• Read a message from María Angelica Cuellar, CSO Latino Alliance Advisory Board Member
• Get your tickets to Verses & Voices on Saturday, December 6
• Celebrate the holidays at Noche navideña on Saturday, December 20
• Subscribe to the Latino Alliance’s 2025/26 Season
• Use your special membership pricing on an upcoming concert
• Learn more about IMPACT
• Explore sounds and stories on Experience CSO
• Stay connected!

A night of music, memory and mastery

On November 6, Symphony Center welcomed the luminous artistry of guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti, in a performance that transcended the boundaries between sound, memory and emotion. Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez became, in Sáinz-Villegas’ hands, an intimate conversation between guitar, orchestra and audience.

Following the concert, members of Chicago’s Latino community gathered for an exclusive dialogue where Sáinz-Villegas spoke with candor, warmth and intellectual depth about the lifelong journey that shapes a musician.

With deep reverence, he reflected on Maestro Muti’s life devoted to music, describing it as a legacy of discipline, devotion and profound artistic truth. He recounted “playfully yet tenderly” their first meeting in a Chicago restaurant, a moment of serendipity that later blossomed into the privilege of performing together onstage.

Sáinz-Villegas reminded listeners that music is not merely crafted; it is lived. “Music cannot be touched,” he said, “but it can be felt deeply, unmistakably, within.” As a child, he found himself enchanted not just by the melody, but by the quality of sound. Through articulation, pressure, intention and silence, he learned to shape tones that could travel like an arrow: precise, emotional and alive.

In one of the evening’s most evocative reflections, he shared that over time, the guitar ceases to be an instrument. It becomes an extension of one’s body, an organ of voice, breath and soul.

True to his charismatic nature, Sáinz-Villegas punctuated the evening with humor, demonstrating a playful magic trick — crossing his hands while still producing crystal-clear sound.

The evening culminated in joyful celebration as Sáinz-Villegas; his wife, Sara, and attendees danced salsa together, revealing a different dimension of artistry rooted in rhythm, community and the universal language of joy.

Chicago was privileged to host Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, a musician of profound sensitivity, intellectual curiosity and luminous humanity.

María Angelica Cuellar,
CSO Latino Alliance Advisory Board Member

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 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.

Gather the whole family for the Latino Alliance’s annual Noche navideña event with the Chicago West Community Music Center Orchestra, holiday cookies and hot chocolate before 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 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.

There are six Latino Alliance events coming up in the season ahead, and the best way to secure your seats is to become a Nuestras noches season subscriber.

Choose three or more concerts to secure your seats at special Latino Alliance 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 Latino Alliance 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 »

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.