The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference is the world's largest instrumental music education conference, annually drawing approximately 17,000 attendees to Chicago from all 50 states and as many as forty countries. It is held every December in downtown Chicago. As a non-profit organization , the Midwest Clinic exists exclusively for educational purposes: to raise the standards of music education; to improve the methods employed in music education; to develop new teaching techniques; to disseminate to school music teachers, directors, supervisors, and others interested in music education information to assist in their professional work; to examine, analyze and appraise literature dealing with music; to hold clinics, lectures and demonstrations for the betterment of music education; and in general, to assist teachers and others interested in music education in better pursuing their profession.
50-445: 1946 - First clinic was held under the name "Band Clinic" 1947 - Name changed to "Mid-West Band Clinic" 1951 - Name changed to "Mid-West National Band Clinic" 1962 - The Midwest Clinic Medal of Honor was created to recognize outstanding contributions to music education 1968 - Name changed to "Mid-West National Band and Orchestra Clinic" 1986 - Name changed to "Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic" 1988 - College Night
100-989: A Japanese American Citizens League convention held there. Entertainers who have appeared at the Palmer House's Empire Room have included Frank Sinatra , Judy Garland , Liberace , Ella Fitzgerald , Maurice Chevalier , Lena Horne , Nat King Cole , Louis Armstrong , Harry Belafonte , Sammy Davis Jr. , Peggy Lee , Carol Channing , Bobby Darin , Jimmy Durante , Sonny & Cher , Liza Minnelli , Dionne Warwick , Sophie Tucker , Tommy Dorsey , Phyllis Diller , Lou Rawls , Shep Fields (1930s) Dick Gregory (1963), Frankie Laine (1963), Josh White (1966), Tony Bennett (1968), Florence Henderson (1968), Donald O'Connor (1971), Jerry Lewis (1971), The Supremes (1971 & 1972), Jane Powell (1972), Lorna Luft (1972), Trini Lopez (1973), The Lettermen (1973) and many others. In August 2020, Wells Fargo filed suit against hotel owner Thor Equities for defaulting on
150-631: A $ 333 million commercial mortgage (equivalent to $ 392 million in 2023). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the hotel closed in March 2020. The hotel reopened to the public on June 17, 2021, following a series of upgrades to its interior, including a renovation to its indoor pool. Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra ( CSO ) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891,
200-475: A new hotel at State and Monroe prior to the Great Chicago Fire. Designed by architect John M. Van Osdel , the second Palmer House Hotel was seven stories. Its amenities included oversized rooms, luxurious decor, and sumptuous meals served in grand style. The floor of its barber shop was tiled and silver dollars were embedded in a diamond pattern. Constructed mainly of iron and brick, the hotel
250-486: A post he held until his death in 1942. The orchestra was renamed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1913. Subsequent music directors have included Désiré Defauw , Artur Rodziński , Rafael Kubelík , Fritz Reiner , Jean Martinon , Georg Solti , and Daniel Barenboim . Reiner famously lead the orchestra, including in a series of television appearances, the first in its history. He also planned but
300-746: A series of concerts with the Chicago Symphony that were recorded for the European firm Unitel and were broadcast in the 1970s on PBS . They have subsequently been reissued by Decca Video on DVD. Frederick Stock founded the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the first training orchestra in the United States affiliated with a major symphony orchestra, in 1919. Its goal is to recruit pre-professional musicians and train them as high-level orchestra players. Many alumni have gone on to play for
350-612: Is a historic hotel in Chicago 's Loop area . It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation . The first Palmer House opened in 1870, and the present building (the third) in 1925. In the 19th century, the Palmer House was the city's first hotel with elevators, and the first hotel with electric light bulbs and telephones in the guest rooms. The hotel has been dubbed
400-399: Is created to recognize outstanding contributions to music education through the music industry 1996 - The current name is adopted: "The Midwest Clinic, An International Band and Orchestra Conference" 1996 - The Midwest Clinic commissions its first two pieces of music, in honor of its 50th Anniversary 1997 - The United States Coast Guard Band presents two concerts on Wednesday night to meet
450-897: Is governed by a Board of Directors. Members are appointed upon being selected and invited by the Board when its members determine a need for new members. Membership on the board carries responsibilities to attend and participate in meetings of the Board and its committees and to carry forth projects for the corporation. Members of the current board of directors are: John Clinton (Vice President), Richard Crain (Past-President), Paula Crider, Rodney Dorsey (President), Jose Diaz, Richard Dunscomb (Vice President), Antonio García (Secretary), Corey Graves, Soo Han, Sam Hodson, Mark Kjos, Herman Knoll, Mary Land, Tim Lautzenheiser, Mark Laycock, Lisa MacDonald, Beth Peterson, George Quinlan (Treasurer), and Kevin Sedatole. The Midwest Clinic gives out three different awards:
