I don’t care if you don’t like classical music. I don’t care if you don’t know how the orchestra works. I don’t care if you’re bored for half the concert. Just go to the symphony.
Living in Chicago, we have a world-class symphony ten minutes away at all times. Riccardo Muti, the Music Director Emeritus for Life at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has an extensive resume and repertoire. He’s conducted, studied, and practiced his craft around the world (he’s been knighted five times, if I remember right). Watching him conduct was magical, and you could hear the passion in the way he conducts his ensemble. Additionally, they invite plenty of other conductors, so it’s never the same from one night to the next at the CSO. For architecture students, the history and beauty of the Symphony Center is a must-see – designed over a hundred years ago by (you guessed it) Daniel Burnham, it’s one of the many classic gems spotted on Michigan Avenue. The orchestra itself attracts the best musicians from Chicago and the world beyond, and the orchestra’s repertoire is pulled from all sorts of eras and places.
Moreover, if you think the CSO sounds like an expensive night out, it really isn’t. For certain concerts, tickets can be as cheap as about $50. That’s a typical ticket to pretty much anything nowadays. Cheaper, actually, than a stadium concert at Tinley Park or United Center. If you do feel like treating yourself, a perfect, front and center view is usually around or a bit upwards of $100 (and it goes towards supporting amazing musicians!) And no, it’s not a black-tie occasion. Something nice (that is, probably not pajamas or your glue- and spraypaint-covered studio clothes) is all you need. Think career fair garb.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, this seems like a good moment to remind you they don’t only play classical. As an orchestra kid myself, I’m aware it can be mind-numbingly boring when you don’t know what’s going on in an orchestra. But first, not all classical is boring (Dvořák’s 9th, Beethoven’s 5th, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, Shostakovich’s 8th, Rachmaninoff’s 2nd, Tin’s the Sea, Mahler’s 7th, and so many more are all amazing examples of pieces that will keep you on the edge of your seat); second, they play so much that isn’t stuffy old classical – movie scores, game soundtracks, pop, rock, opera, and ballet; third, don’t limit yourself based off what you think you already know. As a kid, I despised art museums. I thought they were the most boring thing in the world. Now, I regularly go (and all of you should, too, because we get in free with our student IDs) to immerse myself in the culture and beauty that our sometimes drab campus doesn’t always fulfill.
In the wise words of my Babcia, you should always try something three times before you decide you don’t like it. Of course, maybe that applies more to food, since we’re college kids and symphony tickets are expensive – but I think everyone should go at least once. I highly recommend the middle-back of the main floor, which are usually $60 tickets, or the upper balcony. Plus, as an added bonus, you can get a soda and listen in to all the rich people gossip in the ballroom during intermission.