Patron Services associate Nicole Gallucci selects works by Mozart & Strauss

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 which concerts to select? Over the next weeks, staff members will offer their own choices for the must-see performances of 2025/26.

Patron Services associate Nicole Gallucci offers these five programs as her must-see concerts for the upcoming season:

Muti Conducts Strauss, Hindemith & Dvořák’s 9, CSO Classical (Oct. 30-Nov. 1): Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) is an iconic piece, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to see the CSO perform it.

Chen Leads The Four Seasons, CSO Classical (Nov. 13-15): When I first started studying music seriously, I listened to this Vivaldi work on repeat. I actually haven’t heard it performed live, and I won’t pass up the opportunity to hear CSO perform this classic. While I don’t usually seek out Classical-era repertoire, I love the imagery evoked by this music.

Honeck Conducts Mozart Requiem, CSO Classical (Nov. 20-23): Since we’re going to hear Verdi’s Requiem this season, we might as well see Mozart’s, too! I’ve performed this requiem before, and my husband sang excerpts when his choir performed the movie “Amadeus,” (which features the work). It will be exciting to be in the audience together for this program!

Mäkelä Conducts Ein Heldenleben, CSO Classical (Feb.19-21): As a cellist who has auditioned with the opening of this Strauss tone poem many times, this program is an essential selection for me.

Mäkelä Conducts The Rite of Spring, a CSO Featured Concert (March 5-6): Since this will definitely sell quickly, I wanted to grab my seats now! I find that the orchestra is livelier and physically moves more when Mäkelä conducts, so this work will be especially exciting to see. (Note: This is a priority-access concert, which means subscribers will get to buy tickets to this program first.)

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