Concertmaster Jeremy Black's Top Picks

We caught up with Festival concertmaster Jeremy Black, who created a Choose Your Own 4-concert package for friends and family members. He selected four concerts, then added Beethoven Symphony No. 9 on closing weekend.

“Brahms’ epic Symphony No. 4 is one of my all-time favorite pieces, at times joyous, tragic, melancholy, and every emotion in between, and crafted with an intensity that is uniquely Brahms.”

Giancarlo Guerrero conducts the Festival’s opening weekend of the 2026 season, which also features Gabriela Lena Frank’s harrowing Conquest Requiem showcasing the Grant Park Chorus along with Charles Ives’s eclectic Variations on America.

“I’m looking forward to both concerts that Carlos Kalmar will conduct when he returns to the Festival, but especially the iconic Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Olga Kern. The program also includes an off-the-beaten-path Stravinsky work, and the sunny Italian vacation depicted in Elgar’s In the South.”

Conductor Laureate Carlos Kalmar will also lead the Grant Park Orchestra in Jean Sibelius’ majestic Symphony No. 2 on July 8.

“Celebrating our nation’s birthday with Christopher Bell’s infectious energy is always a highlight, and this year it features solos by our principal clarinet, Dario Brignoli, and yours truly!”

Honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this family-friendly celebration also includes patriotic favorites like the Armed Forces Salute and Stars and Stripes Forever, along with Hollywood favorites.

“I know I won’t be the only musician having trouble keeping my eyes on the music while the world-class aerialists and jugglers of Troupe Vertigo perform on stage.”

Enrico Lopez-Yañez conducts this program full of eye-popping feats to classical works and film scores, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney’s Up and more.

“There is no spectacle greater than the end of Beethoven 9 – I still get chills every time I play it.”

Giancarlo Guerrero brings the 2026 season to an epic close with none other than Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, a musical affirmation of humanity on a grand scale.