Camerata Chicago Chamber Orchestra Reveals 2026–2027 Season
Drostan Hall names Eric Gratz guest concertmaster and Tony Payne composer-in-residence for the orchestra.
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Camerata Chicago, led by its British-born founder and music director Drostan Hall, has announced its 23rd concert season, 2026-2027, which will see the professional chamber orchestra performing classical masterworks in Chicago and suburban Hinsdale, Oak Park, and Wheaton, Illinois.
'Our hallmark is music that's tonal and melodic, performed with historically grounded interpretations,' Hall says of his 40-piece modern-instrument ensemble. 'In addition to mainstream classical repertoire, our artistic touchstone, we also relish 20th century and contemporary compositions that traditional concertgoers will enjoy.'
Reflecting that artistic vision, the season's four concert programs include the October 16-18 opener featuring Felix Mendelssohn's music for Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Op. 61; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds in E-flat Major, K. 297b; and the world premiere of Chicago-area composer Tony Payne's 'Fantasy on English Melodies,' commissioned by Camerata Chicago. All three are new to Camerata Chicago's repertoire.
'Audiences who are used to hearing the Mendelssohn and Mozart played by a symphony orchestra can savor these more intimately scaled performances for the musical detail they reveal,' Hall says.
'Both are examples of works that were originally written for orchestras the size of Camerata Chicago,' he says, 'as were many other important works in the classical repertoire we feature.'
Camerata Chicago, Hall says, 'is about chamber-music intimacy on a larger stage.'
Performance Lineup
October 16-18: Music of Mendelssohn, Mozart,
and Tony Payne (world premiere) in Chicago,
Wheaton, and Hinsdale, Illinois
November 20-22: Handel's 'Messiah' and 'Zadok the Priest'
in Oak Park, Wheaton, and Hinsdale
March 5-7: 'Baroque Violin Concerti
with Apollo's Fire Soloists' in Oak Park,
Wheaton, and Hinsdale
April 9-11: Fauré Requiem and Poulenc Organ Concerto
in Chicago, Wheaton, and Hinsdale
Drostan Hall, founder and music director,
appoints Eric Gratz as guest concertmaster
and Wheaton College's Tony Payne
as composer-in-residence
CHICAGO, July 25, 2026 -
Photo Credit: Dan Andersen
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