Rush Hour Concerts

Now a beloved Summer tradition, the series brings free, world- class chamber music to Chicago, on Tuesdays, June through August during the evening rush hour at St James Cathedral.

Rush Hour Concerts

When: Tuesdays June 9 - August 18, 2026, 5:45 - 6:30 pm
Where: Holy Name Cathedral - 735 N State St
Cost: Free
Make summer nights classic with concerts featuring Chicago’s best classical musicians and ensembles. Founded by Deborah Sobol in 2000, Rush Hour Concerts are the perfect way to relax after a workday and soak up some beautiful music in a short but lovely format. The best ensembles in the city perform programs designed to enliven commuters and make the most of summer. Each concert is live streamed through the CMC website and excerpted performances are often broadcast on 98.7 WFMT radio.

RUSH HOUR CONCERTS

2026 SEASON

June 9, 2026
Season Opener: Song and Dance 

Florence Price; arr. Ashley Ertz - Colonial Dances
W.A. Mozart - Serenade No. 12 in C Minor, K. 388
Kevin Pearl, oboe 1
Ashley Ertz, oboe 2
Susan Warner, clarinet 1
Theresa Zick, clarinet 2
William Buchman, bassoon 1
Liam Jackson, bassoon 2
Abby Black, horn 1
Emily Whittaker, horn 2

June 16, 2026
A Grand Tour of Baroque Europe

Philipp Friedrich Böddecker - Sonata a Violino Solo, from Sacra partitura
Francesco Antonio Bonporti - Aria Cromatica e variata  
Arcangelo Corelli - Violin Sonata in C Major, Op. 5 No. 3
Élisabeth Claude Jacquet de La Guerre - Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor
Nicola Matteis - Diverse bizzarie Sopra la Vecchia Sarabanda ò pur Ciaccona
Ars Musica Chicago
Amelia Sie, baroque violin
Ana Kim, baroque cello
Jason J. Moy, harpsichord

June 23, 2026
American Choral Classics

Jennifer Higdon - somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
Arr. René Clausen - Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair
Melissa Dunphy - What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?
arr. John Rutter - When the Saints Go Marching In
arr. Moses Hogan - Elijah Rock
Jake Runestad - We Can Mend the Sky
Stephen Paulus - The Road Home
Grant Park Chorus
Christopher Bell, conductor
Chuck Foster, piano
Heesoo Kim, clarinet
Adriana Harrison, percussion

June 30, 2026
Deborah Sobol Memorial

Kian Ravaei - From the Heart to the Heart
Johannes Brahms - Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60
Sang Mee Lee, violin
Arturo Ziraldo, viola
Marina Hooever, cello
Kuang-Hao Huang, piano

July 7, 2026
String Quartet Inventions

Grazyna Bacewicz - String Quartet No. 4
Joseph Haydn - String Quartet in C Major, Op. 20 No. 2
Varo String Quartet
Carmen Abelson and Hannah Christiansen, violins
Lena Vidulich, viola
Isidora Nojkovic, cello

July 14, 2026
Sisters in Sound

Gina Gillie - Five Quirky Miniatures for Horn, Tuba and Piano
Clara Schumann; arr. Abby Black - Piano Trio in G minor Op. 17
Hildegard von Bingen; arr. Bridget Conley - Suite of Antiphons for Tuba and Piano
Lillian Yee - Trio for Horn, Tuba and Piano *world premiere
Abby Black, horn
Bridget Conley, tuba
Katherine Petersen, piano

July 21, 2026
Through the Looking Glass

Jennifer Jolley - The Lives & Opinions of Literary Cats
Johannes Brahms - Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8
Merida Trio
Charlene Kluegel, violin
Jean Hatmaker, cello
Katherine Petersen, piano

July 28, 2026
The Art of the Brass Quintet

Samuel Scheidt - Canzona Bergamasca
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni - Sonata Op. 6, No. 11 “St. Marc”
Johann Sebastian Bach - The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
Victor Ewald - Brass Quintet No 1, Op. 5
Anthony Dilorenzo - Fire Dance
Christian Anderson and Jordan Olive, trumpets
Susanna Gaunt, horn
Adam Moen, trombone
Matthew Gaunt, tuba

August 4, 2026
Folk Songs and Dances

Gabriela Lena Frank - Folk Songs for Piano Trio
Antonín Dvořák - Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 “Dumky”
Oak trio
Joshua Brown, violin
Leland Ko, cello
Evren Ozel, piano

August 11, 2026
Music for Four

Caroline Shaw - Thousandth Orange
Arthur Foote - Piano Quartet, Op. 23
Eric Gratz, violin
Joseph Skerik, viola
Haddon Kay, cello
Victor Santiago Asunción, piano

August 18, 2026
Season Finale: A Night at the Opera

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; arr. Douglas B. Moore - Overture to Marriage of Fígaro
Richard Wagner - Feierliches Stucke from Lohengrin
Gioachino Rossini; arr. Douglas B. Moore - Overture from Barber of Seville
Jules Massanet; arr. Aurelien Sabouret - Meditation from Thais
Johann Strauss II; arr. Galvin Cello Quartet - Overture to Die Fledermaus
Galvin Cello Quartet
James Baik, cello
Haddon Kay, cello
Sydney Lee, cello
Luiz Venturelli, cello

“Rush Hour Concerts are a treat every summer. We look forward to going to St James every Tuesday evening for a wonderful 45 minutes of beautiful music in that lovely and welcoming setting.”

- Joyce and Richard Prince, Classical Music Chicago generous supporters

Thank you to our supporters

Rush Hour Concerts are presented in partnership with Holy Name Cathedral.

Rush Hour Concerts are made possible through the generosity of the Irving Harris Foundation and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Upcoming Performances

Do-It-Yourself Messiah

The program that started it all, the Do-It-Yourself Messiah is an event lovers of classical music look forward to every year.
Do-It-Yourself Messiah

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