Our 35th anniversary season has been fantastic!  We celebrated everything our unique orchestra stands for - creativity, innovation, diversity, inclusion and more! With so many special memories - guest artists, world and Chicago premieres, the conclusion of Kathryn Bostic's tenure with us as Artist in Residence, I can hardly believe that our upcoming season promises to reach new heights!  I cannot wait for you to hear us in our new home - Chicago's landmark stage, the Auditorium Theatre. Of course, we will still also be heard in Naperville at the wonderful Wentz Hall.

This season finale gives us the unique opportunity to champion for disabled musicians through Molly JOYCE's voice as a composer of a very important voice of our generation and as one of the strongest advocates for the disabled community, to feature more women artists collaborating through personal and common themes in the Chicago premiere of Anna CLYNE's moving Dance for Cello and Orchestra with the Israeli-American cellist, Inbal Segev, in her Chicago debut, and to celebrate our long tenure at the Symphony Center with one of the "danciest" symphony by BEETHOVEN, his Symphony No. 7!

As the 35th Anniversary season comes to a close, we also celebrate the many successes of our Freeman Fellows It is one of the most rewarding feelings to witness the continued global "ripple effects" created by this Freeman Fellowship!  Our education, community and Fellowship programs continue to expand in quantity and in quality, especially with the arrival of the new Director of Education and Community Engagement, Monica Benson, and other wonderful new staff.  

Thank you for being a part of our anniversary celebration. We can't wait to see you next season!

Mei-Ann Chen

Music Director Mei-Ann Chen

May 6th, 8:00PM | Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville

May 8th, 7:30PM | Symphony Center, Chicago 

Featuring works by Anna Clyne, Molly Joyce, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Plus, enjoy a virtual reality experience during intermission and a special post-concert surprise!