500-417: Is instituted, bringing representatives of colleges, universities and the military into contact with students and teachers 1989 - The Teacher Resource Center is created 1990 - The Midwest Motifs newsletter is first published 1991 - The Midwest Clinic Industry Award is created to recognize outstanding contributions to music education through the music industry 1992 - The Midwest Clinic International Award
550-608: Is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five ". In 1890, Charles Norman Fay, a Chicago businessman, invited Theodore Thomas to establish an orchestra in Chicago. Under the name "Chicago Orchestra", the orchestra played its first concert October 16, 1891 at the Auditorium Theater . It is one of the oldest orchestras in the United States, along with the New York Philharmonic ,
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#1732802167194600-635: Is the only ensemble that has performed at every Midwest Clinic since its start in 1946. Past performers include: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago , the United States Coast Guard Band, the Indiana University Philharmonic, the U.S. Air Force Band, the U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the "President's Own" United States Marine Band ,
650-794: The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra . Orchestra Hall , now a component of the Symphony Center complex, was designed by Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham and completed in 1904. Maestro Thomas served as music director for thirteen years until his death shortly after Orchestra Hall was dedicated on December 14, 1904. The orchestra was renamed "Theodore Thomas Orchestra" in 1905, and today, Orchestra Hall still has "Theodore Thomas Orchestra Hall" inscribed in its façade. In 1905, Frederick Stock became music director,
700-594: The Chicago area assembled in a YWCA gymnasium on Chicago's West Side for a six-hour clinic and new music reading session. In 1947, the event was expanded to two days and moved to the Hotel Sherman to take advantage of the larger facility and accommodations for out-of-town directors. This second installment brought new features, including a printed program, an additional band, and a new name: The Mid-West Band Clinic. The VanderCook College of Music, Neil A. Kjos Music Company, and Lyons Band Instrument Company sponsored
750-790: The Chicago Symphony Chorus have earned sixty-five Grammy Awards from the Recording Academy . These include several Classical Album of the Year awards, awards in Best Classical Performance in vocal soloist, choral, instrumental, engineering and orchestral categories. On May 1, 1916, Frederick Stock and the orchestra recorded the Wedding March from Felix Mendelssohn 's music to A Midsummer Night's Dream for Columbia Records . Stock and
800-690: The Great Depression . The year of Ravinia Park's re-opening, the CSO helped to inaugurate the first season of the Ravinia Festival on July 3, 1936, and has been in residence at the Festival every summer since. The one exception to this is during the COVID-19 pandemic , when the orchestra did not perform any concerts due to Ravinia announcing that it had cancelled all concerts for the 2020 season. Many conductors have made their debut with
850-706: The Recording Academy . Riccardo Muti , former music director, has won two Grammy Awards, both with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, for the recording of Verdi's Messa da Requiem on the CSO Resound label. Duain Wolfe , chorus director, has won two Grammy Awards for his collaboration with the Chorus, also for Verdi's Messa da Requiem on the CSO Resound label. Bernard Haitink , former principal conductor, has won two Grammy Awards, including one with
900-943: The "Medal of Honor," the "Industry Award," and the "International Award." Award winners are nominated and chosen by the Board of Directors. At the 60th anniversary of the Midwest Clinic in 2006, all living past award winners were invited to attend and be honored at the conference. Past award winners include: Meredith Willson , Medal of Honor, 1964 Doc Severinsen , Medal of Honor, 1969 Morton Gould, Medal of Honor, 1980 John Paynter, Medal of Honor, 1987 Alfred Reed, Medal of Honor, 1996 Jamey Aebersold, Medal of Honor, 2004 William F. Ludwig Jr., Industry Award, 1994 Neil A. Kjos Jr., Industry Award, 1994 Charles Barnhouse, Industry Award, 1997 Frank Bencriscutto , Medal of Honor, 1997 Timothy Reynish, International Award, 1996 Ralph Hultgren , International Award, 2005 Palmer House Hilton The Palmer House – A Hilton Hotel
