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Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The Grant Park Music Festival returned with outdoor, live classical music concerts at full seating capacity without social distancing Friday night in Millennium Park. Droves of concertgoers entered the festival for the “Independence Day Salute” program, with artistic director and principal conductor Carlos Kalmar returning to lead the Grant Park Orchestra at the Pritzker Pavilion.
“I feel free. I’ve been in the house way too long, so I’m pretty excited for what’s to come,” first-time attendee Cierra Turner, 25, said, looking forward to one of her favorite Tchaikovsky pieces being played, the “1812 Overture.”
Ironically, the festival was established in 1935 to lift people’s spirits and bring people together through cultural arts during the Great Depression. Eighty-six years later, that same feeling of hope and togetherness reemerged as music fans returned to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic sh
The Grant Park Music Festival is going to play out a little differently. From July 2 to August 21, the festival orchestra and chorus will return to their home at Pritzker Pavilion, marking the unofficial opening of public summer events at the venue. Though safety protocols will transform the festival’s sound and duration, Grant Park’s core mission remains intact: The 2021 season includes a healthy offering of programmatic rarities, the chorus will sing its usual six programs, and, yes, lawn spots will remain totally free.
Patrick Pyszka
The Grant Park Music Festival announced Tuesday its 2021 season will return to the Pritzker Pavilion, for a season of live music and in-person audiences.
The season will kick off July 2 and run through Aug. 21 and will operate at 25% capacity (under current pandemic restrictions) with reserved seats for all concertgoers, both in the pavilion and on the lawn. The lawn will, for the first time, feature socially distanced “pods” for small groups.
Artistic director and principal conductor Carlos Kalmar will return to lead the Grant Park Orchestra, with Christopher Bell directing the Grant Park Chorus, in an eight-week season. All concerts are free and will take place Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Run time will be 90 minutes, without intermission.