinematic cantata Alexander Nevsky.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, June 14, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Concert: Saturday, June 15, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, June 13, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, June 14, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Choral Hall
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, June 15, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Emilia Boteva, Mezzo-Soprano
What
Barber: Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
Copland: Suite: Billy the Kid
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky
Pink Martini return.
Pink Martini
The internationally acclaimed Pink Martini reunites with Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra, bringing their unique blend of classical, jazz, and pop sounds to the stage.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 6:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Pink Martini
Qigang Chen's sensuous Iris dévoilée combines Eastern and Western musical traditions.
Iris Dévoilée
Eastern and western musical traditions entwine in the Chicago premiere of the sensuous Iris dévoilée by Chinese composer Qigang Chen.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, June 21, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Concert: Saturday, June 22, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, June 18, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, June 18, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, June 20, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, June 21, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Choral Hall
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, June 22, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Wu Yanyu, Soprano
Meng Meng, Soprano
Wei-Yang Andy Lin, Erhu
Yang Wei, Pipa
Yang Yi, Zheng
Martin Fröst performs Nielsen's stormy Clarinet Concerto.
Nielsen Clarinet Concerto
Discover three works that capture the eclectic sounds of early 20th century music: Vaughan-Williams’ romantic symphony inspired by The Pilgrim’s Progress, Nielsen’s stormy Clarinet Concerto, and Martinu’s tribute to an iconic World War II fighter plane.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:15pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Martin Fröst, Clarinet
What
Vaughan-Williams: Symphony No. 5
Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto
Martinu: Thunderbolt P47
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's birth with a powerful performance of War Requiem.
Britten War Requiem
The Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus honor the Benjamin Britten centenary with two performances of his powerful masterwork that juxtaposes anti-war sentiment with the timeless Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, June 28, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Concert: Saturday, June 29, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, June 27, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Choral Hall
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, June 29, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Erin Wall, Soprano
Jeremy Ovenden, Tenor
Alan Held, Bass
Chicago Children’s Choir, Josephine Lee, Artistic Director
Bring your most patriotic self to the Festival's annual Independence Celebration.
Independence Eve Celebration
Bring your family, friends, and most patriotic self to Chicago’s lakefront for an evening filled with American spirit and pride.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, July 3, 2013, 6:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, July 3, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Christopher Bell, Conductor
Janai Brugger, Soprano
Dazzling young pianist Alessio Bax makes his Festival debut with Barber's Piano Concerto.
Dvořák’s New World Symphony
Guest conductor Eugene Tzigane leads the orchestra in Dvořák’s much loved work, capturing the essence of the composer’s travels throughout America in the late 19th century. The dazzling young pianist Alessio Bax makes his Festival debut with Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning concerto.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, July 5, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:15pm
Concert: Saturday, July 6, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:15pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 2, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, July 4, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, July 5, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Choral Hall
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, July 6, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Eugene Tzigane, Guest Conductor
Alessio Bax, Piano
What
Bolcom: Ragomania, A Classic Festival Overture
Barber: Piano Concerto
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, From the New World
Conductor Jeff Tyzik takes listeners on a journey through dance.
Grant Park Pops - Let's Dance!
Swing to the sounds of the Grant Park Orchestra, as conductor Jeff Tyzik takes a look at dance through the ages.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, July 10, 2013, 8:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, July 10, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Jeff Tyzik, Conductor
Helen Welch, Vocalist
Todd East, Vocalist
Dave Mancini, Drum Set
Arjay Centeno, Ted Louis Levy, Eva Lucero, Rachael McEnaney, Chandrae Rettig, Stephen Sayer, Patricio Touceda, Dancers
Caminos del Inka takes a musical journey down the Inca Trail.
Caminos del Inka
Take a musical journey through South America with this spectacular multimedia tribute to the vast empire of the Incas and the ancient melodies of the Inca Trail, created and conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, July 12, 2013, 8:00pm – 9:45pm
Concert: Saturday, July 13, 2013, 8:00pm – 9:45pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, July 11, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, July 12, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Guest Conductor
Mary Stolper, Flute
Walter Haman, Cello
What
Robles: El Cóndor Pasa
Martínez y Compańón: Colección de Música Virreinal
Luzuriaga: Responsorio
Lena Frank: Illapa, Tone Poem for Flute and Orchestra
Golijov: Mariel, for Cello and Orchestra
Soro: Danza Fantástica
López: Fiesta!
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1953. Photo courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
A Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration
It’ll be a grand night for singing as the Grant Park Orchestra and guests salute the legendary team of Rodgers and Hammerstein with their catalog of cherished songs for stage and screen.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 16, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Christopher Bell, Conductor
Rebecca Luker, Soprano
Doug LaBrecque, Tenor
William Michals, Baritone
What
Songs from Carousel, The King & I, Oklahoma, Showboat, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and more.
Conductor Thierry Fischer makes his Grant Park debut.
Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony
Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer leads the Grant Park Orchestra in Frank Martin’s Concerto for Seven Winds, along with French masterpieces by Berlioz and Saint-Saëns.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, July 19, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Concert: Saturday, July 20, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 16, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, July 18, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, July 19, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, July 20, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Thierry Fischer, Guest Conductor
What
Berlioz: Overture: King Lear
Martin: Concerto for Seven Winds
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3, Organ Symphony
The versatile Kirill Gerstein performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1.
