One Emily to another: Patron Services rep taps Joyce DiDonato in ‘Emily’

The 2025/26 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. Subscriptions for all series are now on sale and can be ordered online or over the phone. 

Can’t decide on which concerts to select? Over the next weeks, staff members will offer their own choices for the must-see performances of 2025/26.

Emily Uddenberg, Patron Services associate, offers her must-see choices for the upcoming CSO and SCP seasons by saying, We have come up against the near-impossible task of choosing a mere five concerts in 2025/2026 to elevate. Here are my selections, in no particular order:

Joyce DiDonato in Emily - No Prisoner Be, SCP Chamber Music (Feb. 10, 2026): “Versatility. Warmth. Virtuosity.” I can’t think of a better way to describe Joyce DiDonato’s voice. And Emily Dickinson’s poetry was truly meant to be transformed as art songs. DiDonato almost singlehandedly has ensured that the vocal recital remains here to stay. She also will be featured at the CSO’s annual Symphony Ball gala concert on Sept. 20. That’s a no-brainer.

Lincoln Portrait & Ellington Harlem, CSO Classical/America 250 (June 18 and 20-21): Aaron Copland is at the top of my list when I think of American composers. It’s been a minute since the CSO did his Lincoln Portrait, and Charles Ives paints beautiful mental pictures in his autumnal Three Places in New England. Duke Ellington’s Harlem piece is new to me, but our artistic department does well in choosing complimentary programming. This is an intriguing collection to celebrate our country’s 250th year.

An Opera Night with Riccardo Muti, CSO Classical (March 19-21): An opera lover’s dream. I still get goosebumps thinking about the last time a similar program was performed at Symphony Center in June 2017. Muti and Italian opera — I am stoked to have a program like this presented here (although, who wouldn’t want to find a reason to visit Rome instead?).

Mäkelä Conducts Symphonie fantastique, CSO Classical (Oct. 16-18): The CSO’s music director designate has conducted a consistent and compelling collection of pieces in the last few years. I am excited to see how he leads the orchestra in a bigger French masterpiece. Berlioz must be big and fantastic, and I think Mäkelä is up for the challenge!

Honeck Conducts Mozart Requiem, CSO Classical (Nov. 20-23): A list such as this would be incomplete without a mention of Mozart. I must and will always endorse any series that includes the Chicago Symphony Chorus, because that does not happen nearly as often as it should. Being a Chorus member is truly a highly sought-after position for any classical singer. The competition to join its ranks will only increase as Klaus and a new chorus director join forces to reinvigorate the “Chicago sound.” This is a must-see/hear program!

Note: Curated and create-your-own subscriptions are available now; tickets for individual concerts go on sale Aug. 6.