Symphony Center: How a child prodigy struck the right chord

A love song of music, vision, and stubborn Chicago ambition.

Each week, discover an historic Chicago landmark and meet the people who built the Windy City. Includes audio recorded by Jim Goodrich.

The renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra is one of the most respected orchestral organizations around the world. It's known for its distinctive sound, its powerful brass section, and its many recordings, which have garnered more than sixty Grammy Awards.

But its beginnings were fraught with uncertainty and chaos. The creation and early survival of Chicago’s orchestra, and its permanent home on what is now Michigan Avenue, came down to a few dedicated philanthropists, a public that needed the arts, and one man in particular who insisted on creative freedom and excellence.

Up until the end of the 19th century, Chicago was not known for its cultural aspirations. That doesn’t mean they didn’t exist, but in comparison to New York, Boston, and other cities that had been around a lot longer, Chicago was the wild wild west. It was perceived as a town of merchants and industrialists who cared more about making money than enjoying the finer things in life. Who had time for frivolous things like concerts when there were hogs to be butchered and railroads to build?