Past Programs & Events

Third Wednesday: CYSO

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

The Driehaus Museum welcomes the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras back to our Third Wednesday series for an evening of chamber music.

Third Wednesday: AWE Festival Chicago 2026 - Prism

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Join us for an unforgettable night of chamber music as AWE Chicago 2026 wraps up with stunning new violin works from New Zealand and Schubert’s moving String Quintet.

Third Wednesday: AWE Festival Chicago is generously sponsored by Abby McCormick O’Neil and D. Carroll Joynes.

Third Wednesday: Violist James Kang (SOLD OUT)

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

In this special edition of our Third Wednesday series, violist James Kang presents a program showcasing the versatility and expressivity of the viola in the Driehaus Museum Ballroom.

Third Wednesday: Rivalry, Myth, and the Legacy of Antonio Salieri (SOLD OUT)

Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 2025

In collaboration with the Driehaus Museum, Chicago Opera Theater and Steppenwolf Theatre Company present a dynamic exploration of Antonio Salieri’s place in music history.​ Join us for this special edition of our Third Wednesday series as we step into the drama and discover the man behind the myth.

CSO Chamber Music – Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade

Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 2025

Join us for a special evening of music in celebration of Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade featuring musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The program begins with a brief introduction to the exhibition by Driehaus Museum Executive Director Lisa M. Key, and is followed with works by Mel Bonis, Paul Schoenfield, and Beethoven

Third Wednesday: Kontras Quartet

Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 2025

This sweeping, bold program of music that highlights the modern string quartet includes the endearing folk music of Armenia and the captivating soundscapes of Paul Wiancko and Julia Wolfe, culminating in the extraordinary and haunting first quartet by Leoš Janáček.

Ode to Prague and Chicago: Czech Heritage Week at the Driehaus Museum- Jiří Rajniš and Katelyn Bouska

Thursday, September 25, 2025, 2025

As the culminating event of Czech Heritage Week, acclaimed Czech baritone Jiří Rajniš and pianist-scholar Dr. Katelyn Bouska will join together on the stage of our Murphy Auditorium for a performance that bridges communities through the shared language of music.

Third Wednesday: Anita Graef and Nathan Canfield

Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 2025

Celebrated cellist Anita Graef returns to the Driehaus Museum for her first performance in the historic Murphy Auditorium. Joined by acclaimed pianist Nathan Canfield, the duo presents a dynamic and emotionally rich program that showcases the expressive possibilities of cello and piano.

Third Wednesday: The Sounds of Color with Sara Su Jones and Tatyana Stepanova

Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 2025

Inspired by the upcoming exhibition Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade, this concert will explore the interplay of light, color, shape, and texture through an eclectic array of musical miniatures.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music: Rory McEwen - A New Perspective on Nature

Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 2025

Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will present a captivating woodwind performance in celebration of our exhibition, Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature. Featuring works from Samuel Barber, Malcolm Arnold, Sally Beamish and more.

Third Wednesday: Black Moon Trio

Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 2025

Celebrating one of our region’s and the world’s most precious natural resources, Black Moon Trio plays music by living composers to tell the story of the Great Lakes.

Third Wednesday: Tempero Brasileiro

Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 2025

Duo Tempero Brasileiro will present a varied program of works for flute and guitar from Brazil and Argentina.

Third Wednesday: Ensemble Dal Niente

Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 2025

Ensemble Dal Niente performs contemporary classics including Toru Takemitsu’s ravishing Toward the Sea for flute and harp; Tania León’s colorful, energetic Mosaicos for bassoon and piano; Georges Aperghis’ mesmerizing Recitations for soprano, featuring Amanda DeBoer Bartlett; and an octet version of George Lewis’ unique exploration of inter-musical relationships, Artificial Life 2007.

Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature Partner Programs

Throughout the Summer, 2025, 2025

The Driehaus Museum is proud to announce its partnership with cultural institutions across Chicago to celebrate Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature. Click Learn More to learn about the range and breadth of programs, festivities, and exhibitions centered around the 20th century’s greatest botanical artist. Thank you to our partners: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Scots, the Magnificent Mile Association, The Morton Arboretum, Old Town School of Folk Music, and The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Third Wednesday: At the World's Edge Festival Chicago

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

At the World’s Edge is a chamber music festival inspired by its roots in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and is forging new creative pathways between New Zealand and Chicago. At the World’s Edge Chicago 2025 presents Homeland, the final program of its inaugural festival.

CSO Chamber Music: A Tale of Today: Materialities

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will present three captivating works in celebration of our exhibition, A Tale of Today: Materialities.

Third Wednesday – Duo F.A.E

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

It’s Women’s History Month and Third Wednesday is celebrating with a performance featuring the work of important but overlooked late 19^th century female composers, including Amy Marcy Beach (US) and Dame Ethel Smyth (UK).

