Programs

  • Grant Park Music Festival

    2024 WAS ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SEASONS IN THE HISTORY OF THE GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL, WHICH CELEBRATED ITS 90TH ANNIVERSARY, 20TH YEAR IN MILLENNIUM PARK, AND 25TH AND FINAL YEAR UNDER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR CARLOS KALMAR. AUDIENCES TURNED OUT IN FORCE TO TAKE PART IN ONE OF CHICAGO'S MOST ENDURING AND BELOVED SUMMER TRADITIONS, WITH ATTENDANCE RISING NEARLY 28% FROM 2023. OVER 10 WEEKS, AN ESTIMATED 227,500 RESIDENTS AND SUMMER VISITORS EXPERIENCED THE FESTIVAL'S FREE SYMPHONIC AND CHORAL CONCERTS IN MILLENNIUM PARK. FOUNDED TO SERVE AS "THE PEOPLE'S ORCHESTRA OF CHICAGO," THE FESTIVAL SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES AND SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS. AN AVERAGE 39% OF CONCERTGOERS WERE UNDER AGE 45; 31% IDENTIFIED AS NON-WHITE; AND 12% REPORTED HOUSEHOLD INCOMES OF $50,000 OR BELOW. THE FESTIVAL ALSO CONTINUED TO BROADEN ITS PROGRAMMING FOR THE ENRICHMENT OF AUDIENCES AND MUSICIANS ALIKE. NEARLY HALF OF 2024 REPERTOIRE WAS COMPOSED BY A WOMAN AND/OR PERSON OF COLOR, AND MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS OF CONCERTS FEATURED A FEMALE GUEST ARTIST AND/OR GUEST ARTIST OF COLOR.THE FESTIVAL'S "TRIPLE ANNIVERSARY" SALUTED THE ARTISTIC GROWTH OF THE OUTSTANDING GRANT PARK ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS OVER THE PAST QUARTER-CENTURY, AND AFFIRMED THE FESTIVAL'S COMMITMENT TO EVERMORE AMBITIOUS AND WIDE-RANGING PROGRAMMING. THE SEASON FEATURED SEVERAL WORLD, ILLINOIS, AND FESTIVAL PREMIERES (INCLUDING FESTIVAL COMMISSIONS FROM CLARICE ASSAD, NATHALIE JOACHIM, JAMES M. STEPHENSON, AND AHMED AL ABACA); SYMPHONIC AND CHORAL MASTERPIECES BY BEETHOVEN, HAYDN, TCHAIKOVSKY, MOZART, AND PROKOFIEV; SELDOM-PRODUCED WORKS SUCH AS ELGAR'S VIOLIN CONCERTO AND HOLST'S THE CLOUD MESSENGER; THE FIRST-EVER REUNION CONCERT OF THE FESTIVAL FELLOWS; AND PERFORMANCES BY AN EXTRAORDINARY ROSTER OF GUEST ARTISTS - INCLUDING TERRENCE WILSON, ALBAN GERHARDT, ANNE AKIKO MEYERS, AND KAREN SLACK.ON JULY 20, A SYMPHONIC CONCERT WITH AWARD-WINNING ARTIST AND CHICAGO NATIVE COMMON WAS THE STANDOUT SPECIAL EVENT OF THE SEASON. COPRODUCED WITH THE CITY OF CHICAGO TO HONOR THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF MILLENNIUM PARK, THIS ONE-NIGHT-ONLY PERFORMANCE DREW A RECORD-BREAKING 23,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND WELCOMED A HOST OF SURPRISE GUESTS TO THE STAGE, INCLUDING SINGER/ACTRESS JENNIFER HUDSON AND HIP-HOP LEGENDS DE LA SOUL.KALMAR CONCLUDED THE SEASON - AND HIS TENURE AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - BY LEADING THE FESTIVAL'S FIRST-EVER PERFORMANCES OF MAHLER'S MONUMENTAL SYMPHONY NO. 8, ALSO KNOWN AS SYMPHONY OF A THOUSAND. AN EXPANDED FORCE OF APPROXIMATELY 260 MUSICIANS FILLED THE ENTIRE PRITZKER PAVILION STAGE, BRINGING TOGETHER ALL MEMBERS OF THE GRANT PARK ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS; 28 ADDITIONAL INSTRUMENTALISTS; 40 ADDITIONAL CHORISTERS; A 37-MEMBER CHILDREN'S CHORUS (VIENNA'S GUMPOLDSKIRCHNER SPATZEN, IN THEIR FESTIVAL DEBUT); AND EIGHT VOCAL SOLOISTS. IN OCTOBER 2024, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING CONDUCTOR GIANCARLO GUERRERO WAS OFFICIALLY APPOINTED THE FESTIVAL'S NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR, LAUNCHING WHAT PROMISES TO BE AN EXCITING AND DYNAMIC NEW ERA IN THE FESTIVAL'S HISTORY.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $5.4M

