Patron Services associate Emily Uddenberg raises her voice for glory of song

The 2022-23 seasons of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Center Presents are just weeks away, and members of the Sales and Patron Experience team are here to help. The box office opened for single-ticket purchases on Aug. 3 — in person, by phone and online — and subscriptions for all series are available. 

Can’t decide which concerts to select? Over the next weeks, staff members will offer their own choices for the must-see performances of 2022-23.

Emily Uddenberg, Patron Services associate, has attended concerts at Orchestra Hall her whole life because her dad has been a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. This season, she says, “I have every intention of attending every concert when the Chorus is performing. But the task is to choose just five concerts. This lineup is spectacular. Our artistic department has truly outdone themselves.”

Here are her recommendations:

1. May 14, Renée Fleming and Evgeny Kissin. As a fellow soprano, I know there is so much to admire in how Fleming approaches singing, art song in particular. Through travel, study and her continued love of learning every day, she takes the time to learn the origin of any composer to add that extra sense of delicacy in her deliverance of song. Kissin is highly favored as one of the most acclaimed pianists of our time. This duo will create a moving, and perfectly artistic, recital of works that are not often approached due to their difficulty. This is not one to miss!

2. March 16-18, Carmina burana. This is my favorite piece of music of all time. It’s everything that makes classical music exciting in one epic masterpiece. I heard CSO perform this work with Muti at Carnegie Hall back in 2011. I can’t wait to hear it in our hall! It is so much more effective live than it is excerpted in a two-minute TV commercial.

3. Oct. 13-16, Amadeus Live. This is such a fun movie in and of itself for any Mozart lover. What I am most excited for is having our stage to literally be filled to the brim with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, plus a movie screen. But if nothing else, come for the laughs.

4. May 11-12, 16, Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the Overture to Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Opera is my first love, and as a lifelong student of music, and theory, there are so many things to break down and love about this Wagner overture. The opening eight measures are all you need to get hooked into the epic story that follows. This concert also includes a new work by composer-in-residence Jesse Montgomery and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2. I look forward to seeing how each piece fits together to create a program with something for everyone!

5. June 23-25, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. My understanding is the Maestro Muti has a strong connection to this particular Beethoven work. In his farewell season, I believe he saved the best for last, with a stage full of the best musicians in Chicago. These performances will be nothing sort of legendary, history in the making.

Looking forward to seeing you at a concert this season!

Our friendly and knowledgeable Sales and Patron Experience team members are here to help. For personalized assistance with your ticket order, call 312-294-3000 or chat with us on CSO.org.