• Get your tickets to Verses & Voices on Saturday, December 6
• Celebrate the season at Holiday Harmony on Sunday, December 21
• Subscribe to the African American Network’s 2025/26 Season
• Use your special membership pricing on an upcoming concert
• Learn more about IMPACT
• Read messages from our friends at Chicago Sinfonietta and First Baptist Congregational Church
• Explore sounds and stories on Experience CSO
• Stay connected!

Chilean poet Raúl Zurita’s poignant explorations of memory, language and spirituality are at the heart of a new song cycle composed by former CSO Sir George Solti Conducting Apprentice Matthew Aucoin, written for and premiered by soprano Julia Bullock.

After the concert, join the Latino Alliance and African American Network in Grainger Ballroom for poetry by Iván Pérez (The Poetry Foundation) and a Q&A with Julia Bullock moderated by former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery.

Specially priced concert tickets start at $40 using promo code AANSEASON. A separate ticket to attend the reception is free.

Your concert ticket pricing will be adjusted after you have added your seats to the order. When ordering your concert ticket, follow the prompts to add your free reception ticket to the order. A separate ticket to attend the reception is free and required. For questions or assistance, contact Patron Services.

Gather the whole family for the AAN’s holiday event with the Chicago West Community Music Center String Ensemble, holiday cookies and hot chocolate. Afterward, enjoy Symphony Center’s joyous musical celebration of the season featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. 

Specially priced concert tickets start at $40 using promo code AANSEASON. A separate ticket to attend the reception is free.

Your concert ticket pricing will be adjusted after you have added your seats to the order. When ordering your concert ticket, follow the prompts to add your free reception ticket to the order. A separate ticket to attend the reception is free and required. For questions or assistance, contact Patron Services.

There are five more AAN events coming up this season, and the best way to secure your seats is to become an AAN season subscriber.

Choose three or more concerts to secure your seats at special AAN pricing, plus enjoy access to additional subscriber rewards.

Join us for this extraordinary season of music and community!

On Sunday, March 15, 2026, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is hosting IMPACT: Showcasing Education and Community Programs of the CSO. A special concert and fundraising benefit, IMPACT features performances by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, students from the Percussion Scholarship Program, musicians from the CSO and more.

Co-chaired by League member Margo Oberman, CSOA Trustee Paul Watford and Overture Council president Matthew Fry, the IMPACT Host Committee aims to raise $200,000 in support of these programs. The African American Network is working to help raise $5,000 to support IMPACT and the CSO’s education and community engagement department, the Negaunee Music Institute. The Negaunee Music Institute is committed to transforming lives in the greater Chicago area, across the United States and around the world. Learn more about the profound effect of its many programs.

IMPACT is a wonderful way to experience this transformative programming; tickets for the event are free and open to the public. Event packages and sponsorships grant you access to pre- and postconcert festivities, reserved seating and recognition on the IMPACT webpage. Learn more »

If you can’t attend the event, you are welcome to contribute a fully tax-deductible gift to the CSO’s educational and community engagement programming. Make a gift today »

Use promo code HOLIDAYS10 to save $10 to Holidays of Hope, December 19-20, featuring Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite.

Don’t miss the Sanctuary Choir’s 67th annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m.

Featuring:
Brandi Inez Sutton, soprano
Kamaran Madison, contralto
Christopher Joyner, tenor
Vince Wallace, bass

Arthur D. Griffin, Jr., minister of music & organist
Reverend Ava Toney, conductor
Phyllis Griffin, orchestral accompaniment & coordinator
Willie Mae Craigs, president

Historic Landmark
First Baptist Congregational Church
1613 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago

Reverend Dr. Leverette Bryant, senior pastor
Reverend Dr. George W. Daniels, pastor emeritus

For more information on upcoming AAN events or to find out how to get involved, email Alyssa Greenberg, audience engagement manager, at greenberga@cso.org.

Forward this newsletter to someone who might be interested in joining the African American Network! Membership is free and members enjoy access to exclusive special events and ticket offers.