Chicago Classical Highlights: Medea, Orfeo, and Kissin’s Triple Concerto Night

CHICAGO, Illinois — The 2025–26 classical season in Chicago promises a blend of historic revivals, daring premieres, and superstar appearances. From Lyric Opera to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), here are the standout performances critics say you won’t want to miss.

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice – Music of the Baroque (Sept. 14–15)

Dame Jane Glover leads two concert performances of Gluck’s 1762 masterpiece, with Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and Heidi Stober as the doomed lovers. Often called the earliest opera in the standard repertory, Orfeo sets the stage for an intimate season opener.

Ear Taxi Festival (Oct. 3–31)

Chicago’s sprawling contemporary music festival returns for its third installment. Presented by New Music Chicago, the monthlong event will spotlight composers and ensembles pushing the boundaries of modern classical music.

Luigi Cherubini: Medea – Lyric Opera of Chicago (Oct. 11–26)

One of the season’s most anticipated productions, Cherubini’s Medea finally arrives at Lyric Opera in a company premiere. Starring Sondra Radvanovsky and Matthew Polenzani, the acclaimed Met Opera production will bring high drama to Chicago.

Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven – CSO with Manfred Honeck (Nov. 20–23)

Austrian maestro Manfred Honeck returns for his only CSO program of the season, featuring Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Symphony No. 90, and Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. Honeck’s interpretations are known for electrifying familiar classics.

Strauss & Sibelius – CSO with Klaus Mäkelä (Feb. 19–21, 2026)

Incoming CSO music director Klaus Mäkelä pairs Strauss’s self-portrait Ein Heldenleben with Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, a Finnish mythological journey in four movements.

Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Janáček – CSO with Jakub Hrůša (Mar. 12–14, 2026)

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša curates a death-themed program: Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod, Rachmaninoff’s The Isle of the Dead, Janáček’s From the House of the Dead Overture, and Strauss’s Four Last Songs, sung by Corinne Winters.

Gabriela Lena Frank: El último sueño de Frida y Diego – Lyric Opera (Mar. 21–Apr. 4, 2026)

Lyric Opera presents the Chicago premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank’s The Last Dream of Frida and Diego, a fantastical operatic portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera set during Mexico’s Day of the Dead.

Evgeny Kissin – CSO (Apr. 16 & 18, 2026)

After a decade away from the CSO, legendary pianist Evgeny Kissin makes a rare orchestral appearance, performing three Russian piano concertos in one night: Prokofiev’s First, plus rarely heard works by Scriabin and Rimsky-Korsakov, with Andrey Boreyko conducting.

From baroque revivals to modern operas and marathon piano showcases, Chicago’s 2025–26 season offers classical fans a lineup of ambition, drama, and discovery.

Stay with ChicagoMusicGuide.com for previews, reviews, and updates on the city’s classical scene.