Join us all season long for Salon Series experiences!
Guided by our own CSO musicians, guest artists and musical experts, we examine our programming, our history and our musicians, past and present. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear rare perspectives and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the people who know them best.
All events take place in Grainger Ballroom.
Schedule
- 5:30 Doors open, complimentary refreshments to be served
- 6:00 Program starts
Natalie Merchant and The Cabinet of Wonder
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Through an innovative partnership, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Children’s Theatre, and Natalie Merchant have produced Cabinet of Wonder, an immense labor of love, several years in the making.
The project features 16 music videos, a cast of 24 child actors, 27 musicians, a magic cabinet, elaborate costumes and sets, and shadow puppetry created by Chicago-based theater group Manual Cinema. Join us as we take an in-depth look at the project with American singer and songwriter, Natalie Merchant, Jacqui Russell, Artistic Director of Chicago Children’s Theatre, and Jonathan McCormick, Managing Director of the Negaunee Music Institute.
On the Panel
Jonathan McCormick, Managing Director, Negaunee Music Institute
Natalie Merchant, Singer/Songwriter
Jacqui Russell, Artistic Director, Chicago Children’s Theatre
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Music of Richard Strauss
Monday, February 9, 2026
Theodore Thomas, the Orchestra’s founder and first music director, was the first to conduct the music of Richard Strauss in this country, and he later led the Chicago Orchestra in the U.S. premiere of Ein Heldenleben.
Anticipating Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä’s upcoming performances of Strauss’s tone poem—in Orchestra Hall and Carnegie Hall—CSOA archivist Frank Villella leads a conversation with Concertmaster Robert Chen and Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins as they examine the ensemble’s longstanding performance and recording history with the music of Richard Strauss.
On the Panel
Frank Villella, Director, Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association
Robert Chen, Concertmaster, The Louis C. Sudler Chair, endowed by an anonymous benefactor
Timothy Higgins, Principal Trombone, The Lisa and Paul Wiggin Principal Trombone Chair
Joyce DiDonato, Artist-in-Residence
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Mezzo-soprano, educator, and multiple Grammy Award winner Joyce DiDonato is this season’s CSO artist-in-residence. Along with CSOA archivist Frank Villella, she will join in a wide-ranging conversation to talk about her performance, education, and community engagement activities during the 2025-26 season.
The discussion will also include the anticipation of her performances of Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs with the Orchestra; her career as a performer in the concert hall, on the opera stage, and in the recording studio; and her passion for cultivating the next generation of singers.
On the Panel
Frank Villella, Director, Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association
Joyce DiDonato, CSO Artist-in-Residence
Examining the Life & Work of John Williams, Composer and Conductor
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Join us as we sit down with Tim Greiving, author of the first biography of the great American film composer, John Williams. Published in September of 2025, Greiving’s biography “offers an engaging account of a man whose body of work is well-known but whose personal life has consistently remained very private. Williams wrote the memorable scores and hummable themes for a staggering number of popular touchstones across multiple generations—among them Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Harry Potter—and earned more Oscar nominations than any individual artist in the history of the Motion Picture Academy.”
On the Panel
Jim Fahey, Senior Director, Programming, Symphony Center Presents
Tim Greiving, author
Salon Series is a benefit for donors who make gifts of $500 or more each season to support the work of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association.