950-1358: The Australian Wind Orchestra, the City of Milano Wind Orchestra, the Clarence Wind Ensemble , the Birmingham Symphonic Winds , the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra , the Dallas Wind Symphony , the North Texas Wind Symphony, the Round Rock High School Symphony Orchestra and its ensembles, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble , Lafayette High School Symphonic Band. More than eighty clinicians offer guidance and inspiration covering facets of instrumental music. Past clinicians include Gunther Schuller, Tim Lautzenheiser, John Corigliano, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Camphouse, Frank Ticheli, Frederic Fennell, Col. Arnald Gabriel, Himie Voxman, and Karel Husa. The Midwest Clinic
1000-782: The CSO made numerous recordings for Columbia and the Victor Talking Machine Company / RCA Victor . The Chicago Symphony's first electrical recordings were made for Victor in December 1925, including a performance of Karl Goldmark 's In Springtime overture. These early electrical recordings were made in Victor's Chicago studios; within a couple of years Victor began recording the CSO in Orchestra Hall. Stock continued recording for Columbia and RCA Victor until his death in 1942. In 1951, Rafael Kubelík made
1050-466: The CSO or other major orchestras. It is currently the only training orchestra sponsored by a major orchestra in North America. The Civic Orchestra performs half a dozen orchestral concerts and a chamber music series annually in Symphony Center and in other venues throughout the Chicago area free of charge to the public. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was voted the best orchestra in
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#17328021671941100-865: The CSO, and returned for a guest-conducting appearance in February 2023. In April 2024, the CSO announced the appointment of Mäkelä as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of five years. The orchestra has also hosted many distinguished guest conductors, including Thomas Beecham , Leonard Bernstein , Aaron Copland , Edward Elgar , Morton Gould , Paul Hindemith , Erich Kunzel , Erich Leinsdorf , Charles Munch , Eugene Ormandy , André Previn , Sergei Prokofiev , Sergei Rachmaninoff , Maurice Ravel , Arnold Schoenberg , Leonard Slatkin , Leopold Stokowski , James Levine , Richard Strauss , George Szell , Klaus Tennstedt , Michael Tilson Thomas , Bruno Walter , and John Williams . Many of these guests have also recorded with
1150-455: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, and several have gone on to become music director for the festival, including Seiji Ozawa (1964–68), James Levine (1973–93), and Christoph Eschenbach (1995–2003). James Conlon held the title from 2005 until 2015. The Ravinia Festival created an honorific title for James Levine, "Conductor Laureate", and signed him to a five-year renewable contract beginning in 2018. On December 4, 2017, after Levine
1200-492: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the recording of Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony on the CSO Resound label. Pierre Boulez , former conductor emeritus and principal guest conductor, won twenty-six Grammy Awards including eight with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Boulez is the sixth all-time Grammy winner, behind Beyoncé (thirty-two), Sir Georg Solti (thirty-one), Quincy Jones (twenty-eight), Alison Krauss , and Chick Corea (twenty-seven each). Boulez also received
1250-559: The Orchestra's Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma (Grammy winner); and recordings of Verdi's Requiem (Grammy winner) and Otello , under the direction of Muti. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus have recorded the music for two movies: Fantasia 2000 conducted by James Levine and Lincoln conducted by John Williams. Selections from the Orchestra and Chorus's recording of Johann Sebastian Bach 's St Matthew Passion , conducted by Sir Georg Solti, were used in
1300-545: The Palmer House, and " blogs " are introduced to the Midwest Clinic website 2009 - The conference moves from the Hilton Chicago to McCormick Place West 2012 - The Midwest Clinic holds its Inaugural High School Day Program and First Orchestra Reading Session H.E. Nutt, VanderCook College of Music Howard Lyons, Lyons Band Instrument Company Neil Kjos Sr., Neil A. Kjos Music Company The Midwest Clinic began on December 7, 1946, when approximately 120 directors from
1350-883: The U.S. on the London label and include a highly acclaimed Mahler series, recorded, in part, in the historic Medinah Temple —some installments were recorded in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois (in Urbana ), as well as in the Sofiensaal in Vienna, Austria. Many of the recordings with Daniel Barenboim were released on Teldec . In 2007, the Chicago Symphony formed its own recording label, CSO Resound . After an agreement
1400-715: The United States and the fifth best orchestra in the world by editors of the British classical music magazine Gramophone in November, 2008. The same was said by a panel of critics polled by the classical music website bachtrack in September, 2015. In 2011, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame . Recordings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus have earned sixty-five Grammy Awards from
