N INET Y-F I FTH SEASON
Friday, October 24, 2025, at 8:00
AN EVENING WITH CHRIS THILE Chris Thile Mandolin and Vocals The program will be announced from the stage.
There will be no intermission.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
Chris Thile Mandolin and Vocals
Acclaimed Grammy Award–winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and MacArthur Fellow, Chris Thile is a multifaceted musical talent. Thile is a founding member of the highly influential string bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and he has collaborated with numerous luminaries, from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple and Brad Mehldau. For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite Live from Here with Chris Thile (formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion). With his broad outlook, Thile creates a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike.
In recent years, Thile toured with Nickel Creek in support of the critically acclaimed 2023 release Celebrants. Most recently, he has captivated audiences with a playfully ambitious biographical composition entitled ATTENTION! (a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra) and has been focused on the production of a new musical variety show, The Energy Curfew Music Hour. Created with Claire Coffee and featuring Punch Brothers, season one is available on Audible and all podcasting platforms, with season two to be released in late fall of 2025. The wide-ranging program of Thile’s 2025–26 solo performances features selections from his acclaimed solo recordings of J.S. Bach’s sonatas and partitas—including the upcoming second volume out this fall—alongside his signature post-genre blend of commotional rigor, folksy stagecraft, and improvisational brilliance. For more on Chris Thile and his latest album, visit cso.org/thileandbach.
P H OTO BY J O S H G O L E M A N
SY M P H O N Y C E N T E R P R E S E N T S Jeff Alexander Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association President Cristina Rocca Vice President for Artistic Administration The Richard and Mary L. Gray Chair James M. Fahey Senior Director, Programming, Symphony Center Presents Lena Breitkreuz Artist Manager, Symphony Center Presents Michael Lavin Director of Production Joseph Sherman Associate Director of Production, SCP and Rental Events
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Chris Thile & the CSO Chris Thile mandolin and vocals Eric Jacobsen conductor Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Chorus Cheryl Frazes Hill associate chorus director
Chris Thile joins the CSO to perform his work ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra, adding his trademark whimsical storytelling and ever-present sense of humor to Symphony Center’s America 250 tribute.
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JUNE 8 | 7:30
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CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis JUNE 2
A Musical Journey In June 2026, Symphony Center marks America’s 250th anniversary with a month of performances that honor the nation’s rich and evolving cultural landscape, reflecting the country’s resilience, creativity and musical traditions.
Alsop Conducts Adams, Copland & Marsalis JUNE 4-6
Conrad Tao piano
JUNE 7
Chris Thile & the CSO JUNE 8
Gaffigan, Thibaudet & Bernstein JUNE 11-13
Lincoln Portrait & Ellington Harlem JUNE 18-21
A Musical Tribute to John Williams & Steven Spielberg
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JUNE 23
Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert JUNE 25-27
CSO.ORG/AMERICA250 | 312-294-3000
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