June 18--Grant Park Music Festival: Artistic director and principal conductor Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra in the world premiere of American composer Kenji Bunch's commissioned Symphony No. 3 ("Dream Songs"), a choral symphony based on Native-American texts, sung by the Grant Park Chorus. The program also holds works by Mozart and Shostakovich. 6:30 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street; free, $25 for reserved seating ; 312-742-7638, gpmf.org
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Music director Riccardo Muti concludes the 2014-15 subscription season with the world premiere of resident composer Mason Bates' CSO-commissioned "Anthology of Fantastic Zoology," along with Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. 1:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $33-$255; 312-294-3000, cso.org
CSO at Morton Arboretum: The orchestra returns to the western suburbs for a series of three family-oriented outdoor concerts at reduced prices. Richard Kaufman conducts the opening program, "Hollywood Heroes and Superheroes," film music by John Williams, Danny Elfman, Dmitri Tiomkin and others. Remaining concerts are June 26-27. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. $49; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Downtown Sound: The city of Chicago's free, eclectic summer music series continues with Third Coast Percussion leading 80 area musicians in Terry Riley's iconic "In C," performed in celebration of the minimalist composer's 80th birthday. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street; cityofchicago.org
Grant Park Music Festival: Violist Roberto Diaz is the soloist for William Walton's seldom-heard Viola Concerto, with Carlos Kalmar also conducting the Grant Park Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street; free, $25 for reserved seating; 312-742-7638, gpmf.org
Leon Fleisher master class: The legendary pianist works with artists from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute program for piano and strings. 2 p.m. Thursday, Bennett Gordon Hall, Ravinia, Green Bay and Lake Cook roads, Highland Park; free; 847-266-5100, ravinia.org
Make Music Chicago: Among the classical highlights of this fifth annual, free daylong celebration of citywide music making (both amateur and professional) will be a "synchronized traveling smartphone choir," premiering Chicago composer Mischa Zupko's "Call Your Father," starting at 4 p.m. Sunday at Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph St.; rushhour.org
Misha and Cipa Dichter: The popular husband-and-wife pianists return to the Ravinia Festival for a program of works for piano four hands by Mozart, Schubert and Bizet, along with Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor. Taking part in the Brahms will be Mark Peskanov, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola; and Nicholas Canellakis, cello. 8 p.m. Saturday, Martin Theatre, Ravinia, Green Bay and Lake Cook roads, Highland Park; $40-$60, $10 lawn; 847-266-5100, ravinia.org
Rush Hour Concerts: The summer-long series of free weekly classical music performances (and curated preconcert conversations) continues with members of Chicago's Haymarket Opera performing baroque arias and ensembles by Handel, Lully and Stradella. 5 p.m. Tuesday, St. James Cathedral, 65 E. Huron St.; rushhour.org
jvonrhein@tribpub.com
