Hilary Hahn’s December residency: Dvořák concerto, educational activities & more

In December 2021, three-time Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn embarked on the first Chicago residency of her two-year tenure as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence. Marking her first CSO appearances in the new role, she joined the orchestra under conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada for three performances of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto (Dec. 9-11). 

On Dec. 10, Hahn visited orchestra students at Northside College Preparatory High School, where she coached chamber groups and worked with a student composer as part of the Negaunee Music Institute’s School Partnership Program. The following day, she gave a master class for three extraordinary violinists from the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a program co-led by an advisory council of organizations, including the Negaunee Music Institute, that identifies and develops gifted young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds and prepares them for careers in classical music.

To complete her first Chicago residency of the season, Hahn took part in Fall in Love with Music, a special benefit presented by the League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association on Dec. 12. She performed a short solo program and joined CSOA Vice President for Artistic Planning Cristina Rocca for a conversation with attendees. Open to the public, who were invited to attend either virtually or in person, the fundraiser was designed to give CSO patrons the chance to meet the violinist in an informal setting while also supporting the orchestra’s programs.