1450-447: The academy's 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award . Sir Georg Solti , former music director and music director laureate, won thirty-one Grammy Awards. He received seven awards in addition to his twenty-four awards with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. In addition, Sir Georg Solti and producer John Culshaw received the first NARAS Trustees' Award in 1967 for their "efforts, ingenuity, and artistic contributions" in connection with
1500-789: The broadcasts once again resumed with a 52-week series. The broadcasts were originally sponsored by BP and air on 98.7 WFMT in Chicago and the WFMT Radio Network. They consist of 39 weeks of recordings of live concerts, as well as highlights from the CSO's vast discography. The CSO appeared in a series of telecasts on WGN-TV , beginning in 1953. The early 1960s saw the videotaped telecast series Music from Chicago , conducted by Fritz Reiner and guest conductors including Arthur Fiedler , George Szell , Pierre Monteux , and Charles Munch . Many of these televised concerts, from 1953 to 1963, have since been released to DVD by Video Artists International . Sir Georg Solti also conducted
1550-421: The conference to McCormick Place in order to house all Midwest events in one location. In the earliest years of the "Mid-West Band Clinic", the organizers - H.E. Nutt, Howard Lyons, and Neil Kjos Sr. - invited outstanding bands to perform, based upon the reputations of the organization and their director. In addition to giving a formal concert, the bands were also expected to provide a sight-reading session, with
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1600-487: The end of the tour with a ticker-tape parade . On May 5, 2008, the CSO announced the appointment of Riccardo Muti as its 10th music director, starting with the 2010–2011 season After extending his stay several times, the CSO confirmed that Muti would conclude his active directorship of the orchestra at end of the 2022–2023 season. In September 2023, the orchestra granted Muti the title of Music Director Emeritus for life. In 2022, Klaus Mäkelä first guest-conducted
1650-477: The ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival . Klaus Mäkelä was named music director-designate in 2024, with his first contractual season to begin in 2027. The orchestra's most recent music director is Riccardo Muti , whose tenure spanned the season's from 2010 to 2023, and he continues to perform on occasion as director-emeritus. The CSO
1700-695: The event, from 1986 through 2008, the orchestra released tracks from their broadcast archives on double LP/CD collections, as well as two larger sets of broadcasts and rarities (CSO: The First 100 Years, 12 CDs, 1991; CSO in the 20th Century: Collector's Choice, 10 CDs, 2000). The Chicago Symphony Orchestra maintains a summer home at the Ravinia Festival in Ravinia Park, Highland Park, Illinois . The CSO first performed there on November 20, 1905, during Ravinia Park's second year since its opening in 1904, and continued to appear there on and off through August 1931, after which Ravinia Park closed for four years due to
1750-473: The event. For the next twenty-five years, the Hotel Sherman was home to the Midwest Clinic. In the 1950s, orchestras and jazz ensembles were introduced, and in 1962, the Midwest Clinic held its first official Orchestra Day. In 1963, the clinic expanded to its present format of four-and-a-half days. Since 1973, the Midwest Clinic has been held at the Hilton Chicago, and in 1995, the Blackstone Hotel
1800-619: The first modern high fidelity recordings with the orchestra, in Orchestra Hall, for Mercury . Like the first electrical recordings, these performances were made with a single microphone. Philips has reissued these performances on compact disc with the original Mercury label and liner notes. In March 1954, Fritz Reiner made the first stereophonic recordings with the CSO, again in Orchestra Hall, for RCA Victor, including performances of two symphonic poems by Richard Strauss : Ein Heldenleben and Also sprach Zarathustra . Reiner and
1850-653: The growing audience demand for the featured United States military band performances 2002 - Streaming video selections from concert performances are archived on the Midwest Clinic website, and the College Student and Beginning Teacher Track Series is created 2004 - Rehearsal labs are introduced at the Palmer House , and the Merle Reskin Theatre is added to the venues hosting Midwest Clinic events 2006 - High School Student Clinics are added at
1900-513: The hotel between 2007 and 2009. The total cost was over $ 170 million (equivalent to $ 241 million in 2023). The hotel has a total of 1,639 guest rooms, making it the second-largest hotel in the city after the Hyatt Regency Chicago . It has recently had its name adjusted to Palmer House - A Hilton Hotel. In 1970, the hotel was the site of the murder of Evelyn Okubo , a young Japanese-American racial justice activist attending
1950-556: The hotel of faculty representatives from various Midwestern universities resulted in the founding of the Big Ten Conference . By the 1920s, the business in downtown Chicago could support a much larger facility, and the Palmer Estate decided to erect a new 25-story hotel. It hired Holabird & Roche to design the building, and their team included architect Richard Neutra in a junior role. Between 1923 and 1925,
