Chicago Symphony Center tickets 10 October 2026 - Symphony Ball with Klaus Mäkelä | GoComGo.com

Symphony Ball with Klaus Mäkelä

Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago, USA
All photos (1)
Select date and time
6:30 PM
From
US$ 114

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Important Info
Type: Classical Concert
City: Chicago, USA
Starts at: 18:30

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Cast
Performers
Conductor: Klaus Mäkelä
Ensemble: Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Chorus
Baritone: Thomas Hampson
Creators
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Composer: William Walton
Programme
Igor Stravinsky: Petrushka
William Walton: Belshazzar’s Feast
Overview

Celebrate the opening of the 2026/27 season in spectacular style as Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in an evening of theatrical grandeur, dazzling orchestral color, and monumental musical storytelling.

At the heart of the programme is Belshazzar's Feast, William Walton’s thrilling cantata inspired by the biblical tale of excess, blasphemy, and divine judgment in the ancient city of Babylon. Overflowing with lush orchestration, mighty choruses, jazz-inspired rhythms, and explosive dramatic energy, the work is one of the most electrifying masterpieces in the choral repertoire. Acclaimed baritone Thomas Hampson joins the orchestra for this spectacular performance, bringing commanding presence and emotional intensity to Walton’s richly theatrical score.

The evening begins with Igor Stravinsky’s brilliant Petrushka, a vivid musical portrait of a fantastical Russian carnival where puppets unexpectedly spring to life. Bursting with rhythmic vitality, colorful orchestration, and imaginative storytelling, Stravinsky’s masterpiece remains one of the defining orchestral works of the 20th century.

This celebratory opening-night event also invites audiences to embrace the glamour and excitement of a new season—complete with the opportunity to walk the red carpet and toast the beginning of an inspiring new musical chapter under Klaus Mäkelä’s artistic leadership.

Venue Info

Chicago Symphony Center - Chicago
Location   220 South Michigan Avenue

Symphony Center is a music complex located at 220 South Michigan Avenue in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus; Civic Orchestra of Chicago; and the Institute for Learning, Access, and Training; Symphony Center includes the 2,522-seat Orchestra Hall, which dates from 1904; Buntrock Hall, a rehearsal and performance space; Grainger Ballroom, an event space overlooking Michigan Avenue and the Art Institute of Chicago; a public multi-story rotunda; Forte restaurant and café; and administrative offices.

In June 1993, plans to significantly renovate and expand Orchestra Hall were approved and the $110 million project resulting in Symphony Center began in 1995 and was completed in 1997.

Designed by architect Daniel Burnham, Orchestra Hall was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 19, 1994. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

Built in 1904, Orchestra Hall was designed by renowned Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. The new hall was specifically designed as a home for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which had previously performed in the larger Auditorium Theater. Construction began on May 1, 1904, and the first concert was given on December 14, 1904. The building has "Theodore Thomas Orchestra Hall" inscribed in its façade, after the orchestra's first music director who died less than a month after his conducting debut there. The names Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Wagner are inscribed above the ballroom windows on the façade.

From 1907 through 1996 the ninth-floor penthouse of the building served as the home of the Cliff Dwellers Club, with interior architecture by Howard Van Doren Shaw and the first significant mural of John Warner Norton.

The administrative offices are located within the historic Chapin and Gore Building, which was built in 1904. The building was designed by architectural partners Richard E. Schmidt and Hugh M. G. Garden. The building was attached to the Symphony Center campus as part of the 1997 renovation.

Orchestra Hall was also used as a movie theater during the 1910s, to maintain income during the summer months, when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was playing at the Ravinia Festival. Lectures and other programs were held at Orchestra Hall in with speakers including Harry Houdini, Richard E. Byrd, Amelia Earhart, Bertrand Russell and Orson Welles.

In 2008 the venue hosted the 2008 Green National Convention alongside the Palmer House Hilton.

In 2012 the venue hosted the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates alongside the UIC Pavilion. This was held in Chicago simultaneous to the 2012 Chicago Summit.

Important Info
Type: Classical Concert
City: Chicago, USA
Starts at: 18:30
Top of page