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 3 - August 19, 2025, 5:45 - 6:30 pm
Where: St. James Cathedral – 65 E Huron Street, Chicago
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

2025 Season Coming Soon

June 3, 2025 - 26th Season Opener 

Reena Esmail - Piano Quintet
Antonin Dvorak - Piano Quintet No. 2, Op. 81
Stephanie Jeong and Matous Michal, violins
Danny Lai, viola
Alexander Hersh, cello
Victor Santiago Asunción, piano

June 10, 2025 - Kontras Quartet

Terry Riley - G Song
Charles Ives - String Quartet 1
Daniel Bernard Roumain - Klap Ur Handz from String Quartet No. 5
Komitas Vartapet - selections from Armenian Folk Songs

Kontras Quartet
Eleanor Bartsch and Sherri Zhang, violins
Ben Weber, viola
Jean Hatmaker, cello

June 17, 2025 - Matthew Lipman & Victor Asunción

Johannes Brahms - Sonata in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1
Clara Schumann - Three Romances Op. 22
Johannes Brahms - Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120 No. 2

Matthew Lipman, viola
Victor Santiago Asunción, piano

June 24, 2025 - Music for Flute, Viola and Piano

Maurice Duruflé - Prélude, Récitatif, et Variations
Eduardo Angulo - Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Piano
Leo Sowerby - Trio for Flute, Viola, and Piano, H. 149

Tim Hagen, flute
Wilfred Farquharson, viola
Christopher Guzman, piano

July 1, 2025 - Summer Shimmers

Jennifer Higdon - Summer Shimmers
Ludwig Thuille - Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet, Op. 6

Emma Gerstein, Flute
Kevin Pearl, Oboe
Jay Shankar, Clarinet
William Buchman, Bassoon
Alexander Love, Horn
Marta Aznavoorian, piano

July 8, 2025 - Grant Park Music Festival String Fellows

Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen; arr. Danish String Quartet - Shine You No More
Arturo Marquez - Homenaje a Gismonti
Stacy Garrop - Ribbons of Steel
Maurice Ravel - String Quartet in F major, M. 35
Billy Strayhorn; arr. Paul Chihara - Take the “A” train

Javier F. Torres-Delgado, violin
Maria Gabriela Mendez Martinez, violin
Joshua Thaver, viola
Manuel Papale, cello

July 15, 2025 - Clarinet Quintets

Ruth Gipps - Rhapsody, op. 23
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Clarinet Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581

Susan Warner, clarinet
Cornelius Chiu and Kozue Funakoshi, violins
YouMing Chen, viola
Dan Katz, cello

July 22, 2025 - Ars Musica Chicago

Antonio Vivaldi - Lungi dal vago volto, RV 680
Alessandro Stradella - Sinfonia in D Minor
George F Handel - “Amarti sì vorrei” from Teseo, HWV 9
Giuseppe Clemente Dall’Abaco - Cello Sonata in D Minor, ABV 35
George Frideric Handel - “Oh, that I on wings could rise”, from Theodora, HWV 68

Ars Musica Chicago
Hannah De Priest, soprano
Isabelle Seula Lee, violin
Ana Kim, cello
Brandon Acker, archlute
Jason J. Moy, harpsichord

July 29, 2025 - Intimate Letters

Osvaldo Golijov - Mariel for cello and marimba
Augusta Read Thomas - New Work for Chen String Quartet and Josh Graham, Percussion *World Premiere
Leoš Janáček - String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters"

Chen String Quartet
Robert Chen and Laura Park Chen, violins
Beatrice Chen, viola
Noah Chen, cello

Joshua Graham, percussion

August 5, 2025 - Merida Trio

Franz Schubert - Piano Trio in B-flat major, D. 28
Amy Beach - Piano Trio, Op. 150
Arno Babadjanian - Piano Trio in f-sharp minor

Merida Trio
Charlene Kluegel, violin
Jean Hatmaker, cello
Katherine Petersen, piano

August 12, 2025 - Kaia String Quartet

Efraín Amaya - Angélica
Clarice Assad - Canções da America
Amos Gillespie - Shadow Effect
Sonia Morales-Matos - Divertimento Caribeño No. 3

Kaia String Quartet
Victoria Moreira and Naomi Culp, violins
Susan Bengtson-Price, viola
Hope Decelle, cello

August 19, 2025 - Season Finale: 
Wind Serenades

Florence Price; arr. A. Ertz - Concert Overture No. 2
Antonin Dvorak - Serenade for Wind Instruments, Op. 44’

Katie Steele, Oboe 1; Ashley Ertz, Oboe 2;
Trevor O'Riordan, Clarinet 1; Claire Werling, Clarinet 2;
William Buchman, Bassoon 1; Liam Jackson, Bassoon 2;
Susanna Gaunt, Horn 1; Abby Black, Horn 2;
Emily Whittaker, Horn 3; Renee Vogen, Horn 4;
Lindsey Sharpe, Cello; Olivia Reyes, Double Bass
- Joyce and Richard Prince, Classical Music Chicago generous supporters

“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.”

Thank you to our supporters

Rush Hour Concerts are presented in partnership with St. James Cathedral.

Rush Hour Concerts are made possible through the generosity of the Zell Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and contributions from individual donors.

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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