Classical Music

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra will bring a visually inspired performance to the stage, featuring world-renowned pianist Jeremy Denk playing a rarely-performed concerto, plus a U.S. premiere by Bernd Richard Deutsch.

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra opens its season this week with some of classical music's spookiest selections. The orchestra plays at Illinois State University on Halloween night, officially christening its newly enlarged concert hall stage.

Plus, stars from Broadway's Wicked, a Gershwin tribute and a Shakespeare-inspired overture.

The orchestra's dual presence in Bloomington-Normal and Springfield, plus the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road in 2026, present a perfect opportunity to debut Michelle Isaac's 'Reverie on the Mother Road.'

Fukumura's second season begins in earnest with a trio of works by Beethoven, Bartók and Rózsa.

The Illinois Symphony has released the schedule for the upcoming season, beginning with a guest conductor sending the audience to a galaxy far, far away.

Plus, 2022 Van Cliburn Medal Winner Anna Geniushene makes her Illinois Symphony debut this weekend playing Ravel's Piano Concert in G Major.

The concert concludes Logan Campbell's second full year on the podium after decades of leadership by Deanne Bryant. Campbell sought to keep the positive culture of the youth orchestra — while upping the rigor and repertoire.

Author and musicologist Joseph Horowitz stops in Bloomington-Normal this week as part of the fourth and final leg of a year-long celebration of American composer Charles Ives.

The Illinois Symphony's former maestro left in 2022 for a job he couldn't refuse—he is now director of orchestral studies at Juilliard's first satellite campus in China.