The Grant Park Music Festival has announced a special addition to its summer program: world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell, one of the most celebrated classical musicians working today, will join the Grant Park Orchestra for a special concert on Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Joshua Bell's appearance is made possible with the generous support of the Grainger Iconic Performers Fund.
Bell will perform Édouard Lalo’s masterpiece, Symphonie Espagnole, on a program which also includes Franz von Suppé’s Poet and Peasant Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy. The concert will be conducted by Festival Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero.
“I am delighted to bring one of my favorite artists, the incomparable Joshua Bell, to the Festival during my inaugural season,” said Guerrero, who previously worked with Bell during his tenure with the Nashville Symphony. “Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole brilliantly captures the vibrant spirit of Spain, blending rich, passionate melodies with exquisite orchestral textures. It is a virtuosic piece that Joshua will perform brilliantly.”
One Night Member Passes are on sale now. Passes for all concerts, except for Joshua Bell and Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet, start at $27; passes for the Joshua Bell concert begin at $90. Patrons can call 312.742.7647 or go online at gpmf.org and select their seat close to the stage in the member section of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Chicago’s favorite summer tradition begins with the opening night of the Grant Park Music Festival’s 2025 Season on Wednesday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. with Rhapsody in Blue conducted by Andrew Litton at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The Festival’s new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero makes his first appearance in the Festival’s new season with a performance featuring Mendelssohn Violin Concerto featuring Grant Park Orchestra concertmaster Jeremy Black as soloist (June 18).
The Festival’s full ten-week season runs June 11 through Aug. 16. Most concerts take place Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Exceptions include concerts on Thursday, July 3 and 10; and no concerts on Saturday, July 5 and 12. Memberships to the Grant Park Music Festival 2025 season are still available and include reserved seats to concerts (with discounts available in an array of packages) along with premium benefits such as easy exchange privileges and discounts on parking. All memberships, including One Night Member Passes, are tax-deductible and help to support the Festival’s mission of keeping classical music accessible for all. Visit gpmf.org for more details.
For every Grant Park Music Festival concert, there are seats that are free and open to the public in the Seating Bowl and on the Great Lawn, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“This season reflects our unwavering commitment to celebrating both the cherished traditions of classical music and the vibrant voices of today’s composers,” said Paul Winberg, Festival President & CEO. “We’ve crafted a season that offers something for everyone—from iconic masterpieces like Holst's The Planets, Ravel's Bolero, Orff's powerful favorite Carmina Burana and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, to new and diverse works that bring fresh perspectives to concertgoers. We will continue to explore the full breadth of music, from beloved classics to cutting-edge compositions by living composers, many of whom have strong ties to Chicago.”
A full list of the season in chronological order can be found by clicking here and at gpmf.org. Please note that some concerts dates and times have been updated and all concerts are subject to change. Consult the website for the most current schedule.
The Grant Park Orchestral Association presents the Grant Park Music Festival with key support from the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
THE 2025 SEASON
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero makes his first appearance in the Festival’s 2025 season conducting the world-famous Grant Park Orchestra with Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (June 18). He continues with Mahler Symphony No. 1 (June 20, 21); Mozart Paris Symphony (June 25), Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 (June 27, 28 at the Harris Theater); Songs of Love and Life (Aug. 1, 2 at the Harris Theater); Joshua Bell and Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet (Aug. 6); Stravinsky Firebird (Aug. 8, 9); Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony (Aug. 13) and Carmina Burana (Aug. 15, 16).
Grant Park Chorus Director Christopher Bell makes his season debut conducting the award-winning Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus in the Holst The Planets program (June 13, 14). Other programs under his baton include Grant Park Chorus Holiday Classics (June 26, 30 at the South Shore Cultural Center) and Independence Day Salute (July 4). He will also prepare the Chorus for The Magic of Rodgers & Hammerstein (July 25, 26), Stravinsky Firebird (Aug. 8, 9), and Carmina Burana (Aug. 15, 16).
The 2025 season opens with guest conductor Andrew Litton, Music Director of New York City Ballet, conducting the Grant Park Orchestra in a program featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for which he will also serve as featured pianist (June 11). Other guest conductors include Finnish-born Osmo Vänskä, who shares the Minnesota Orchestra in his background with Guerrero (Beethoven Symphony No. 6; July 2,3), internationally acclaimed conductor Nicole Paiement, a champion of new work (Debussy La Mer; July 9), Anthony Parnther, an American conductor known for leading both classical concerts and movie scores who also conducted 2024’s John Williams and Common concerts (Brahms Symphony No. 2; July 11, 12), Courtney Lewis, recognized as one of his generation’s most dynamic conductors (Elgar Enigma Variations; July 16), Keri-Lynn Wilson, founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto; July 18, 19), Lee Mills, five-time winner of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award (Ravel Bolero; July 23), Lawrence Loh, who has assisted John Williams on multiple occasions and conducted past Festival Broadway concerts (The Magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein; July 25, 26), and Joseph Young, Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony, Artistic Director for the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland and Resident Conductor for the National Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall (Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4; July 30).
