Civic Orchestra of Chicago

The exceptional musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago present a season as varied and ambitious as any in recent memory. Thrill to landmark symphonies by Beethoven, Dvořák and Mahler. Explore ancient lands and faraway universes in music by Elgar, Holst and James Lee III. Delight in innovative works by Iman Habibi, Carlos Chávez and Toru Takemitsu. Experience masterpieces by great American composers, including Copland, Tower, Price and Walker. And, hear the ever-adaptable Civic musicians in Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos and iconic pieces for wind ensemble, as well as the Civic Orchestra Fellows curating and performing music by living composers in collaborative chamber music concerts.


Tickets become available two weeks before each Civic Orchestra concert. Sign up for email reminders.

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Civic at Symphony Center

Led by some of the world’s most renowned conductors, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago performs dynamic programs that include monumental classics and contemporary masterworks.

Notes for Peace

Saturday, Oct 18, 2:00

Civic Fellows and families of Purpose Over Pain present original songs of tribute for loved ones lost to gun violence in collaboration with guest artists from the U.K.-based Irene Taylor Trust and Chicago-area vocalists.

Overview | Program | Performers


Civic Plays Beethoven 5

Monday, Oct 27, 7:30

From its fateful opening, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony encompasses one of the most gripping journeys in all orchestral music. Ken-David Masur opens the program with compelling works by Habibi and Hindemith.

Overview | Program | Performers


Thomas Wilkins

Civic Plays The Planets

Monday, Nov 17, 7:30

Thomas Wilkins guides listeners on a cosmic journey through Holst’s The Planets. James Lee III’s captivating piece draws inspiration from the Orion Nebula and a Jewish harvest festival.

Overview | Program | Performers


Naomi Woo

Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition Finals

Saturday, Jan 17, 2:00

Naomi Woo leads Illinois’ top young string soloists and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition Finals.

Overview | Program | Performers


Alpesh Chuhan

Civic Plays Esmail, Elgar & Lutosławski

Monday, Feb 2, 7:30

Alpesh Chauhan makes his Civic Orchestra debut conducting Elgar’s sun-drenched tribute to ancient Rome, Reena Esmail’s evocative homage to Georgia O’Keeffe and Lutosławski’s irrepressible Concerto for Orchestra.

Overview | Program | Performers


Mallory Thompson

Civic Wind Ensemble

Monday, Feb 16, 7:30

Discover the sublime and boundless world of wind ensemble music, as Mallory Thompson makes her Civic podium debut leading works from Mozart and Richard Strauss to Holst, Stravinsky and Tower.

Overview | Program | Performers


Ken-David Masur

Civic Plays Price & Dvořák

Monday, Mar 2, 7:30

Ken-David Masur features works by three titans of Black excellence in American music, followed by Dvořák’s lyrical and exuberant Seventh Symphony.

Overview | Program | Performers


IMPACT

Sunday, Mar 15, 6:30

Enjoy a showcase of extraordinary performances by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, musicians from the CSO, Percussion Scholarship Program students and more.

Overview | Program | Performers


Civic Plays Copland 3

Monday, Mar 30, 7:30

Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony, a work of majestic landscapes and postwar optimism. Works by Chávez and Abels explore folk, jazz and Latin rhythms.

Overview | Program | Performers


Civic Fellows & Chicago Refugee Coalition

Wednesday, Apr 22, 7:00

Join the Civic Orchestra Fellows and participants from the Chicago Refugee Coalition in a special concert that shares and celebrates cultural identities through music and storytelling.

Overview | Program | Performers


Ken-David Masur

Civic Plays Mahler 1

Monday, May 4, 7:30

Ken-David Masur conducts Mahler’s First Symphony, from its radiant musical sunrise to the triumphant, storm-tossed finale. Also on the program is Takemitsu’s Visions, inspired by paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Overview | Program | Performers


Civic Fellows & New Music Chicago

Sunday, May 17, 7:00

In collaboration with New Music Chicago, Civic Orchestra Fellows perform a dynamic program featuring music selected from a call for scores.

Overview | Program | Performers


Erina Yashima

Civic & Ryan Opera Center

Monday, June 1, 7:30

Erina Yashima leads members of the Ryan Opera Center — the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s renowned artist development program — and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in an evening of opera arias, scenes and orchestral favorites.

Overview | Program | Performers


Young Composers Initiative Finale Concert

Friday, June 12, 7:00

Musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago perform world premieres by participants of the CSO’s Young Composers Initiative.

