CSO chamber music programming details announced for 2025/26

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has announced programming details for the 2025/26 Season of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music series at Symphony Center and in community venues. This season, the six CSO Chamber Music concerts will be presented in three performances (Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.) in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center (220 S. Michigan), and three performances at community venues throughout Chicago: Epiphany Center for the Arts, North Park University and South Shore Cultural Center.

Additional CSO Chamber Music concerts, already announced, will be offered by the Driehaus Museum, Northeastern Illinois University and UChicago Presents.

Pay-what-you wish-tickets, starting at $15, are available for all CSO Chamber Music concerts at Symphony Center. Tickets to CSO Chamber Music concerts in community venues are free, but advance reservations are required and open to the public two weeks before concert dates.

More information is available at cso.org.

CSO Chamber Music at Symphony Center

Elysian Trio, Dec. 2, 6:30 p.m.: The Elysian Trio, consisting of Principal Cello John Sharp, Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson and pianist Umi Garrett — explores the richly expressive world of clarinet, cello and piano trios. From the balanced textures of Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 1, the lyrical warmth of Bruch’s Selections from Eight Pieces, Op. 83, to the sweeping drama of Brahms’ Trio in A Minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 114, this program highlights the intimate scale and emotional range of chamber music. Experience it up close in Orchestra Hall with seating on the stage or up on the Terrace.

Winter Quartet, March 24, 6:30 p.m.: The Winter Quartet, with violins Ni Mei and Gabriela Lara, viola Danny Lai and cello Katinka Kleijn, brings together three distinct 20th-century voices in a program charged with intensity and atmosphere. The transformative energy of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Spectra, the sharp wit of Erwin Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet and the somber voice of Béla Bartók’s  String Quartet No. 6 unfold with striking clarity and contrast. Be immersed in the music’s full expressive range while seated on the stage or in the Terrace of Orchestra Hall.

CSO Brass Quintet, June 16, 6:30 p.m.: As part of Symphony Center’s tribute to America’s 250th anniversary, the acclaimed CSO Brass Quintet, with Principal Trumpet Esteban Batallán, trumpet John Hagstrom, trombone Michael Mulcahy, Principal Tuba Gene Porkorny, horn David Griffin and organist Patrick Godon, present a program highlighting the power and pageantry of brass music. The works include Ives’ popular Variations on “America” (arr. Griffin), Three Pieces for Ceremony (arr. R. King and J. Mattern), Arnold’s Quintet for Brass, Op. 73, and Ward’s “America the Beautiful” (arr. Griffin). From ceremonial fanfares to iconic American melodies, the concert celebrates national spirit through bold colors, brilliant ensemble playing and the majestic resonance of the organ.

CSO Chamber Music in the Community

Guadagnini String Quartet, Nov. 2, 2 p.m. at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave.: Performed by David Taylor, assistant concertmaster; Cornelius Chiu, violin; Wei-Ting Kuo, viola, and Richard Hirschl, cello, the program contrasts two striking works of the repertoire: Cherubini’s rarely heard Quartet No. 1, which defied the expectations of its era with bold rhythms and a distinctive voice, followed by Beethoven’s Quartet in C Minor, a taut and emotionally charged piece. Tickets are free; reservations open on Oct. 17.

Civitas Ensemble, Feb. 22, 3 p.m., North Park University, 5159 N Spaulding Ave: The Civitas Ensemble (Yuan-Qing Yu, assistant concertmaster; So Young Bae, violin; Teng Li, principal viola; Kenneth Olsen, assistant principal cello, and Winston Choi, piano) traces an arc from the shadowed intensity of Bartók to the radiant lyricism of Fauré. In the acoustic warmth of North Park University’s Anderson Chapel, Bartók’s early Piano Quintet in C Major unfolds as if in one continuous, sweeping movement, while Fauré’s late masterwork Piano Quintet in C Minor, Op. 115, blends youth and serenity with a subtle and inexplicable sense of mystery and revelation.

Lincoln String Quartet, June 7, 3 p.m., South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.: The Lincoln String Quartet, with violins Qing Hou and Lei Hou, viola Lawrence Neuman and cello Daniel Katz, offers a program that moves from charm to revelation. Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 9, No. 3, sparkles with soloistic flair and witty interplay, while Beethoven’s expansive String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130, captivates with its lyrical beauty and emotional scope.

Tickets and Patron Information

Tickets for CSO Chamber Music concerts at Symphony Center are available now for $15 each as part of a Create Your Own series subscription package of three or more programs across the 2025/26 Season.

Individual tickets for the CSO Chamber Music concerts at Symphony Center go on sale Aug. 6, on a pay-what-you-wish basis, starting at $15. Free tickets for CSO Chamber Music programs at the three community venues can be reserved two weeks before the concert dates at cso.org.

Representatives are available to assist with ticket packages by web chat at cso.org, by calling (312) 294-3000 (Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.), or by emailing patronservices@cso.org.

All artists and programs are subject to change.