An Evening with Lucy Dacus SOLD OUT

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Metro Presents….Lucy Dacus at the Driehaus Museum’s Murphy Auditorium. The lottery has been closed.

Third Wednesday: Picosa

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Celebrate the 2025 return of Third Wednesdays with a performance by Picosa, featuring the work of Aaron Copland, Benjamin Horne, and James Stephenson.

Third Wednesday Night with Anita and Julian Graef SOLD OUT!

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

In this special edition of Third Wednesday, taking place in the Nickerson Ballroom, sibling musicians Julian and Anita Graef present a dynamic and engaging program of works for both violin and cello as well as viola and cello. The evening’s performance features a diverse program that showcases the rich textures and emotional depth of these instruments, as well as a blend of contemporary sounds and lyrical beauty that is sure to captivate listeners.

Tickets are sold out.

Third Wednesday Nights: CYSO CORE

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

The CYSO Core Ensemble will perform at October’s Third Wednesday Free Night! Stop in during this open house-style event to hear the talented young musicians of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra who will play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, KV 453.

Third Wednesday Nights: Antiphonal Brass

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Gaudete Brass is joined by young musicians from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras to fill the Murphy Auditorium with the majestic sound of brass.

Grand Re-Opening Program: Conversation and Concert

Friday, June 21, 2024

Presenting Executive Director Lisa M. Key in conversation with architect Joe Antunovich, Founder of Antunovich Associates, who led the restoration of both the Nickerson Mansion and the Murphy Auditorium. Followed by a special performance featuring members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The event is free but registration is required.

75 Years of Mahalia Jackson at Carnegie Hall

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

In partnership with the African American Museum of the Performing Arts (AAMPA), join Chicago’s 2020 Jazz Person of Year vocalist Tammy McCann as she shares an excerpt from her concert in development “75 Years of Mahalia Jackson at Carnegie Hall.” This concert celebrates not just Jackson’s music, but her experiences and her contribution to the world community.

Drie-cember Pop-Up Events

Throughout December, 2023

Join our month-long celebration with family-friendly weekend programs and holiday concerts for Christmas, Hanukkah, St. Lucia Day, and Kwanzaa. The concerts are free with admission. All events are from 4:00-4:45 pm.

Saturday, December 2 Caroling with the St. James Youth Choir

Saturday, December 9 Hanukkah Songs with the Music Institute of Chicago

Saturday, December 16 St. Lucia Day Songs with the Swedish American Museum

Thursday, December 21 Kwanzaa Celebration with the African American Museum of Performing Arts

The DePaul School of Music Spring Chamber Music Showcase SOLD OUT!

Thursday, May 4, 2023

It’s May so it must be time for the DePaul School of Music Spring Chamber Music Showcase! Come celebrate the student musicians who emerged victorious from the School’s Chamber Music competition and enjoy an exceptional evening of music.

Please note: This program is sold out.

DePaul Jazz Music Showcase-- SOLD OUT!

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Don’t let the winter blues get you down! Join us for a night of hot jazz with up-and-coming musicians from DePaul University’s renowned School of Music Jazz Studies Program.

This program is sold out.

The Driehaus Museum First 14 Birthday Party SOLD OUT!

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Please note, this program is now sold out.

​Join us to celebrate our 14^th birthday! Reginald Robinson, a 2004 winner of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Award for his innovative ragtime piano works and music research, will play a program that will include selections from his critically renowned album of piano solos, “Man Out of Time.” After a brief intermission, the Museum will show the 1916 Charlie Chaplin silent comedic short film, The Rink, with Robinson accompanying on piano.

DePaul Chamber Music Showcase at the Driehaus Museum

Friday, May 13, 2022

Discover the next generation of classical music talent in this performance by some of the top student chamber ensembles at the DePaul School of Music. Chosen as winners of this year’s DePaul Chamber Music Competition, these rising stars will present masterpieces of the chamber repertory by Korngold, Barber, and Mendelssohn in the intimate Ballroom at the Nickerson Mansion.

Restless Longing: Songs of Friendship

Friday, March 4, 2022

This evening’s performance offers a “kaleidoscopic perspective on Brahms’ viola songs,” according to contralto Sara Couden, who also curated the evening’s program.

Sounds of the Season

Saturday and Sunday, December 11-12, 18-19 and New Year's Eve, 2021

Caroling on the Porch

Saturday, December 18, 2021

VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER Strangers in a Strange Land Collaborative Works Festival Concert in partnership with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago

October 22- October 30, starting at 7 pm CDT, 2021

A Tale of Today: Chicago Emerging Artists Live Jazz with DePaul University School of Music

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

WATCH | Live From the Drawing Room: The Art of Entertaining

Originally Presented on
Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 2020

The Gilded Age raised the practice of entertaining at home to an art form. Join us for our next episode of “Live From the Drawing Room” for an evening of entertainment at the Nickerson Mansion.

