Then in 1944, the resident Grant Park Symphony
Orchestra was created. The Orchestra’s popularity
soared following the war, and throughout the 40s
and 50s, audiences were treated to performances
by some of the greats in music history including
Van Cliburn, Mario Lanza, Beverly Sills and Paul
Robeson. Chicagoans like Elaine Roth remember
getting dressed up for the concerts for “date
night” in the park.
In the early 60s, the Festival made another musical
leap when it formed its own chorus, which further
cemented its reputation as a treasured piece of
the city’s cultural landscape. Sixteen years later, after more than forty seasons
in its original location in Grant Park, the Festival celebrated the opening of its
second home, the Petrillo Bandshell in 1978.
Then, just ten years ago, the Grant Park
Music Festival underwent a change of
unimagined proportions when it relocated
a couple of blocks north to the new Frank
Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion. On
July 16, 2004, Mayor Richard M. Daley
cut the red ribbon that spanned the glass
doors of the pavilion as the Grant Park
Orchestra played a new work,
Midsummer
Fanfare,
composed by John Corigliano for
this special occasion.
This awe-inspiring venue with its state-
of-the-art sound system showcases
today’s world-class Grant Park Orchestra
and Chorus, led by Artistic Director and
Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell.
The Pritzker Pavilion is a place to congregate on a beautiful summer night to
hear inspiring and adventurous classical music outdoors in the heart of the city…
much as it was in 1935 for Elaine Roth and her family.
Van Cliburn performs with the
Grant Park Orchestra in 1958,
shortly after becoming an
international phenomenon.
Mayor Daley and dignitaries at the opening
of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
