Editing Chicago Symphony Orchestra (section)

==History==
[[File:Theodore thomas.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Theodore Thomas, founding father and first conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.]]
In 1890, Charles Norman Fay, a Chicago businessman, invited [[Theodore Thomas (conductor)|Theodore Thomas]] to establish an orchestra in Chicago. Under the name "Chicago Orchestra", the orchestra played its first concert October 16, 1891, at the [[Auditorium Theater]]. It is one of the oldest orchestras in the United States, along with the [[New York Philharmonic]], the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra]].

[[Symphony Center|Orchestra Hall]], now a component of the Symphony Center complex, was designed by Chicago architect [[Daniel H. Burnham]] and completed in 1904. Thomas served as music director for thirteen years until his death shortly after Orchestra Hall was dedicated on December 14, 1904. The orchestra was renamed "Theodore Thomas Orchestra" in 1905, and today, Orchestra Hall still has "Theodore Thomas Orchestra Hall" inscribed on its façade.

In 1905, [[Frederick Stock]] became music director, a post he held until his death in 1942. The orchestra was renamed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1913.

Subsequent music directors have included [[Désiré Defauw]], [[Artur Rodziński]], [[Rafael Kubelík]], [[Fritz Reiner]], [[Jean Martinon]], [[Georg Solti]], and [[Daniel Barenboim]]. Reiner's work with the orchestra included a series of television appearances, the first in its history. He also planned but was unable to bring to fruition its first tour outside the United States.<ref>{{cite book | last=Morgan | first=Kenneth | title=Fritz Reiner: Maestro & Martinet | location=Urbana, Illinois | publisher=University of Illinois Press | year=2005 | pages=x-xi, 160 | isbn=0-252-02935-6 | url=https://archive.org/details/fritzreinermaest00morg }}</ref>  Later, Solti thought it was essential to raise the orchestra's international profile. Solti led the Chicago Symphony in a European tour in 1971, playing in ten countries. It was the first time in its 80-year history that the orchestra had played outside of North America.<ref name=prov>Greenfield, Edward. "The great provincials", ''The Guardian'', October 4, 1971, p. 8</ref>  The orchestra received plaudits from European critics,<ref>[https://archive.today/20130131142706/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagodefender/access/884351992.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+6,+1971&author=&pub=Chicago+Daily+Defender+(Daily+Edition)+(1960-1973)&edition=&startpage=20&desc=Symphony+returns+prepares+for+71-72+season "Symphony returns"], ''[[Chicago Defender|Chicago Daily Defender]]'', October 6, 1971, p. 20</ref>{{refn|After the orchestra played at the [[Edinburgh Festival]] the critic [[William Mann (critic)|William Mann]] wrote: "I am tempted to describe it as the United States' most completely accomplished orchestra. It has the fine attack of the [[New York Philharmonic|New York Phil]] under [[Leonard Bernstein|Bernstein]], the radiance of the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra|Boston]] under [[Erich Leinsdorf|Leinsdorf]], the classic elegance of the [[Cleveland Orchestra|Cleveland]] under [[George Szell|Szell]], and to these qualities it adds, under Solti, a warm, human musical expressiveness that one associates with European rather than modern American orchestras."<ref>Mann, William. "Chicago SO", ''The Times'', September 6, 1971, p. 8</ref> After one of the London concerts, [[Alan Blyth]] wrote, "nobody could doubt that this is about the most formidably-equipped orchestra in the world at present".<ref>Blyth, Alan. "Chicago SO/Solti", ''The Times'' October 5, 1971, p. 17</ref>|group= n}} and was welcomed home at the end of the tour with a [[ticker-tape parade]].<ref name=dnb>Follows, Stephen. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/68813 "Solti, Sir Georg (1912–1997)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011, accessed February 22, 2012 {{subscription required}}</ref>