Overview | Program | Performers


Civic in the Community

Hear the Civic Orchestra in your neighborhood at one of these community venues throughout Chicagoland.

Senn High School

Senn High School

Civic Plays Beethoven 5

Sunday, Oct 26, 2:00

From its fateful opening, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony encompasses one of the most gripping journeys in all orchestral music. Ken-David Masur opens the program with compelling works by Habibi and Hindemith.

Overview | Program | Performers


Fourth Presbyterian Church

Civic Bach Marathon Finale

Monday, Dec 15, 7:00

J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are a showcase for his inexhaustible imagination. Ken-David Masur conducts the program’s finale in a perfect complement to the holiday season.

Overview | Program | Performers


Epiphany Center for the Arts

Civic Fellows & International Contemporary Ensemble

Sunday, Jan 25, 7:00

Civic Orchestra Fellows collaborate with members of the International Contemporary Ensemble to curate a concert of music by living composers.

Overview | Program | Performers


Kenwood Academy

Kenwood Academy

Civic Plays Elgar & Lutosławski

Sunday, Feb 1, 2:00

Alpesh Chauhan makes his Civic Orchestra debut conducting Elgar’s sun-drenched tribute to ancient Rome. Lutosławski’s irrepressible Concerto for Orchestra closes a collaborative program with the Kenwood Academy High School Orchestra.

Overview | Program | Performers


Vernon Hills High School

Vernon Hills High School

Civic Wind Ensemble

Sunday, Feb 15, 2:00

Mallory Thompson conducts works by Mozart, Strauss, Holst, Stravinsky and Tower in a collaborative performance with musicians of the Vernon Hills High School band program.

Overview | Program | Performers


South Shore Cultural Center

Civic Plays Price & Dvořák

Sunday, Mar 1, 2:00

Ken-David Masur features works by three titans of Black excellence in American music, followed by Dvořák’s lyrical and exuberant Seventh Symphony.

Overview | Program | Performers


Wentz Concert Hall

Civic Plays Copland 3

Sunday, Mar 29, 6:00

Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony, a work of majestic landscapes and postwar optimism. Works by Chávez and Abels explore folk, jazz and Latin rhythms.

Overview | Program | Performers


Epiphany Center for the Arts

Notes for Peace Reunion

Sunday, Apr 26, 6:00

Civic Fellows and families of Purpose Over Pain present original songs of tribute for loved ones lost to gun violence in collaboration with guest artists from the U.K.-based Irene Taylor Trust and Chicago-area vocalists.

Overview | Program | Performers


New Trier High School

New Trier High School

Civic Plays Mahler 1

Sunday, May 3, 2:00

Ken-David Masur conducts Mahler’s First Symphony, from its radiant musical sunrise to the triumphant, storm-tossed finale. Also on the program is the jubilant prelude to the first act from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Overview | Program | Performers

 


Support Civic

Tickets become available two weeks before each Civic Orchestra concert, but you can reserve tickets today with a donation! Civic donors receive reserved prime seating at any of the ensemble’s concerts in Orchestra Hall during the season, as well as opportunities to build closer connections with Civic musicians. A gift to the Civic Orchestra supports the rigorous instruction that musicians receive throughout the season and helps to ensure that Civic performances are available to all audiences for free or at a minimal cost.

Make a gift

Learn more about the Civic Orchestra
2025/26 Season Civic Orchestra Roster
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Principal Conductor, Civic Orchestra of Chicago
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Civic Fellows receive training in artistic planning, music education and community engagement.
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Discover more on Experience CSO
Equity Arc Pathways and similar groups are essential to the future of classical music, says high-school senior and percussionist Rishab Jain: "They allow us to be on a level playing field where we can display our talents."
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Led by a team of five Civic Fellows, the Call for Scores project offers an opportunity to discover and perform exciting new pieces by contemporary composers. The program will be available to stream for free on CSOtv beginning on June 17.
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Civic Fellow J Holzen's “Transcendent Souls: A Celebration of Trans Identity and Sound” explores the intersection of trans and Christian communities through music.   
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Principal conductor Ken-David Masur, principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, previews the ensemble's season-finale concerts and looks back at the orchestra's 2024/25 season.
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Sponsors

The 2025/26 Civic Orchestra season is generously sponsored by Lori Julian for the Julian Family Foundation, which also provides major funding for the Civic Fellowship program.

The Civic Orchestra of Chicago acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.