2000-496: The hotel was rebuilt on the same site. In December 1945, Conrad Hilton bought the Palmer House for $ 20 million (equivalent to $ 338 million in 2023), and it was thereafter known as The Palmer House Hilton. In 2005, Hilton sold the property to Thor Equities , but retained management through the Hilton chain. The architecture firms of Loebl Schlossman & Hackl and David Fleener Architects completely renovated and restored
2050-502: The longest continuously operating hotel in North America, although it temporarily closed from March 2020 to June 17, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The first was built as a wedding present from Potter Palmer to his bride Bertha Honoré . Located at State and Quincy, it opened on September 26, 1870. It burned one year later on October 9, 1871, during the Great Chicago Fire . Palmer had already begun construction of
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2100-405: The movie Casino . The Chicago Symphony first broadcast on the radio in 1925. Though often sporadic, there have been broadcasts ever since. With the 1965–1966 season, Chicago radio station WFMT began regular tape-delayed stereo broadcasts of CSO concerts, running through the 1968–1969 season. They resumed from 1976 through the 2000–2001 season before ceasing due to lack of sponsorship. In 2007,
2150-528: The orchestra continued to record for RCA Victor through 1963. These were mostly recorded in RCA Victor's triple-channel "Living Stereo" process. RCA has digitally remastered the recordings and released them on CD and SACD. Jean Martinon also recorded with the CSO for RCA Victor during the 1960s, producing performances that have been reissued on CD. Sir Georg Solti recorded with the CSO primarily for Decca Records . These Solti recordings were issued in
2200-644: The orchestra. Carlos Kleiber made his only symphonic guest appearances in America with the CSO in October 1978 and June 1983. The three principal guest conductors of the orchestra have been Carlo Maria Giulini , Claudio Abbado , and Pierre Boulez . The CSO holds an annual fundraiser, originally known as the Chicago Symphony Marathon, more recently as "Radiothon" and "Symphonython", in conjunction with Chicago radio station WFMT . As part of
2250-509: The selections being requested by audience members on the spur of the moment. Over the years, the focus of the Midwest Clinic has remained on connecting music directors with published music, new and established teaching techniques and the products and services for music educators. Performances are given by organizations from around the world. Grade school, middle school, high school, college, military, adult, and professional groups all present concerts. The VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band
2300-535: Was accused of sexual misconduct, the Ravinia Festival severed all ties with Levine, and terminated his five-year contract to lead the Chicago Symphony there. Marin Alsop served as the festival's first artistic curator from 2018 until 2019. She became its chief conductor and curator in 2021. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has amassed an extensive discography. Recordings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and
2350-565: Was reached with the Orchestra's musicians, arrangements were made for new recordings to be released digitally at online outlets and on compact disc. The first CSO Resound CD, a recording of Haitink's rendition of Mahler's Third Symphony, was released in the spring of 2007. Releases that followed included Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, Mahler's Sixth Symphony, and Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony (Grammy winner), all conducted by Haitink; Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony led by Myung-Whun Chung ; "Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago" with
2400-410: Was unable to bring to fruition its first tour outside the United States. Later, Solti thought it was essential to raise the orchestra's international profile. He led it in a European tour in 1971, playing in ten countries. It was the first time in its 80-year history that the orchestra had played outside of North America. The orchestra received plaudits from European critics, and was welcomed home at
2450-539: Was used in addition to the Hilton for hosting clinic events. With the addition of this facility, the Midwest Clinic was able to present more clinics. In 1999, the Congress Plaza replaced the Blackstone Hotel as the second site of conference events. In 2008, the Blackstone Hotel was once again added as a clinic venue after reopening in 2007. In 2008, the Midwest Clinic board of directors voted to move
2500-427: Was widely advertised as, "The World's Only Fire Proof Hotel." Famous visitors included presidential hopefuls James Garfield , Grover Cleveland , Ulysses S. Grant , William Jennings Bryan , and William McKinley ; writers Mark Twain , L. Frank Baum , and Oscar Wilde ; actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse , and French cabaret singer Yvette Guilbert in 1897. It was completed in 1875. An 1895 meeting at
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