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Music Top 5: April 2026
1+ week, 2+ day ago (155+ words) Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago by Todd Hieggelke | March 26, 2026 An International Jazz Day concert in Paris 1 International Jazz Day 2026 (Lyric Opera) UNESCO and hometown legend Herbie Hancock declare Chicago the center of the jazz universe. April 30 2 Hisaishi…...
Shabaka Brings Meditative Sound to Constellation
1+ week, 4+ day ago (246+ words) Shabaka Brings Meditative Sound to Constellation'Newcity Music Now decades deep, he's made a career of following his own signal until the rest of jazz catches up He helped define a wave of British jazz driven by velocity with the likes…...
Between the Beat: Muti Hands off “Tosca” for Puccini Centennial, but Conducts “Manon” With the Chicago Symphony
2+ week, 4+ day ago (720+ words) Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago by Dennis Polkow | March 17, 2026 Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director emeritus for life Riccardo Muti returns to Chicago for two programs in March, including "An Opera Night" on March 19-21 that will, in part,…...
Overture to Mäkelä: An Early and Close-Up Look at the Chicago Symphony Music Director Designate
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (1881+ words) Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago by Dennis Polkow | October 9, 2025 A handful of arts media have braved an early April 2024 snowstorm to experience Klaus M'kel's Chicago Symphony Orchestra rehearsal. Its his first since he was announced as CSO…...
David Byrne's Boundless "Who Is the Sky?" Tour Comes to the Auditorium
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (364+ words) The Talking Heads frontman returns to Chicago with the Ghost Train Orchestra for four nights of performances. Complementing, leading or whispering, his vocals weave in their songs like an instrument, speaking of cherished loves, political delusion and zany situations Throughout…...
Chicago Jazz Festival 2025: What to See and Hear in Millennium Park
7+ mon, 2+ week ago (175+ words) Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago by David Witter | August 19, 2025 Throughout the decades, Chicagoans continued to demonstrate their devotion to this art form. In 1974, Chicago jazz aficionados organized a tribute concert to Duke Ellington in Grant Park, the…...
Damon Locks and the Black Monument Ensemble Imagine the City as Chorus
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (174+ words) Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago by Keidra Chaney | October 21, 2025 Damon Locks and the Black Monument Ensemble Chicago itself has long been a constant collaborator in Locks" story. From the raw experimentation of his early post-punk days to…...
Rhiannon Giddens Brings the Silkroad Ensemble to the Harris Theater
3+ week, 2+ day ago (547+ words) Rhiannon Giddens Brings the Silkroad Ensemble to the Harris Theater'Newcity Music...
Malibu Brings Her Ethereal Sound to Sleeping Village
3+ week, 4+ day ago (1117+ words) Malibu Brings Her Ethereal Sound to Sleeping Village'Newcity Music MalibuSome music may be best for a moody gray day, or hits when the sun sets after an oppressively sweaty Saturday But it's the sign of a great musician to be…...
Blooming Sounds: Classical Music Picks for Spring
1+ mon, 1+ day ago (193+ words) Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago by Dennis Polkow | March 3, 2026 Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," Milhaud and Gershwin March 5-6, 7:30pm, at Symphony Center, 220 South Michigan. cso.org. Bach in the City, St. Mark's Passion March 20, 7:30pm, St....