CSO Chamber Music dates at U. of C. for 26/27 have been announced

University of Chicago Presents has announced details of its 2026/27 Season, including three dates on the CSO Chamber Music series.  

The U. of C. component of the annual series next season consists of three concerts on Oct. 11, Feb. 26 and April 11. The personnel will feature several of the CSO’s principals and assistant principals:  Mark Almond, principal horn; Keith Buncke, principal bassoon; Teng Li, principal viola; Kenneth Olsen, assistant principal cello; William Welter, principal oboe; Stephen Williamson, principal clarinet; John Bruce Yeh, assistant principal clarinet, and Yuan-Qing Yu, assistant concertmaster. 

All three concerts are in Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St. The series is supported by the U. of C.’s Office of the Provost and Mary Lou Gorno, a U. of C. alumna and president and CEO of Ingenuity International, is the chair of the CSOA Board of Trustees and the Theodore Thomas Society. Subscriptions are available now, with individual tickets going on sale Aug. 10.. Tickets can be purchased online at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu or by phone at (773) 702-2787.

The dates and programs: 

Oct. 11, 3 p.m., "Gastromusicology”: 

In a program that explores the intersection of food and music, savor a musical feast inspired by the theme of "gastromusicology,” an interdisciplinary field of study that explores the relationship between food (gastronomy) and music (musicology). On the musical menu are Martinu’s kitchen utensil-inspired ballet suite La revue de Cuisine, and musical food for thought by Brahms, Beethoven and Paul Schoenfield. The musicians are Keith Buncke, bassoon; Tage Larsen, trumpet; Kenneth Olsen, cello; John Bruce Yeh, clarinet; Yuan-Qing Yu, assistant concertmaster and guest pianist Patrick Godon. 

Paula Harper, an assistant professor in the U of C’s Department of Music, will give a preconcert talk (at 2 p.m.) and moderate a post-concert discussion with the musicians. 

Beethoven Piano Trio No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 11, (Gassenhauer) 
Martinu La revue de Cuisine 
Schoenfield Allegro from Café Music for Piano Trio 
Brahms Trio in A Minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 114 

Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m., Brain Teasers: 

A CSO string quartet presents a program of musical puzzlers, such as Ruth Crawford Seeger’s String Quartet 1931, a work designed around numerical patterns; Prokofiev’s folk-inspired second quartet, and Shostakovich’s fourth quartet.  

The musicians are Karen Basrak, cello; Gina DiBello and Ni Mei, violins, and Teng Li, viola. 

Paula Harper, an assistant professor in the U. of C.’s Department of Music, will give a preconcert talk (at 6:30 p.m.) and moderate a postconcert discussion with the musicians. 

Ruth Crawford Seeger String Quartet 1931  
Prokofiev String Quartet No. 2  
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 4  

 April 11, 3 p.m., Musical Satire and Parody:  

This whimsical program explores the themes of musical satire and parody, beginning with Milhaud’s La Cheminée du roi René, a collection of musical miniatures. Poulenc’s lighthearted Sextet for Piano and Winds, with a second movement that caricatures Mozart’s slow passages, is paired with Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds.  

The musicians are Mark Almond, horn; Keith Buncke, bassoon; Jennifer Gunn, flute; William Welter, oboe; Stephen Williamson, clarinet, and guest pianist Umi Garrett. 

Paula Harper, an assistant professor in the U. of C.’s Department of Music, will give a preconcert talk (at 2 p.m.) and moderate a postconcert discussion with the musicians. 

Milhaud La Cheminée du roi René for Wind Quintet  
Poulenc Sextet for Piano and Winds 
Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds  

Additional 26/27 CSO Chamber Music concerts, presented at Symphony Center and at other community venues, will be announced this summer.