Ian Hallas joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the summer of 2023 after auditioning for Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti. He previously held principal positions in both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Santa Fe Opera. He holds a bachelor’s degree with distinction in research and creativity from Rice University and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. His principal teachers include Paul Ellison and David Allen Moore.
Hallas has performed with many of the top orchestras around the country. He is an award-winning fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, being recognized with TMC’s prestigious Maurice Schwartz Prize in 2013. He was an invited guest chamber musician at the Spoleto Festival USA, where he performed with the St. Lawrence Quartet and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Other festivals he has attended include the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and Domaine Forget Summer Music Academy.
As an educator, Ian serves on the faculty of Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music and maintains a private studio out of Evanston, where he lives with his family. He has previously taught at the National Music Festival and the National Orchestral Institute.