Shostakovich 5th Symphony
Festival favorite Hannu Lintu leads Shostakovich’s politically charged Symphony No. 5. The evening opens with the versatile pianist Kirill Gerstein performing Beethoven’s brilliant first piano concerto.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, Guest Conductor
Kirill Gerstein, Piano
Karen Gomyo, violinist, returns with a fiery performance of Sibelius' Violin Concerto.
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Hannu Lintu’s week-long engagement continues with Sibelius’ tone poem, Pohjola’s Daughter. Violinist Karen Gomyo joins the orchestra in a fiery performance of the composer’s only concerto.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, July 26, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Concert: Saturday, July 27, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, July 25, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, July 26, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, July 27, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, Guest Conductor
Karen Gomyo, Violin
Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus perform a concert of a cappella music at the South Shore Cultural Center.
Songs of Praise and Passion
Following last summer's Golden Anniversary, the Grant Park Chorus travels to the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center with a concert of moving a cappella music.
Where & When
South Shore Cultural Center
Concert: Tuesday, July 30, 2013, 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director And Conductor
What
Parry: My soul there is a country
Miškinis: Dum Medium Silentium
Miškinis: Pater Noster
Miškinis: O Sacrum Convivium
Mawby: Alleluia, Christus resurrexit
Rachmaninoff: Three movements from Vespers
Tormis: Two songs to words by Ernst Enno: Early summer's fairytale, Soundlessly somewhere
Garrop: Sonnets of Desire, Longing, and Whimsy
Sametz: I have had singing
Carlos Kalmar, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Kalmar Conducts Bruckner
Carlos Kalmar conducts one of his favorite symphonies — a rarely performed work by Anton Bruckner that established the Austrian composer's reputation after its premiere by the Vienna Philharmonic.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, July 31, 2013, 6:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell leads the Grant Park Chorus in a concert of a cappella music at the Columbus Park Refectory.
Songs of Praise and Passion
The Grant Park Chorus reprise their a cappella concert at the Columbus Park Refectory overlooking the beautiful grounds designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen.
Where & When
Columbus Park Refectory
Concert: Thursday, August 1, 2013, 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director And Conductor
What
Parry: My soul there is a country
Miškinis: Dum Medium Silentium
Miškinis: Pater Noster
Miškinis: O Sacrum Convivium
Mawby: Alleluia, Christus resurrexit
Rachmaninoff: Three movements from Vespers
Tormis: Two songs to words by Ernst Enno: Early summer's fairytale, Soundlessly somewhere
Garrop: Sonnets of Desire, Longing, and Whimsy
Sametz: I have had singing
A night that explores childhood, from Elgar's nostalgic Nursery Suite to Janáček's ghostly The Fiddler's Child.
The Fiddler’s Child
Come indoors for an evening at the Harris Theater featuring three pieces that show the many sides of childhood.
Where & When
Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Concert: Friday, August 2, 2013, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Concert: Saturday, August 3, 2013, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 30, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Jeremy Black, Violin
What
Elgar: Nursery Suite
Janáček: The Fiddler's Child
Tchaikovsky: Suite from The Nutcracker
Jazz virtuoso James Carter performs his showcase piece Concerto for Saxophones.
Concerto for Saxophones
Summer heats up with jazz virtuoso James Carter performing Roberto Sierra's Concerto for Saxophones. Works exploring Brazilian folklore, the tango, and the prairies of Argentina round out this night of Latin American music.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 6:30pm – 7:45pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
James Carter, Saxophones
What
Piazzolla: Milongón Festival
Ginastera: Pampeana No. 3
Sierra: Concerto for Saxophones
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7
The Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus perform Schubert's Mass in E-Flat Major.
Schubert Mass in E Flat
Written just four months before his untimely death, Schubert's Mass in E Flat Major is presented with Messiaen's mystical symphonic meditation and James MacMillan's requiem that captures the soul of Scotland.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, August 9, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Concert: Saturday, August 10, 2013, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Artists From The Lyric Opera's Patrick G. And Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center
What
Messiaen: Les offrandis oubliées
MacMillan: Confessions of Isobel Gowdie
Schubert: Mass in E Flat Major
The sensational Valentina Lisitsa returns to perform Rachmaninov.
Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto
See the return of Valentina Lisitsa, who has excited audiences around the world with her captivating performances of Rachmaninov. Also on the program: Shchedrin's satirical Naughty Limericks and Borodin's nationalistic Second Symphony.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Wednesday, August 14, 2013, 6:30pm – 7:45pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, August 13, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Wednesday, August 14, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Valentina Lisitsa, Piano
What
Shchedrin: The Naughty Limericks
Borodin: Symphony No. 2
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Stravinsky's revolutionary Rite of Spring debuted 100 years ago.
The Rite of Spring
The 79th Season comes to a thrilling close with John Adams' Harmonium, a visionary choral setting of poems by John Donne and Emily Dickinson. Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, radical for its time, is as powerful and relevant today as when it premiered one hundred years ago.
Where & When
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Concert: Friday, August 16, 2013, 6:30pm – 7:45pm
Concert: Saturday, August 17, 2013, 7:30pm – 8:45pm
Open Rehearsal: Tuesday, August 13, 2013, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Open Rehearsal: Thursday, August 15, 2013, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Open Rehearsal: Friday, August 16, 2013, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Pre-Concert Lecture: Saturday, August 17, 2013, 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Who
Grant Park Orchestra And Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Donald Nally, Guest Chorus Director