By Judy Carmack Bross
The evening began with Mastro Riccardo Muti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program of works by Rossini, Mahler and Liszt and ended with the triumphant news that the evening had raised $1.2 million in support of programs. What went in the middle was the Symphony Ball Gala at the Four Seasons, equally deserving of a standing ovation and rave reviews.
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Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program with works by Rossini, Mahler, Liszt, and Mozart at Symphony Ball on April 2, 2022
 Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti leads mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder at the Symphony Ball concert |
Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti acknowledges mezzo-soprano soloist Elīna Garanča following a performance of Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder at the Symphony Ball concert on April 2, 2022. |
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association Board President Mary Louise Gorno and CSOA Trustee and Gala co-chair Renee Metcalf welcomed Maestro Muti as he entered the Four Seasons ballroom.
CSOA Board President Mary Louise Gorno welcomes Maestro Muti on his arrival |
CSOA Trustee and Gala co-chair Renee Metcalf greets Maestro Muti on his arrival |
Metcalf, Managing Director Private Bank Midwest and Mid Atlantic Division Executive for Bank of America and a member of the CSOA’s Board of Trustees since 2017, noted:
“As the first Symphony Ball gala in person for a while, I understood how incredibly important it was to join the co-chairs from the Women’s Board of the CSOA to plan this year’s event and achieve our fundraising goal. When I reached Saturday, April 2 and attended Symphony Ball with other volunteers, donors and supporters of the CSOA, it was one of the proudest nights of my life as I saw the impact that my efforts and time can have on a goal, purpose or effort. I couldn’t be happier to report that the event exceeded our goal of $1.2 million, which will support the CSOA’s ongoing artistic and educational programs in our community.”
Left to Right: Women’s Board President Judy Feldman with Women’s Board members and Symphony Ball Co-Chairs Courtney Shea and Shelley Ochab join Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association Trustee and Symphony Ball Co-Chair Renee Metcalf at the Spring 2022 edition of Symphony Ball on April 2. |
CSOA Trustee and Symphony Ball co-chair Renée Metcalf (left) joins Women’s Board Symphony Ball co-chairs Judy Feldman (near left) and Shelley Ochab (far right) and (center)CSOA Board Chair Mary Louise Gorno and CSOA President Jeff Alexander. |
Right to Left: CSOA Board Chair Mary Louise Gorno, Women’s Board President and Symphony Ball co-chair Judy Feldman join CSOA President Jeff Alexander and his wife Keiko Alexander.
Acting Principal Viola Li-Kuo Chang and other guests enjoy the post-concert Symphony Ball gala at the Four Seasons on April 2, 2022. |
Patrons enjoy the post-concert Symphony Ball gala at the Four Seasons on April 2, 2022. |
The Symphony Ball isn’t the only much-anticipated event on the CSO’s special events schedule. On June 9 Tony Award-winning singer and actress Kelli O’Hara, hailed by The New YorkTimes as “Broadway musical’s undisputed queen,” joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conductor Steven Reineke for an intimate program of American Songbook classics and modern Broadway favorites for Corporate Night. O’Hara currently stars in the blockbuster The Gilded Age.
The 31st annual Corporate Night is presented in partnership with the CSOA and the League and Overture Council of the CSOA. League Co-Chairs Susie Stein and Patty Weber, and `Eileen Conaghan, League Vice President of Fundraising and League President Bill Ward serve on the Corporate Night leadership committee. Proceeds benefit the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s artistic, education and community engagement programs in Chicago and across the globe.
Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program with works by Rossini, Mahler, Liszt, and Mozart at Symphony Ball on April 2, 2022
Photos by Todd Rosenberg
For further information visit: cso.org
