Grant Park Music Festival
The Grant Park Music Festival (formerly the Grant Park Concerts) is a ten-week classical music concert series held annually in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It features the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Grant Park Chorus along with guest performers and conductors, and claims to be the only free outdoor classical-music concert series in the US. The Festival is a non-profit organization. The Festival has been a Chicago tradition since 1931, when mayor Anton Cermak suggested free concerts to lift spirits of Chicagoans during the Great Depression. The tradition of symphonic Grant Park Music Festival concerts began in 1935.
| Grant Park Music Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Classical music festival |
| Dates | Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, June–August |
| Location(s) | Jay Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph Street Millennium Park, Chicago, IL, United States (July 16, 2004-2019, 2021–present) Petrillo Music Shell 235 S. Columbus Drive Grant Park, Chicago, IL, United States (1978–2004) Petrillo Music Shell Grant Park, Chicago, IL, United States (1935–1977) |
| Years active | July 1, 1935-2019, 2021–present |
| Website | www.grantparkmusicfestival.com |
The Festival was previously held at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park, but moved to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in the Millennium Park section of Grant Park for its 70th season, in 2004. It has occasionally been held at the Harris Theater. Over time, the Festival has had various financial supporters, three primary locations, and one name change. It has sometimes been nationally broadcast and has consistently enjoyed the efforts of many of the world's leading classical musicians. Recently, its organizers have agreed to release some of the Festival's concerts to the public on CD.