WATCH | Live From the Drawing Room: The Transcendence of Form

Originally Presented on
Thursday, July 23, 2020, 2020

“The Transcendence of Form,” welcomes you back into the Nickerson Mansion for a musical evening focused on the late 19th-century Aesthetic Movement’s far reaching influence on design.

WATCH | Live From the Drawing Room: The Language of Flowers

Originally Presented on
Thursday, June 18, 2020, 2020

Patrick Donley is back in the house for another episode of “Live From the Drawing Room,” our virtual events inspired by the variety shows of the 1940s and 50s.

WATCH | Live From the Drawing Room: Prime Time Gilded-Age Style

Originally Presented on
Thursday, May 14, 2020, 2020

Allow the stunning interiors of the Driehaus Museum to once again transport you to another time and place - now, from the comfort of your own living room.

Music of the Baroque: Rival Divas Evening Soirée

Friday, February 21, 2020

Jane Glover, Music Director of Music of the Baroque, will sit down with Susanna Phillips and Jane Archibald, two of North America’s leading sopranos, to explore the rivalries that existed between the leading singers of Mozart’s and Handel’s day and how they impacted the composers’ music.

Chicago Opera Theater's Everest/Aleko

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

​Chicago Opera Theater melds the contemporary and the classic in their fall production of Everest/Aleko. Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya leads the conversation on what brings these to eras of art together.

DePaul at the Driehaus Jazz Showcase Concert

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The next generation of musical talent from the renown DePaul School of music will showcase their talent in an evening of classic and contemporary Jazz music.

Young Chicago Authors: Bomb Squad – A Tale of Today Spoken Word Performance

Friday, August 2 , 2019

Young Chicago Authors’ Louder Than a Bomb Squad will perform their creative responses to the themes and subjects explored in A Tale of Today: Yinka Shonibare CBE.

DePaul at the Driehaus: Chamber Music Showcase

Tuesday, May 7 , 2019

Discover the next generation of classical music talent in this performance by the top student chamber ensembles at the DePaul School of Music.

When Modern Was: A Dialogue with Past and Present

Thursday, April 4, 2019

A concert and lecture format that considers how contemporary art, in music and in museums, pushes traditional boundaries, acts as a catalyst for change and inspires future generations.

A Novel Experience: The Joffrey Ballet’s Anna Karenina - Cancelled

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

An epic love story for the ages! The Driehaus Museum is proud to partner with The Joffrey Ballet for this unique book club experience.

Holiday Cabaret: The Most Wonderful Time of Year

Friday December 14 - SOLD OUT, 2018

Chicago favorites Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael celebrate the season with innovative and fun twists on beloved holiday tunes. Tickets include drinks and nibbles.

Front Porch Concert Featuring the Festive Singers

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Stop by the Museum on your way to claim the perfect viewing spot at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and enjoy a free live concert on the porch.

Chicago Opera Theater’s Iolanta - Sold Out

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Opera at the Marble Palace! Experience the opulent music of the Gilded Age with Tchaikovsky’s last opera.

DePaul at the Driehaus: DePaul Chamber Music Showcase

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Discover the next generation of classical music talent in this performance by some of the top student chamber ensembles at the DePaul School of Music.

Musical Chairs: A Concert and Discussion on The Art of Seating

Monday, April 9, 2018

Civitas Ensemble plays pieces inspired by the eras that produced the chairs in The Art of Seating and curator, Catherine Shotick discusses the design of the same periods.

Traditional Irish Aires with Paddy Homan and Friends

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Get in the spirit as celebrated Irish tenor, Paddy Homan explores Ireland’s rich history through traditional music and story-telling.

Holly Jolly Jazz Concert

Friday, Dec 8, 2017

Our historic Ballroom will transform into a cool jazz club as Tammy McCann puts a soulful twist on your holiday favorites.

Front Porch Concert featuring the Festive Singers - FREE

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Stop by the Museum on your way to claim the perfect viewing spot at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and enjoy a free live concert on the porch

The French Connection: Music and Posters of the Belle Époque

Tuesday, November 7, 2017, 2017

Chicago’s celebrated Civitas ensemble will play beloved French music interspersed with commentary about the special exhibition from the Driehaus Museum’s curator.

Tango & Jazz featuring Rembrandt Chamber Musicians

Monday, September 25, 2017

Enjoy the sultry rhythms of tango and the freewheeling style of jazz, interpreted by three iconic stylists of 20th-century music. This program will make you feel like dancing!

Americana

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Fifth House Ensemble showcases contemporary piano trios with an aural landscape, rich with inspirations of film noir, jazz, pop, and folk songs.