  • Music Education and Community Programs

    THE FESTIVAL PROUDLY NURTURES THE NEXT GENERATION OF CLASSICAL TALENT, SUPPORTS COMMUNITY EFFORTS THAT EXPAND ACCESS TO QUALITY MUSIC EDUCATION FOR CHICAGO'S YOUNG PEOPLE, AND PROVIDES FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IN NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT CHICAGO FOR AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES. THE FESTIVAL FELLOWSHIPS ARE PAID SUMMER RESIDENCIES FOR PRE-PROFESSIONAL STRING MUSICIANS AND VOCAL ARTISTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDER-REPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, MORE THAN 60 YOUNG ARTISTS HAVE COMPLETED THE RIGOROUS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AND HAVE GONE ON TO PERFORM WITH SUCH PRESTIGIOUS ENSEMBLES AS THE MILWAUKEE, MINNESOTA, CHICAGO, AND DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS; LYRIC OPERA ORCHESTRA; AND MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE. IN ADDITION, NINE FORMER VOCAL FELLOWS ARE MEMBERS OF THE GRANT PARK CHORUS, AND TEN STRING FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI HAVE EARNED POSITIONS WITHIN THE GRANT PARK ORCHESTRA, EITHER AS SUBSTITUTES OR IN TENURED POSITIONS. AS PART OF ITS 90TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, MORE THAN 30 ALUMNI - REPRESENTING EVERY YEAR OF THE PROGRAM'S EXISTENCE - RETURNED TO CHICAGO TO JOIN GUEST CONDUCTOR AND FORMER STRING FELLOW KYLE DICKSON (NOW ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR OF MEMPHIS SYMPHONY) FOR A FIRST-EVER FELLOWS REUNION CONCERT, HELD AT SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER AND REPRISED AT THE PRITZKER PAVILION.NOW IN ITS SIXTH YEAR, THE FESTIVAL'S POPULAR VISITING MASTERS SERIES HOSTS FREE AND OPEN MASTER CLASSES FOR GRANT PARK FELLOWS AND LOCAL MUSIC STUDENTS, OFFERING ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH INTERNATIONAL SOLOISTS. INTERESTED AUDIENCES ALSO ENJOY A RARE BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT A MUSICIAN'S DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. IN 2024, THE FESTIVAL PRESENTED FIVE MASTER CLASSES, LED BY ANNE AKIKO MEYERS, JOHANNES MOSER, SUSAN PLATTS, TERRENCE WILSON, AND NATHALIE JOACHIM. THE FESTIVAL'S SIGNATURE CHILDREN'S PROGRAM, CLASSICAL CAMPERS, SAW A 20% INCREASE IN PARTICIPATION IN 2024, ENGAGING MORE THAN 1,600 CAMPERS AND COUNSELORS FROM 28 CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT (CPD) SUMMER PROGRAMS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDED GROUPS WITH A HALF DAY OF HANDS-ON LEARNING ACTIVITIES LED BY TEACHING ARTISTS AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND AN ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL AND MEET FESTIVAL MUSICIANS.THE FESTIVAL'S PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT - NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS - CONTINUED IN 2024, BRINGING SYMPHONIC, CHORAL, AND CHAMBER PERFORMANCES DIRECTLY INTO CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOODS, REDUCING GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS TO THE CONCERTGOING EXPERIENCE. NEARLY 1,400 RESIDENTS ATTENDED THESE EVENTS IN 2024, WHICH COMPRISED A CAPPELLA CHORUS PROGRAMS AT SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER AND COLUMBUS PARK REFECTORY; A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY VISITING CHILDREN'S CHOIR GUMPOLDSKIRCHNER SPATZEN AT SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER; THE FELLOWS REUNION CONCERT AT SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER; AND CONCERTS BY THE FELLOWS STRING QUARTET IN JEFFERSON, OLYMPIA, MARQUETTE, AND LAKE SHORE PARKS. MORE THAN 3,100 FESTIVAL-GOERS OF ALL AGES ENJOYED FREE PRE-CONCERT EVENTS INCLUDING DISCUSSIONS WITH FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS, MODERATED BY COMPOSER/EDUCATOR SETH BOUSTEAD AND OTHER GUEST HOSTS; MUSICAL PETTING ZOOS; "LEARN TO CONDUCT" SESSIONS WITH THE FELLOWS STRING QUARTET; FESTIVE FACE PAINTING; A STAR WARS DIY COSTUME SHOP; AND A BROADWAY MUSICAL COMEDY REVUE.OPEN REHEARSALS FEATURE TRAINED VOLUNTEER DOCENTS CONDUCTING INFORMAL TALKS PRIOR TO THE REHEARSAL AND DURING INTERMISSION, PROVIDING INSIGHTS INTO THE PROGRAM'S WORKS AND COMPOSERS. AN ESTIMATED 30,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED 50 REHEARSALS, WITH AN AVERAGE 600 AUDIENCE MEMBERS AT EACH EVENT.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $210.8K