Summertime is in full swing with a calendar packed with award-winning shows, anticipated festivals and more.
Grant Park Music Festival promises another season of top-tier performances in the heart of the city.
THROUGH AUG. 19
For nearly 90 years, the Grant Park Music Festival has enthralled Chicagoans with performances from world-class artists like pianist Michelle Cann, violinist Rachel Barton Pine and clarinetist Afendi Yusuf. This month, the 10- week classical music concert series returns to Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion with a star-studded lineup, including Grammy Awardwinning pianist Joyce Yang, double-bass virtuoso and composer Xavier Foley and Chicago natives violinist Tai Murray and soprano Olivia Boen. Principal conductor and artistic director Carlos Kalmar, who has helmed the festival for 23 years, will also take the stage in a series of much-anticipated programs. “Our festival celebrates the breadth and wonder of music, from the great classics to Broadway to the bravado of a dazzling soloist,” Kalmar shares. “We also have some circus zing with aerialists flying above the stage and music from Carmen. You can’t beat that!” June 14-Aug. 19, 201 E. Randolph St.
The Tyler Gate welcomes guests to Ravinia Festival’s sprawling grounds.
THROUGH SEPT. 10
It’s summertime, and that means the return of the North Shore’s iconic Ravinia Festival. This year’s A-list lineup features over 50 new artists, including Charlie Puth, Ne-Yo and Boyz II Men, and returning favorites like John Legend, Carrie Underwood, Chicago, Train, Jason Mraz and more. Fans can also enjoy the longstanding tradition of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, helmed by Chief Conductor Marin Alsop, which returns for a six-week residency. “From shining a spotlight on women composers across multiple genres to bringing the best in pop, rock, jazz and classical to our varied stages, Ravinia’s summer offerings reflect the wide-ranging musical tastes of Chicago and beyond,” says Jeffrey P. Haydon, Ravinia’s president and CEO. “Whether you’re attending for the first or 50th time, a concert here is a special experience and one we hope our audiences will treasure.” 201 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park
THROUGH NOV. 5
In the first major American museum exhibition since 1970 dedicated to Hector Guimard, the architect and designer synonymous with the French Art Nouveau movement, the Driehaus Museum offers a rare glimpse into the creative’s life and work. Guimard, best known for designing Paris Métro’s entrances, is showcased in a new light thanks to Hector Guimard: Art Nouveau to Modernism’s focus on his personal life, entrepreneurial techniques and commitment to making design accessible. Curator David A. Hanks presents approximately 100 pieces of the artist’s most significant works, which include furniture, jewelry, metalwork, ceramics, drawings and textiles from around the world. “The collections of Richard H. Driehaus and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum hold some of the most significant objects by Hector Guimard in the United States,” Hanks says. “We are thrilled to unite these objects alongside important loans from national and international collections to reveal new insights into this remarkable designer and his lasting impact.” 40 E. Erie St.
Expect more electric performances like Niko Moon’s 2022 set at this year’s Windy City Smokeout.
JULY 13-16
Summer in Chicago is synonymous with festivals, and Windy City Smokeout is one you won’t want to miss. The Academy of Country Music Awards “Festival of the Year” winner returns to the United Center for its 10th anniversary with an impressive roster that includes some of country music’s biggest names like Grammy award winner Zac Brown Band and Darius Rucker, ACM and CMA award winner Luke Bryan and Grammy nominee Zach Bryan, who will be headlining the opening night. Beyond entertainment, food is half the fun here, so be sure to save room for delicious BBQ from top spots across the country like Lexington Betty Smokehouse and Soul & Smoke. 1901 W. Madison St.
THROUGH JULY 3
When you think of the Art Institute of Chicago, names of old masters like Monet, van Gogh, Picasso and Dalí might be the first that come to mind. This season, though, the venerated institution shines a spotlight on an exciting new talent: 32-year-old Gio Swaby, a Bahamian multidisciplinary artist whose intricate textile-based works celebrate Blackness and womanhood through the lenses of hair, clothing, jewelry and more in Gio Swaby: Fresh Up. 111 S. Michigan Ave.
THROUGH JULY 23
The Who’s Tommy, the final show in the Goodman Theatre’s 2022/2023 lineup, not only marks the end of a thrilling season, but it’s also one of the final plays selected by Robert Falls, Goodman’s former artistic director, who recently stepped down after a 35-year tenure. A reimagined rendition of the popculture classic, The Who’s Tommy features anthems like “I’m Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Sensation,” and “Pinball Wizard” in a story of young Tommy Walker, who is lost in the universe after witnessing his father shoot his rival. This Tony Award-winning production, helmed by composer Pete Townshend and director Des McAnuff, breathes new life into the timeless story. 170 N. Dearborn St.
See Charles Angrand’s “The Seine at Courbevoie: La Grande Jatte” (1888) at the Art Institute.
THROUGH SEPT. 4
Experience the awe-inspiring works of post-impressionist icon Vincent Van Gogh and his peers Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard and Charles Angrand at Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape, now on view at the Art Institute of Chicago. Visitors will be transported to the early days of 19th-century post-impressionism as they explore over 75 works of art from the period. Says Jacquelyn N. Coutré, Eleanor Wood Prince Associate Curator in Painting and Sculpture of Europe at the Art Institute of Chicago, “The pioneering work by Seurat, Signac, Bernard and Angrand in the northwestern suburbs of Paris prompted many artists, including Van Gogh, to rethink the possibilities of painting.” 111 S. Michigan Ave.
Richard Thomas assumes the role of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird.
JULY 28-30
Chicago’s dynamic cultural scene and hottest new talents take center stage at the annual Wicker Park Festival, returning this summer. The three-day event draws over 75,000 visitors each year and brings local artists, businesses and community members together to celebrate the spirit of the buzzy neighborhood. From independent pop-up vendors to vintage sellers and acclaimed restaurants and cafes, there’s plenty to explore at the fest taking over Milwaukee Avenue. Young festivalgoers can get in on the fun, too, with mini-golf and interactive arts and crafts workshops. Main entrance at the intersection of N. Damen Ave., North Ave. and N. Milwaukee Ave.
Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography in MJ is sure to enthrall audiences.
AUG. 1-SEPT. 2
Experience the iconic artistry of Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical, a multiple Tony Award-winning production that’s taking the stage at James M. Nederlander Theatre this season. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon, and based on MJ, the book penned by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, this musical looks beyond Jackson’s performances and offers a rare glimpse into his creative process during the 1992 “Dangerous World Tour.” Unearthing the collaborative spirit and ingenuity that propelled the late pop icon to global fame, it’s a must-see. 24 W. Randolph St.
Spanning nearly a mile of Milwaukee Avenue, Wicker Park Fest is the longest Northside street festival in Chicago.
AUG. 8-13
Playwright, screenwriter and film director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The Trial of the Chicago 7) has reimagined Harper Lee’s iconic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and this summer, it graces the stage at CIBC Theatre. Directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher and focusing on one of the most revered characters in American literature, small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, the story, set in Alabama in 1934, explores themes of racial injustice and childhood innocence for today’s audiences. 18 W. Monroe St.
Photography by: FROM TOP: PHOTO BY NORMAN TIMONERA; PHOTO: COURTESY OF RAVINIA FESTIVAL; PHOTO: BY KATIE KAUSS KDK CREATIVE/COURTESY OF FESTIVAL; PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM/LAROCK-GRANOFF COLLECTION; PHOTO: BY JULIETA CERVANTES; PHOTO: BY MATTHEW MURPHY; PHOTO: COURTESY OF J. MILLER
