Hilary Hahn appointed as the CSO’s Artist-in-Residence, starting Sept. 1

Internationally acclaimed violinist Hilary Hahn will become the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Artist-in-Residence, beginning Sept. 1.

The two-year appointment, announced June 22 by the CSO's Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti, will bring Hahn to Chicago for multiple residencies each season.

Regarded as one of the foremost violinists of her generation, Hahn has won three Grammy Awards and is a staunch advocate for new music, commissioning works such as Lera Auerbach’s Sonata No. 4: Fractured Dreams; Jennifer Higdon’s Violin Concerto, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and 6 Partitas by Antón García Abril.

“I'm thrilled to be appointed Artist-in-Residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra," Hahn said in a statement. "I have great admiration for the orchestra and Maestro Muti, and it is an honor to join their organization over the next two seasons. Through the powerful conduit of the arts, a residency offers the chance to get to know a community and find ways to be helpful within it. I'm looking forward to exploring those connections and being of artistic service to the City of Chicago and its music lovers, and to making great music with the Chicago Symphony.”

Muti echoed those sentiments in a statement: “The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is committed to collaborating with musicians who inspire audiences with their artistry and love of music. I am looking forward to the ways that Hilary Hahn will work with the orchestra as CSO Artist-in-Residence. I commend her dedication to sharing music in new ways with audiences around the world, especially at this time when culture can be a healing force for all of us."

For her first appearance in December, Hahn will join the CSO in Dvořák’s Violin Concerto — a work of special significance to the orchestra, which gave its U.S. premiere 130 years ago. In the spring, she will perform a mixed recital program in the Symphony Center Presents Chamber Music series. Hahn also will host two of her signature “Bring Your Own Baby” concerts, free events provide a nurturing and welcoming environment for new parents to share their love of live classical music with their infants.

The “Bring Your Own Baby” concerts are just one of the ways Hahn plans to strengthen the CSO’s connections with the Chicago community. She is committed to supporting diverse artistic voices and broadening access to classical music; throughout her tenure, she will complement her public performances with educational and audience engagement initiatives. With the CSO’s Negaunee Music Institute, she will participate in projects by the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, which provides coaching and support to young musicians from diverse backgrounds hoping to pursue professional music careers, and Notes for Peace, which empowers Chicago families affected by gun violence to create songs that memorialize their loved ones.