José van Dam in January 1979 (Santi Visalli photo via Getty Images)| from the archives
José van Dam in January 1979 (Santi Visalli photo via Getty Images) Wishing a very happy eighty-fifth birthday to the legendary Belgian bass-baritone José van Dam! Van Dam has appeared with the Chi…| from the archives
We have just received word that Rubén D’Artagnan González, a concertmaster with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1986 until 1996, died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 13, 2018, after a long illness. He was 79.| from the archives
Cleo Laine in April 1974. Photo by David Redfern (Getty Images) The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of English singer and actress Dame Cleo Laine. She d…| from the archives
Fehling in 1979 (Robert M. Lightfoot III photo) The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family mourns the loss of Fox Fehling, who served as a member of the violin section from 1979 until 2022. She died on …| from the archives
Alfred Brendel at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in Scotland in August 2003 (Shutterstock) The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of Austrian pi…| from the archives
Frederica von Stade in 2005 (2005 Robert Millard) Wishing a very happy eightieth birthday to the fabulous American mezzo-soprano, Frederica von Stade! Von Stade has appeared with the Chicago Sympho…| from the archives
Early edition piano/vocal score (Theodore Thomas collection) There is no evidence that Theodore Thomas, our founder and first music director, conducted Verdi’s Requiem with the Chicago Orchestra. P…| from the archives
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of American conductor John Nelson, who died March 31, 2025. He was eighty-three. Nelson was born in San José, Costa Rica—the son of American Protestant missionaries—on December 6, 1941, and later studied at Wheaton College and the Juilliard School. He held posts […]| from the archives
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family mourns the loss of Donald Moline, who served as a member of the cello section from 1967 until 2006. He died on March 11, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa, following a long illness. Moline was eighty-five. Born on October 6, 1939, in Fort Worth, Texas, Moline graduated from the Hartt […]| from the archives
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of American bass Paul Plishka, who died February 4, 2025. He was 83. One of the most prolific artists of his generation, Plishka was a stalwart at the Metropolitan Opera and also appeared regularly with Lyric Opera of Chicago. When he retired […]| from the archives
On January 26, 2025, we celebrate the eightieth birthday of the remarkable English cellist Jacqueline du Pré (1945–1987), who performed and recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1969 and 1970. According to her husband—and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s ninth music director from 1991 until 2006—Daniel Barenboim in his autobiography A Life in Music: “Jacqueline’s way of […]| from the archives
We have just received word that Rubén D’Artagnan González, a concertmaster with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1986 until 1996, died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 13, 2018, after…| from the archives
