Pavan Singh, manager of Patron Services, psyched for Mäkelä and Mahler

The 2026/27 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 2026/27.

Pavan Singh, manager of Patron Services, goes strong for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra main series this season, with CSO concerts occupying three of his Top 5 picks. Here are his must-see selections for 26/27 (in order of priority).

Mäkelä Conducts Mahler 9, CSO Classical (Oct. 1-4)

I am super excited to hear Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä’s rendition of one of the most important symphonies in the history of music, a piece that perfectly encapsulates the transition from romanticism to modernity. 

Hrůša Conducts Shostakovich 7, CSO Classical (April 15-18)

Once again, a fabulous conductor and a magnificent symphony.

Mäkelä, Batiashvili & Sibelius 1, CSO Classical (May 13-16)

Klaus Mäkelä and violinist Lisa Batiashvili (the soloist in Lindberg’s Violin Concerto No. 1) are two of my favorite musicians, and I’m very excited for the U.S. premiere of a new work by Magnus Lindberg in this all-Finnish program.

Jeff Parker & The New Breed/Isaiah Collier & The Defiance, SCP Jazz (Feb. 5)

Jeff Parker has been part of the Chicago underground jazz scene for decades. I actually bought the first Isotope 217 album back in high school! I purchased that album as a fan of Tortoise, but Jeff Parker’s work on the record blew me away. I have been a fan ever since. I highly recommend Jeff Parker’s “The Way Out of Easy,” which was released in 2024. 

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, CSO at the Movies (June 25-27, 2027)

The best “Star Wars” movie by far, and I missed it the last time the CSO presented it. 

Note: Curated and create-your-own subscriptions are available now; tickets for individual concerts go on sale Aug. 5.