The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will tour Europe in May 2025, led by conductor Jaap van Zweden. This marks their first international tour together, featuring performances of Mahler’s Sixth and Seventh Symphonies across five cities, including appearances at the Mahler Festival 2025 in Amsterdam.
The tour, running from May 14 to 23, begins with two concerts at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, where the CSO will be the only North American orchestra performing at the festival.
Following Amsterdam, the CSO will return to familiar venues in Hamburg and Dresden, performing at the Elbphilharmonie on May 17 and 18 and the Kulturpalast on May 19. The orchestra will then make its debut in Prague’s Smetana Hall at the Prague Spring Festival on May 20, before concluding the tour with two performances at Wrocław’s National Forum of Music in Poland on May 22 and 23.
Jaap van Zweden was music director of the New York Philharmonic until 2024 and is currently music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Seoul Philharmonic. He has conducted the CSO regularly since his debut with the Orchestra in 2008.
The CSO has a long history with Mahler’s symphonies, having first introduced the composer’s work to Chicago audiences in 1907 under the baton of Frederick Stock. The Orchestra gave the U.S. premiere of Mahler’s Seventh Symphony in 1921 and has since performed his symphonies worldwide, including at the Ravinia Festival, Carnegie Hall, and on international tours.
This European tour continues the CSO’s tradition of international performances dating back to 1892. The tour follows a U.S. tour in January 2025, led by Riccardo Muti, the Orchestra’s music director emeritus for life.
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