CSO Chamber Music series details are now available for 2026/27

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has released the complete lineup for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2026/27 Chamber Music series, with six concerts at locales including Symphony Center and community venues.

The series features three performances in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan, presented on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. along with three performances in community venues throughout Chicago, including Epiphany Center for the Arts, Anderson Chapel at North Park University and South Shore Cultural Center. Five additional CSO Chamber Music concerts, which were previously announced, are presented by the Driehaus Museum and UChicago Presents.

For the Symphony Center performances, tickets are “pay what you wish,” with a minimum price of $15. The three just-announced concerts at community venues are free, though advance reservations are required; tickets become available two weeks before each performance. More information is available at cso.org/csochamber.

“We are thrilled to share this season of CSO Chamber Music with audiences across Chicago,” said Cristina Rocca, vice president of artistic planning. “These concerts offer an extraordinary opportunity to experience the artistry of CSO musicians in intimate settings, and we are grateful to collaborate with valued partners such as UChicago Presents, the Driehaus Museum, Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Beverly Arts Center to bring this music to more listeners throughout the city.”

Here is the concert lineup:

CSO Chamber Music at Symphony Center

Trillium Ensemble, Oct. 20:

Bringing chamber music to its most intimate and expressive, the Trillium Ensemble performs works by Haydn, Schubert and Tchaikovsky. Members of the Trillium Ensemble are Baird Dodge, principal second violin; Karen Basrak, cello, and Daniel Schlosberg, piano.

The program opens with Haydn’s Piano Trio, showcasing the composer’s signature wit and warmth. Schubert’s luminous Notturno follows, unfolding as a serene meditation, with its soaring melody suspended over gently pulsing piano chords. The program culminates with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio, an emotional tour de force journeying from whispered tenderness to soaring passion. 

South Loop Chamber, Feb. 9 

Tackling two of the three Bs, South Loop Chamber performs Beethoven’s String Quintet in C Minor and Brahms’ String Quintet No. 2. The group consists of Danny Yehun Jin, assistant principal second violin; So Young Bae, violin; Wei-Ting Kuo, viola; Sunghee Choi, viola, and Daniel Katz, cello.

One of Beethoven’s earliest Viennese successes, his String Quintet in C Minor originated as a piano trio. He later reimagined the piece for strings, transforming it into a work of even greater richness and dramatic power.

Reflecting a lifetime of craftsmanship, Brahms’ String Quintet No. 2 combines rhythmic vibrancy with bittersweet lyricism; it offers a spirited finale inspired by the Hungarian music that the composer cherished throughout his life.

CSO Brass Quintet, May 11

In a program exploring the evolution of the brass quintet across more than two centuries, the CSO Brass Quintet performs works by J.S. Bach, Alvin Etler, Don La Fosse and Aaron Copland. The ensemble consists of Esteban Batallán, principal trumpet; John Hagstrom, trumpet; David Griffin, horn; Michael Mulcahy, trombone, and Gene Pokorny, principal tuba.

Featured are selections from Copland’s Rodeo and Our Town, two works that helped shape the composer’s enduring portrait of American life, from the energy of the frontier to the rhythms of small-town America.

CSO Chamber Music in the Community 

Audire Music at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave., Dec. 6

Audire Music showcases two masters of musical storytelling, Beethoven and Dvořák, in a program filled with memorable melodies, lively musical exchanges and irresistible charm.

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2 earned its nickname, the Compliments Quartet, for its lighthearted spirit. Dvořák’s String Quintet No. 2 expands the traditional quartet with the addition of a double bass, giving richness and depth to the ensemble’s sound. Written during the composer’s rise to international prominence, the quintet displays the melodic ingenuity that would become a hallmark of Dvořák’s music.

Audire Music (“audire,” from the Latin, means “to hear”) consists of Rong-Yan Tan, violin; Jasmine Lin, violin; Youming Chen, viola; Olivia Jakyoung Huh, cello, and Alexander Horton, assistant principal bass.

Meridian Quartet at North Park University’s Anderson Chapel, 5159 N. Spaulding, April 25

Three distinctive compositional voices come together in this wide-ranging program by the Meridian Quartet, which features Cornelius Chiu, violin; Youngji Kim, violin; Paolo Dara, viola, and Daniel Katz, cello.

Though Schubert’s Quartettsatz survives as just a single completed movement, it is widely regarded for the emotional intensity and dramatic contrasts characteristic of his later chamber music. Shostakovich’s 10th Quartet juxtaposes moments of quiet lyricism with some of the most ferocious music he ever composed. Through striking contrasts and moments of intimate reflection, Sibelius’ Voces Intimae (“Inner Voices”), the only string quartet from his artistic maturity, offers a rare glimpse into the composer’s inner world.

Tourte String Quartet at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr., June 13

This program explores how Smetana and Beethoven transformed the string quartet into a powerful medium for personal expression. Tourte String Quartet consists of David Taylor, assistant concertmaster; Hermine Gagné, violin; Danny Lai, viola, and Richard Hirschl, cello.

In String Quartet No. 1 (From My Life), Smetana traces his artistic ambitions, loves and hardships, such as the hearing loss that would leave him deaf. Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7, the first of the famed Razumovsky Quartets, similarly expanded the scope and expressive possibilities of the genre.

CSO Chamber Music at the Driehaus Museum

CSO Chamber Music at the Driehaus Museum continues with two concerts in the Driehaus’ historic Murphy Auditorium, 50 E. Erie St. The performances occur on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., on Sept. 29 and Nov. 3. Information about subscriptions and more is available at the Driehaus website. 

CSO Chamber Music at the University of Chicago 

For three programs that spotlight dynamic collaborations, pay homage to musical trailblazers, and bridge classical and contemporary styles, CSO Chamber Music returns to the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St.

The programs are on Sundays, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m., Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. and April 11 at 3 p.m. Details about series subscriptions and more are available at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu.