• Get your tickets to Noche de poesía on Thursday, May 7
• Read the Latino Alliance member spotlight: Henry Johanet
• View recent photo highlights
• Use your special membership pricing for upcoming concerts
• Help the Latino Alliance reach its fundraising goal for IMPACT
• Explore articles on Experience CSO
• Check out a special opportunity from our friends at Lyric Opera of Chicago
• Stay connected!

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s evocative writing is the inspiration for Neruda Songs, Peter Lieberson’s heartbreakingly sensuous song cycle, performed by 2025/26 CSO Artist-in-Residence Joyce DiDonato and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. After the concert, join the Latino Alliance for a meet-and-greet with conductor Edward Gardner and Joyce DiDonato in Grainger Ballroom. 

Specially priced concert tickets start at $40 using promo code LASEASON. 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 Latino Alliance reception is free and required. For questions or assistance, contact Patron Services.

From ERG to encore: A CSO story

By Ramiro J. Atristaín-Carrión, Founding Co-Chair, Emeritus, CSO Latino Alliance

That journey has featured many highlights, but Manuel de Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos holds special meaning for him. Growing up, he remembers his parents raving about the music and ballet. Hearing it performed live by the CSO? A full-circle moment — heritage meeting world-class artistry in the most powerful way.

One of Henry’s favorite behind-the-scenes moments happened at a recent Nuestras noches reception in Grainger Ballroom. Several Latino Alliance members showed up in elegant guayaberas — crisp, proud and camera-ready — and gathered for a group photo that later lit up the newsletter and social media. “It was a wonderful expression of culture,” he said. And he’s right — community, pride, music and unmistakable style, all in one frame.

And if he could sit down to dinner with a CSO figure? Without hesitation: Fritz Reiner. A brilliant perfectionist with bold vision, Reiner helped expand the Orchestra’s national reach through televised broadcasts and the syndicated Music From Chicago program — bringing symphonic excellence into living rooms across the country.

When he’s not at Symphony Center, you’re just as likely to find Henry kayaking local waterways with his wife, taking in nature and wildlife. Different setting, same harmony.

Invest in Chicago’s young musicians.

Your support of IMPACT helps local students access life-changing music education through the CSO’s Negaunee Music Institute.

On Sunday, March 15, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association hosts 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 Latino Alliance is working to help raise $5,000 to support IMPACT and the CSOA’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. Watch the trailer to 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. Learn more »

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

Step into Frida Kahlo’s vivid world in this immersive opera that brings her paintings to life with a lush cinematic score. On Día de los Muertos, Frida is given a single chance to return from the afterlife and reunite with Diego for a bittersweet celebration of love, grief, memory and art.

Members and friends of the CSO Latino Alliance are invited to use promo code CSOLA to enjoy $99, $69 or $39 tickets to any performance!

$99 for Steiner Parquet 1-3 and First Balcony 1-2
$69 for Steiner Parquet 4-5 and First Balcony 3-4
$39 for Upper Balcony 1-2

For more information and 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 Latino Alliance! Membership is free, and members enjoy access to exclusive special events and ticket offers.