Also note:
* Open Lunchtime Rehearsals: Orchestra and chorus rehearsals take place June 10 through Aug. 15, Tuesdays through Fridays (typically) between 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Rehearsals are free and open to the public. Audiences are welcome to sit in the Pavilion Seating Bowl. Festival docents will talk about the week’s concerts during rehearsal breaks.
* WFMT Broadcasts: A minimum of 10 concerts will be broadcast on 98.7 WFMT, Chicago’s classical and fine arts radio station, and online at wfmt.com/listen. Broadcast dates are as follows: June 11, 18 and 25; July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; and Aug. 6 and 15.
SECURITY PROCEDURES
Millennium Park is a safe and welcoming place for everyone. The City of Chicago requires that all patrons attending any concert at the Pavilion enter from either Randolph or Monroe Streets or the Millennium Park Garage.
ABOUT THE GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL
For more than 90 years, the Grant Park Music Festival has been Chicago’s summer musical sensation, demonstrating that classical music performed by a world-class orchestra and chorus can have a transformative impact on the city. Showcased in the city’s most spectacular setting, the Festival continues to be the summer gathering place for all of Chicago. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park is the official home of the Grant Park Music Festival, with free seats available for every concert. The 2025 season will run from June 11 through Aug. 16.
In addition to Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, the Grant Park Music Festival is led by Grant Park Chorus Director Christopher Bell, Grant Park Orchestral Association President and CEO Paul Winberg, and Board Chair Adam Grais.
The Grant Park Music Festival is presented by the Grant Park Orchestral Association with key support from the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The Festival gratefully acknowledges the generosity of its major sponsors: AbelsonTaylor Group, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Capital One, Epstein Becker Green, Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, Jones Day, NASCAR's Chicago Street Race; and generous support from Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Grainger Foundation, Julius N. Frankel Foundation, Sage Foundation, Smart Family Foundation, Illinois Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. For more information about the Grant Park Music Festival, visit gpmf.org.
ABOUT GIANCARLO GUERRERO
Guerrero collaborated with the Nashville Symphony to premiere over two dozen new works and released 22 commercial albums. These definitive recordings garnered 13 GRAMMY® Award nominations and six GRAMMY® wins, cementing Guerrero and the Symphony’s international reputation as standard-bearers for recordings of contemporary American music. As part of his commitment to fostering the work of contemporary composers, Guerrero, together with composer Aaron Jay Kernis, also guided the creation of Nashville Symphony’s biannual Composer Lab & Workshop for young and emerging composers.
Guerrero has collaborated throughout his career with leading ensembles in North America, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, among others. Internationally, he has maintained longstanding relationships with esteemed orchestras in Europe, Latin America and Australia/New Zealand.
Guerrero also recently completed a six-season tenure as music director of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic in Poland. Guerrero previously held posts as the principal guest conductor of both the Cleveland Orchestra Miami Residency and the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, music director of the Eugene Symphony and associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. Guerrero was named the Festival’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor in October 2024. The Festival’s 2025 Season marks his first with the organization.
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER BELL
Christopher Bell has served as the Grant Park Chorus Director since 2002. Bell oversees a chorus of more than 100 singers, along with Project Inclusion Vocal Fellows, a unique program designed to encourage singers under-represented in the field. Bell prepares all of the Festival’s choral programs and conducts the orchestra and chorus for several concerts each year. During his tenure, he and the chorus have been recipients of the coveted Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence given by Chorus America, as well as glowing reviews from critics and audiences alike. In 2013, Bell won the Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art.
In a career spanning thirty years thus far, Christopher has been chorusmaster of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union (1987–1990), Chorus Master of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus (1989–2002) the Belfast Philharmonic Choir (2005–2011) the Edinburgh Festival Chorus (2007–2018) and the Washington Chorus (2017–2020). Largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS) in 1996, he has been its Artistic Director ever since. Bell was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music from the Royal Conservatoire in Scotland in 2012, in recognition of his contribution to performing arts in Scotland. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Aberdeen.
ABOUT MILLENNIUM PARK
Millennium Park is the #1 attraction in the Midwest and among the top 10 most-visited sites in the U.S. It is also the anchor of an urban cultural campus (Millennium Park Campus) that includes the Chicago Cultural Center, Maggie Daley Park and The Art Institute of Chicago. Millennium Park is located on Michigan Avenue, bordered by Randolph St. to the north, Columbus Dr. to the east and Monroe St. to the south.
The Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Plan your visit at MillenniumPark.org; follow us on Facebook (@MillenniumParkChicago), Twitter and Instagram (@Millennium_Park); and join the conversation on social media using #MillenniumPark.