Wheaton College Hosted Events

Camerata Chicago is thrilled to present the World Premiere of Fantasy on English Folk Tunes by our Composer-in-Residence Dr. Tony Payne, who was for many years General Manager of the Wheaton College Artist Series. Join us for a stunning 2026 / 2027 Camerata Chicago season opening concert and enjoy Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with excerpts from Shakespeare. Watch the magical tale unfold as Maestro Drostan Hall conducts and narrates.

Crowder LIVE! is coming this fall, bringing an unforgettable night of music, worship, and community to cities across the country. Known for his genre-defying sound, dynamic live performances, and crowd-favorite hits like “Good God Almighty,” “Grave Robber,” and “Somebody Prayed,” Crowder delivers a concert experience unlike any other. From powerful worship moments to high-energy anthems, every night promises the authentic, electrifying show fans have come to love. Joining Crowder on all dates is fan-favorite Rend Collective, with Lost & Found and Benjamin William Hastings appearing on select dates. Don’t miss your chance to experience Crowder LIVE! this fall.

The crown jewel of cello repertoire, Dvořák’s heroic and soulful Cello Concerto marks the return of Jian Wang, a soloist with a lustrous sound and compelling interpretive ideas. Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite transports you to the Golden Age of ballet, painted in a thousand wondrous sounds. Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider opens the program with music from his native Denmark, in Nielsen’s quicksilver Maskarade Overture.

Carl Nielsen’s Inextinguishable Symphony is a work of volcanic energy and struggle, capped by an extraordinary timpani battle. According to the composer, this wartime score represents “everything that moves, that desires life.” That same spirit of conflict and resilience runs through Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, which sets a brave soloist against an eloquent orchestra in a riveting musical dialogue. In this performance, the protagonist is Beatrice Rana, considered “among the finest pianists out there” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). The program opens with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, a stirring meditation on the struggle for freedom and the triumph of the human spirit.

In a special collaboration with Apollo’s Fire, violin soloists Emi Tanabe and Hanna Bingham perform Baroque Violin Concerti! Conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall, you will be treated to the famous and iconic double violin concerto by Bach and his violin concerto in A minor. Joining Emi and Hanna are Guest Concertmaster Eric Gratz and Principal Second Violin Ann Montzka Smelser to perform the Concerto for Four Violins by Vivaldi.

Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto is a fantastical ride, full of primitive energy and sardonic humor. Alisa Weilerstein shows why The New York Times called her a “profound champion” of this demanding work, who “dispatched every technical test with astonishing ease and visceral joy.” The program’s other musical gem is Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony, a memento of his happy marriage to Clara Schumann. Listen for the ardent “Clara” theme that reappears throughout. Eine kleine Nachtmusik reveals Mozart at his most charming.

Internationally renowned organist Douglas Cleveland joins the Camerata Chicago orchestra and chorus in a special collaboration with Wheaton College as part of the Lester W. Groom Endowment Organ Series to showcase the Taylor & Boody organ in the Armerding Concert Hall. Join Douglas in a fabulous performance of the Fauré Requiem. He will perform the Poulenc Organ Concerto, conducted by Maestro Drostan Hall. Two superb soloists will perform the Fauré Requiem with our choir which comprises the top choristers in Chicago.