Our community engagement programs bridge the gap between the musicians in our orchestra and the Chicago community. By bringing music into public schools, hosting free concerts in public spaces, and providing young musicians with world-class performance opportunities, our goal is to serve our community and make classical music accessible to all.
Side by Side with the Chicago Philharmonic, presented through the Chicago Park District’s “Night Out in the Parks” initiative, brings free symphonic concerts to Chicago parks in local communities in Chicago’s South and West sides. Students and community members of all ages and levels bring their instruments and rehearse and perform free concerts with Chicago Philharmonic musicians. Since the initiative launched in 2015, we’ve brought the Side by Side program to 9 beautiful Chicago Parks, including:
Brings Chicago Philharmonic musicians to schools for a six-week period to:
These repeated interactions over the course of six weeks, and often for several consecutive years for some students, vastly improve students’ music technique and comfort playing and performing their instrument.
Current AMP School Partners:
Do you think your school would be a good fit for this program? Send us an email!
Families to the Phil provides young people and families the opportunity to share the powerful experience of a live, professional symphonic concert.
Each season we underwrite Chicago Philharmonic symphonic concert tickets for students and their family members from Chicago-area public schools, community music schools, and youth orchestras. Participation in the program opens doors to new musical and cultural worlds for these young people, planting the seeds for a lifelong enjoyment of music.
Would you like to participate in Families to the Phil and receive free concert tickets? Sign up for our waiting list here, and we’ll let you know when we have openings!
Chicago Philharmonic began its NEXT! initiative to give emerging musicians the opportunity to be heard by Chicago Philharmonic patrons, musicians, and conductors. These fresh talents of merit are showcased in the foyer before Chicago Philharmonic concerts, and invited to attend the symphonic performance with their families. In recent seasons we have welcomed students from the Merit School of Music, The People’s Music School, Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Music Institute Of Chicago, DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Beinen School of Music.
Interested in performing as part of our NEXT! program? Send us an email!
Spotlight is a mentoring program designed to give professional symphonic performance opportunities to exceptional young musicians. The program provides these students an opportunity to perform with orchestra mentors in rehearsal sessions, followed by a professional performance of one major classical work in a subscription concert. Past participants have been drawn from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and have included students from New Trier High School, Protégé Philharmonic, Music Institute of Chicago, Midwest Young Artists, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Birch Creek Symphony Program.
Interested in participating in our Spotlight program? Send us an email!
Each summer, four high school Chicago students are selected to participate in the Chicago Philharmonic summer Internship. The internship includes mentorship and training in areas of arts administration such as marketing, development, operations, and community engagement, and includes a musical performance element guided by Chicago Philharmonic musicians.
Interesting in applying? Send us an email!
2024 Chicago Philharmonic