CSOradio
CSOtv
CSOradio
CSO musician Dan Carson performs with a trio of young musicians and Civic Fellows at the annual Chicago Refugee Coalition concert.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
On April 22, 2026, community members gathered in Buntrock Hall at Symphony Center for the Chicago Refugee Coalition concert. First introduced in 2023/24 Season as a pilot project of the Negaunee Music Institute with the Civic Orchestra Fellows, the free, annual performance brings together participants affiliated with the Coalition who share and celebrate their cultural identities through music with mentors from the Irene Taylor Trust, Civic Orchestra and CSO musicians. Dan Carson, a member of the CSO bass section since 2022, offered this reflection on his experience preparing and performing in this year’s concert.
Q: What interested you in participating in this year’s Chicago Refugee Coalition concert?
A: Rachael Cohen from the Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO kindly invited me to participate in this project. I believe strongly in the power of human connection through art, and this seemed like an incredible opportunity for this kind of connection. I have had the privilege of working with the Civic musicians in lessons, mock auditions and other orchestral activities, but this seemed quite different and that was very exciting. Also, my orchestral instrument is bass, so having the opportunity to play a different instrument (guitar) was very cool.
Q: What was the most meaningful part of sharing this program with an audience?
A: It’s tough to pick only one part, because there were so many incredible moments. A highlight for me was the artistic contribution of our participants. Sara Lee, from the Irene Taylor Trust, and I were paired with a wonderful family from Iran. Over the course of a few weeks, Sara and I witnessed our participants playing the violin, sharing beautiful artwork, reading poetry, and the entire family singing together. Getting to collaborate with them and witness their expression was a beautiful gift. Getting to know the Civic Fellows was another highlight; they are incredibly flexible, dedicated musicians and people, and their collective gifts are hugely inspiring.
Q: How did you create the musical selection with the young musicians from Iran?
A: Our participants shared with us two Persian songs with which they felt a special connection. One of these songs comes from a community known as Tehrangeles, which refers to the Persian population living in Los Angeles after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. I made an instrumental arrangement of this song, and then, to our surprise and joy, our participants agreed to sing it with us. In addition to the two songs we arranged, one of the family members read a beautiful poem by the Persian poet Rumi, accompanied by another family member playing the violin. One of our participants also shared their beautiful artwork, which was displayed around the concert hall at the performance.
Q: How did you collaborate with Civic Orchestra musicians to prepare the program?
A: We each partnered with individuals from different countries who had recently arrived in the United States. We had conversations with them about their life experiences, and also about what works of art were most meaningful to them. Then we arranged the songs, poetry, art and dancing for our unique ensemble of 10 musicians.
Many of the arrangements were evolving constantly; I had to print a new version of my song nearly every day because we kept coming up with new ideas. The rehearsals were really creative: we tried different things out, rewrote passages, changed chords, improvised solos and changed instrumentation. Everyone brought their personal touch to their arrangement.
Q: Did you play a different instrument for this concert?
A: Yes, I played acoustic guitar. Bass is my orchestral instrument, but I really love to play bluegrass guitar, and I am also learning to play the fiddle. Playing different styles of music and different instruments makes my musical life feel rich and expansive, and I think that richness really serves my work with the CSO.
Q: Would you like to participate in a future Chicago Refugee Coalition concert?
A: I would be honored to participate in a CRC program again. In addition to creating great art at Orchestra Hall every week, I believe the Chicago Symphony has an opportunity and a responsibility to use music to enrich our community in Chicago and throughout the world. The world needs this kind of human connection. It was a great privilege to be a part of this project.
The world needs this kind of human connection. It was a great privilege to be a part of this project. —CSO bass Dan Carson