On May 5, 2008, the CSO announced the appointment of [[Riccardo Muti]] as its 10th music director, starting with the 2010–2011 season<ref name="Wakin">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/arts/music/06muti.html?ref=arts%26pagewanted=all| title= And the Brass Ring Goes to Chicago Symphony: Riccardo Muti Says Yes | work=[[The New York Times]]| first=Daniel J.| last=Wakin| date=May 5, 2008| access-date=September 18, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Patner">{{cite news |url=http://voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/riccardo-muti-renews-contract-with-chicago-symphony-orchestra |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |first=Andrew |last=Patner |date=February 3, 2014 |access-date=February 5, 2015 |title=Chicago – Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205085753/http://voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/riccardo-muti-renews-contract-with-chicago-symphony-orchestra/ |archive-date=February 5, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release | url=https://csosoundsandstories.org/riccardo-muti-to-remain-cso-music-director-until-2021-22/ | title=Riccardo Muti to remain CSO music director until 2021–22 | publisher=Chicago Symphony Orchestra | date=January 30, 2018 | access-date=January 1, 2021 | archive-date=April 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417094423/https://csosoundsandstories.org/riccardo-muti-to-remain-cso-music-director-until-2021-22/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>  After extending his stay several times, the CSO confirmed that Muti would conclude his active directorship of the orchestra at end of the 2022–2023 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://csosoundsandstories.org/muti-talks-about-20-21-season-also-cavalleria-rusticana-on-wdcb-fm/ | title=Muti talks about '20–21 season, also ''Cavalleria rusticana'', on WDCB-FM | publisher=Chicago Symphony Orchestra | date=January 28, 2020 | access-date=January 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release | url=https://cso.org/media/fpzepwjk/csoa-news-release-riccardo-muti-contract-extension_09-23-21i.pdf | title=Riccardo Muti extends contract as Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through 2023 | publisher=Chicago Symphony Orchestra | date=September 23, 2021 | access-date=September 24, 2021}}</ref> In September 2023, the orchestra granted Muti the title of Music Director Emeritus for life.<ref>{{cite news | author=Lawrence A. Johnson | title=Riccardo Muti honored with new CSO title | url=https://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2023/06/riccardo-muti-honored-with-new-cso-title/ | work=Chicago Classical Review | date = June 23, 2023 | access-date=June 27, 2023}}</ref>

In 2022, [[Klaus Mäkelä]] first guest-conducted the CSO, and returned for a guest-conducting appearance in February 2023.  In April 2024, the CSO announced the appointment of Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of five years.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://cso.org/experience/article/18131/klaus-makela-named-next-music-director-of-the | title=Klaus Mäkelä named next music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra | publisher=Chicago Symphony Orchestra | date=April 2, 2024 | accessdate=April 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Klaus Mäkelä, 28-Year-Old Finnish Conductor, to Lead Chicago Symphony | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/02/arts/music/klaus-makela-28-to-lead-chicago-symphony-orchestra.html | author=Javier C. Hernández | work=The New York Times | date=April 2, 2024 | access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref>

The orchestra has also hosted many distinguished guest conductors, including [[Thomas Beecham]], [[Leonard Bernstein]], [[Aaron Copland]], [[Edward Elgar]], [[Morton Gould]], [[Paul Hindemith]], [[Erich Kunzel]], [[Erich Leinsdorf]], [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]], [[Eugene Ormandy]], [[André Previn]], [[Sergei Prokofiev]], [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]], [[Maurice Ravel]], [[Arnold Schoenberg]], [[Leonard Slatkin]], [[Leopold Stokowski]], [[James Levine]], [[Richard Strauss]], [[George Szell]], [[Klaus Tennstedt]], [[Michael Tilson Thomas]], [[Bruno Walter]], and [[John Williams]]. Many of these guests have also recorded with the orchestra. [[Carlos Kleiber]] made his only symphonic guest appearances in America with the CSO in October 1978 and June 1983.

The three principal guest conductors of the orchestra have been [[Carlo Maria Giulini]], [[Claudio Abbado]], and [[Pierre Boulez]].

The CSO holds an annual fundraiser, originally known as the Chicago Symphony Marathon, more recently as "Radiothon" and "Symphonython", in conjunction with Chicago radio station [[WFMT]]. As part of the event, from 1986 through 2008, the orchestra released tracks from their broadcast archives on double LP/CD collections, as well as two larger sets of broadcasts and rarities (CSO: The First 100 Years, 12 CDs, 1991; CSO in the 20th Century: Collector's Choice, 10 CDs, 2000).