Chicago Philharmonic

Description

Founded by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra in 1988, The Chicago Philharmonic Society is a collaboration of over 200 of the highest-level classical musicians in the Midwest. Our orchestra, known as the Chicago Philharmonic, has been called one of the country's finest symphonic orchestras, and our unique chamber music ensembles perform as Chicago Phil Chamber. The brilliance of our structure is in our versatility "“ we curate the best ensemble for each concert from our exceptional pool of musicians, be it classical, jazz, pop, movie concerts, outreach programming, and everything else.

Chicago Philharmonic is proud to be the most dynamic orchestra in Chicago. We make world-class symphonic music experiences of all genres accessible to the Chicago community.

What differentiates the Philharmonic in the city's cultural landscape is our artistic versatility and commitment to collaboration. We are as comfortable performing with Marin Alsop and Joshua Bell as we are with Lady Gaga and Weird Al, to name just a few notable recent concerts. Our unique artistic collaborations reflect the rich cultural diversity of Chicago, with artistic partnerships with the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, Tsukasa Taiko, Adrian Dunn and The Adrian Dunn Singers, Visceral Dance Chicago, and more.

Work Sample

#1 (Cue: 0:00"“0:43): This performance, the U.S. premiere of Jennifer Higdon's Mandolin Concerto, demonstrates our dedication to and skill in performing new music by leading American composers.
#2 (Cue: 0:43"“1:38): Marcus Norris is one of our three Donna Milanovich Composers in Residence. The performance showcases our skill performing new music and dedication to championing voices of artists of color.
#3 (Cue: 1:38"“2:31): This performance, from our first collaboration with the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, demonstrates our commitment to collaboration and our versatility.
#4 (Cue: 2:31"“3:32): This performance demonstrates our innovative collaborations.
#5 (Cue: 3:32"“4:22): This performance demonstrates our versatility performing a wide variety of styles.
#6 (Cue: 4:22"“4:59): This performance demonstrates artistic excellence performing standard orchestral repertoire.

History

The Chicago Philharmonic Society is a collaboration of nearly 200 of the highest-level musicians in the Midwest. Founded in 1988 by principals of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Philharmonic has presented symphonic concerts encompassing a broad range of repertoire featuring renowned conductors and distinguished guest artists since 1991. Chicago Philharmonic formally established a groundbreaking organizational structure as a musician-governed society in 2012. With 30+ performances representing more than 1000 musician employment opportunities during the 22/23 season and over 350 high-caliber musicians employed annually, the Philharmonic plays a vital role sustaining Chicago's music ecosystem by making the city a viable home for independent musicians. Through an entrepreneurial spirit derived from its identity as a musician-founded and -governed organization, Chicago Philharmonic provides world-class symphonic music of all genres to the Chicago community.
Chicago Philharmonic is the premier collaborative orchestra in the Midwest. In addition to the orchestra's 30-year partnership with Ravinia Festival and 8 years as the Official Orchestra of the Joffrey Ballet, the Philharmonic has partnered with artists of all disciplines including American Ballet Theatre, Joshua Bell, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Ben Folds, English National Ballet, and many more.

Artistic Vision

Chicago Philharmonic is proud to be the most dynamic orchestra in Chicago. We make world-class symphonic music experiences of all genres accessible to the Chicago community.

What differentiates the Philharmonic in the city's cultural landscape is our artistic versatility and commitment to collaboration. We are as comfortable performing with Marin Alsop and Joshua Bell as we are with Lady Gaga and Weird Al, to name just a few notable recent concerts. Our unique artistic collaborations reflect the rich cultural diversity of Chicago, with artistic partnerships with the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, Tsukasa Taiko, Adrian Dunn and The Adrian Dunn Singers, Visceral Dance Chicago, and more.

Our artistic versatility is fueled by our musician-governed personnel model, which curates tailored ensembles for each of our performances from our exceptional pool of nearly 200 musician members based on the unique talents and skills of each member.