Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras returns to Lollapalooza for the second consecutive year as the first and only orchestra headlining a solo set at the festival presenting collaboration with GRAMMY®-winning hip-hop poet J. Ivy
Over 100 talented young musicians from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) are excited to return to Lollapalooza for the second consecutive year, with a prime-time headlining act. As the first and only orchestra to perform a solo set at the festival, the flagship Symphony Orchestra will again present a golden-hour performance on Saturday, August 1, 8:15-9:00 p.m. on Tito’s Stage. Led by Music Director Allen Tinkham, CYSO’s Symphony Orchestra will present another mixtape-style solo set including symphonic hits across centuries featuring iconic American works alongside timeless European favorites—from the legendary music of Beethoven and Bernstein to the dramatic scores of Marvel and DC films, the program will highlight American creativity and innovation in music-making. The performance will also unveil a unique collaboration with hip-hop poet J. Ivy. Spoken-word artist and songwriter J. Ivy will debut with the orchestra in a performance featuring singer and songwriter Tarrey Torae. The GRAMMY®-winning duo and Chicago-born artists will solo in a CYSO-commissioned orchestration by composer Marcus Norris. The orchestra will also perform Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon's “Time Flies!,” commissioned and premiered by CYSO’s Symphony Orchestra in May 2026. “We are thrilled to be invited back to Lolla for another solo set, and we wanted to do something extraordinary to not only share the power of music to tell stories but to tell our hometown story through music,” said CYSO Music Director Allen Tinkham. “CYSO represents the next generation of musicians molding the Chicago sound, and our groundbreaking collaboration with poet J. Ivy marks the beginning of our 80th anniversary season as we reimagine creator and performer.” The genre-crossing program highlights the evolution of American poetry and the innovation of the American orchestra in a vibrant and dynamic presentation, where American spirit will be celebrated not only in hip-hop but in fanfares, dances, and superheroes—Aaron Copland’s "Fanfare for the Common Man” and John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine;” Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst” and Leonard Bernstein’s “Mambo” from West Side Story; Alan Silvestri’s “The Avengers Theme” and John Williams’ “Superman March.” In 2025, CYSO’s Symphony Orchestra appearance at Lollapalooza marked the first time an orchestra headlined a solo set in festival history. Its ambitious performance featured a commissioned medley of Lolla headliners and a blend of classical orchestral masterpieces and contemporary American music—from Strauss and Stravinsky to Samuel Barber and Margaret Bonds. CYSO trumpeter Bennett King said, ‘Being able to bring classical music to Lollapalooza was exciting, as it brought a new genre of music to the festival.” Lollapalooza and CYSO made history almost two decades ago when Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell invited CYSO to back up My Morning Jacket in 2007. As the first orchestra to appear at the festival and the first to perform its own set, CYSO partners with Lollapalooza in its commitment to inspire the next generation by providing unparalleled opportunities to showcase and foster the talent and dedication of young musicians in Chicago.
HARRIS THEATER FOR MUSIC AND DANCE ANNOUNCES RETURN OF THE
CHICAGO BLACK DANCE LEGACY PROJECT WITH DANCING THE ARCHIVE: EMBODIED HISTORIES, COLLECTIVE POWER
FEATURING TEN COMPANIES CELEBRATING TEN LEGACY BEARERS IN ONE EPIC PERFORMANCE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Following last year’s smashing sold-out engagement, the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance proudly presents the return of Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project in a one-night-only performance themed Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power. As performed by ten extraordinary Black dance organizations, this electrifying evening celebrates Chicago’s inaugural Legacy Bearers – ten visionaries and changemakers whose lives and leadership have shaped the city’s landscape across sectors while inspiring its future. This epic performance takes place at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph Street, on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 7:00PM. Tickets, starting at $46.00, are now on sale online HERE or by phone at 312.344.7777. Showcasing an incredibly diverse range of artistic genres including African, traditional, and contemporary modern and ballet, jazz, tap, and more, Dancing the Archive will feature repertory performances – and World Premieres created specifically for this program – by Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project’s third cohort: The Chicago Multicultural Dance Center, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, The Era Footwork Collective, Forward Momentum Chicago, Joel Hall Dancers & Center, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Move Me Soul, Muntu Dance Theatre, NAJWA Dance Corps, and Praize Productions Inc. The evening will unfold through the following chapters: Record Keepers (archivists, historians, preservationists), Stewardship (philanthropists, resource holders), Wordsmiths (writers, critics, journalists, cultural narrators), Moral Courage (activists, faith leaders, truth-tellers), Sound (musicians, composers, sonic architects), Voice (media, storytellers, cultural amplifiers), Space Makers (presenters, curators, venue leaders, producers), Cultural Allies, Cultural Memory Continuum (dance artists as lineage bearers and embodied historians), and Transmission (educators, mentors, tradition carriers). Each company will present a work reflecting the spirit of its chapter, honoring a Chicago Legacy Bearer whose life and contributions embody that chapter’s theme. Together, these performances weave a living archive of Chicago’s excellence, inviting audiences to experience the stories, values, and vision that continue to shape our city. Specific honorees – and the dance organization saluting each – will be announced shortly. “Powerful, moving, and unapologetically beautiful, Dancing the Archive is more than a performance—it is an experience! As a celebration of Black creativity, cultural memory, and collective possibility, this dynamic program invites audiences to witness how legacy lives not only in the past, but in the bodies, imaginations, and communities carrying it forward,” said Mashaune Hardy and Kevin Iega Jeff, Co-Directors, Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project. “And this year, we are honored to pay tribute to ten invaluable contributors to Chicago’s civic ecosystem with our first-ever Legacy Bearers recognitions and have collaborated with each organization to present a related work.” “The Harris Theater is proud to welcome back the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project for what is certain to be one of this summer’s dance highlights,” said Michael McStraw, Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols, Interim President and CEO of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. “Dancing the Archive reminds us that Chicago’s cultural legacy has been shaped by visionary leaders across every sector of our city. By honoring these Legacy Bearers through the artistry of dance, this performance celebrates the people, values, and collective spirit that continue to define Chicago.”