Celebrating 15 Years of The Soraya! Chicago Symphony Orchestra Makes Soraya Debut with Maestro Riccardo Muti

Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets starting at $84 at TheSoraya.org.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), led by Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti, will make its debut at The Soraya with a program that includes Brahms's final symphony, Hindemith's dramatic masterwork Mathis der Maler, and Strauss Jr.'s sweepingly romantic Overture to The Gypsy Baron. This performance is part of CSO and Maestro Muti's seven-city tour across the western United States.

The CSO concert on Thursday, Jan. 22 is one of five Crystal Series events celebrating The Soraya's 15th Anniversary. These performances highlight The Soraya's commitment to connecting audiences with world-class artists and international performing arts. 

"Over the last 15 years, The Soraya has presented some of the world's finest orchestras, shining in the venue's exceptional acoustics," said Soraya Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber. "As a native-born Chicagoan who grew up attending CSO concerts, I relish the idea of bringing them to The Soraya before my tenure concludes. I am grateful to lead underwriter Anthony Pritzker, a fellow Chicagoan and great L.A. arts supporter."

The CSO concert will be followed by an intimate dinner celebrating the Soraya's 15th Anniversary and the final season of Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber. Funds raised from this dinner will benefit the 15th Anniversary as well as the newly announced Thor Steingraber Fund for Artistic Innovation.

Program

STRAUSS, JR. Overture to The Gypsy Baron

HINDEMITH Mathis der Maler

BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

On rare occasions has The Soraya's Great Hall resounded with Brahms, the Romantic composer often grouped with Bach and Beethoven as the most important composers of two centuries of music, encompassing the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is known for its mastery of Brahms, including recordings by notable conductors Georg Solti, James Levine, and Daniel Barenboim. Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Maler (Mathias the Painter) questions the role of the artist in society, was composed in 1934 and performed by the Los Angeles Symphony the same year under the baton of Otto Klemperer. The evening will open with the overture to Johann Strass, Jr's The Gypsy Baron.

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SOURCE Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at California State University, Northridge