Civic Plays Mahler 1

May 4, 2026
Tickets become available on Apr 17
Remind me

Overview

The opening chapter in Mahler’s symphonic cycle doesn’t hold back. A radiant musical sunrise sets the stage for thumping folk dances, hunting scenes, a funeral procession and a storm-tossed finale that ends with a blaze of brass. Ken-David Masur begins the program with the jubilant prelude to the first act from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Takemitsu’s Visions, inspired by paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago and both commissioned and premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1990.

Ticket Information: Pay what you wish, starting at $5, for this concert. By paying for your ticket, you demonstrate the value music plays in your life and help make this performance available to all. Seating is general admission.

Schedule
Program
Wagner

Prelude to Act 1 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Takemitsu

Visions

Mahler

Symphony No. 1

Performers
Principal Conductor, Civic Orchestra of Chicago
The Robert Kohl and Clark Pellett Principal Conductor Chair
Sponsors & Partners

The 2025/26 Civic Orchestra season is generously sponsored by Lori Julian for the Julian Family Foundation, which also provides major funding for the Civic Fellowship program.

The Civic Orchestra of Chicago acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.