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Concertmaster Victor Aitay, Sir Georg Solti and Pope John Paul II in Holy Name Cathedral on October 5, 1979
Robert M. Lightfoot III
On October 5, 1979, Sir Georg Solti led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony at Holy Name Cathedral, given in honor of Pope John Paul II’s first visit to Chicago. After the performance, Maestro Solti and co-concertmaster Victor Aitay exchanged greetings with the pontiff.
As the pope was leaving the cathedral, he was greeted by thousands of cheering Chicagoans. He gestured to the crowd, and when they became quiet, he said, “I assure you, I am not the Chicago Orchestra. I am only the pope. God bless you!”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: 125 Moments was created to celebrate the ensemble’s 125th season in 2015-16 and gathered significant events, illustrated with imagery and artifacts from the collections of the Rosenthal Archives.
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