Chicago Symphony Orchestra Overture Council

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Summer Bucket List Concert on Friday night! OC members enjoyed familiar favorites of John Williams on a beautiful summer night, with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop. We’re living for our magical Chicago summer ☀️✨

Beer, Brats, and Beethoven… oh my! 🫢 Can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful summer night than with OC friends at Ravinia. Don’t miss out on our summer bucket list concerts- head to our story highlights to check for upcoming shows! Shoutout to and for some great pics from last night 📸

What a show! Thank you to all of our guest and especially our lovely performers at last night’s OC Member Salon, supported by ! Our young professionals are brimming with talent and we love every opportunity to show them off! 💅🏼

Mondays are alway made better with a Monday night YP meetup with the Auxiliary Board😍🥳 thanks to everyone who was able to join us for a happy hour at and the for the Civic Orchestra performance of Fantastic Zoology! 🦓🐅🐊🦧🦒

Soundpost: The Reset 1/18/24

Thank you to everyone for coming out for our second sonic experience on stage with 🧘🏽 we hope you left feeling rested and rejuvenated during this winter season! Huge thank you to Davin for again sharing his gift with us in Orchestra Hall. Don’t forget to take advantage of your Soundpost paired concert discount using code SOUNDPOST. Link in bio for paired concerts.

January Soundpost attendees also get special access to a discounted symphony ticket (valid for all seats except box seats) for select CSO Classical concerts including:
- plays Beethoven
Feb 8, 10
- plays Elgar
Feb 15, 17, 18
- Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich
Feb 23, 24 & 27

Take advantage of this discount
and come back to the hall to fully experience the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

It’s been a busy Monday for the OC 🥳, kicking off ticket sales for the first soundpost concert of 2024! Another Monday means another ! Allow me introduce to you all, Lauren Heufner! 👏🏼👏🏼On the Overture Council, Lauren serves as our External Relations Chair. Lauren supports community connections between the Overture Council and other organizations across Chicago (not just young professionals)! Keep scrolling to learn more about Lauren! ⬇️
This is my second year as an OC exec member! What I love most about the OC has been meeting new friends who also love classical music 🎶🎻🎹 I work as a consultant for Deloitte, within the banking and financial services industry.

Tickets are now live! Get your tickets today for Soundpost: The Reset | An immersive sound experience with . Blending ancient and contemporary tools, Davin uses his improvisational singing, electronic looping devices, crystal-singing bowls, tuning forks and other overtone-emitting instruments to create layer upon layer of sound. You’ll quickly find yourself traveling through a sonic landscape into the far reaches of your mind. Tickets will go fast - be sure to click on the link in our stories to get your ticket today!

We’re feeling festive 🌲❄️☃️🧣after last night’s concert and OC after party at The Berkshire Room! The Grammy award-winning ensemble sang a beautiful array of “spooky Christmas” tunes and reminded all of us to enjoy moments of slowing down and to take stock in where the year has brought us. Stay tuned to the OC social media channels for upcoming SoundPost events in January!

Welcome to the return of where we introduce another fabulous addition to our Executive Committee, Aileen Auwaerter! 🥳

Aileen is our communications chair and in charge of sending out our monthly newsletter, Clef Notes! 🎼

Keep scrolling to learn a bit about Aileen! ⬇️


I’ve been in the OC since graduating school in 2019. Been on the OCEC since 2020, doing communications that whole time. I love being able to make an impact on the CSO - my favorite events are one's like Soundpost where I can bring groups of friends who have never been to the symphony before. I work in sales for Ferrara Candy Company, and yes I get LOTS of samples! 🍭🍫🍬

Shoutout to for helping the OC host our happy hour before our Chicago Civic Orchestra concert outing🍻🥂! OC members enjoyed Natural Wonders 🦊🫎🐷🐥: Tumblebird Contrails, Hovhaness’ Symphony No. 2, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) conducted by Tito Muñoz. Looking forward to seeing you all at our next OC outing! 🥳

Welcome to this week’s ! 🎹🎼

We’re pleased to introduce Kimi Ellwein, our Sounpost Chair! 🥳👏🏼

I have been in OC since spring of 2019. I joined after learning about the group from Mimi Duginger (president of the league at the time) who was convinced I would love it after I said I liked classical music and philanthropy. She was right. That simple conversation changed my life.

I joined EC shortly after joining OC in Dec of 2019 as the membership chair and later took on social chair as well leading our team through the OC rebrand. I have had the privilege of producing Soundpost with Chris Springthorpe for the last two years and now am taking on the role solo for the next two - with exciting things in the mix. I like that OC is a genuine group of amazing people. Having that community of like minded folx has allowed me to build a really beautiful life in Chicago filled with laughter, love and music. Truly some of the most interesting and kind people I have come to call friends and I owe it all to this group.

I am a creative multi-hyphenate. I am a marketing professional, personal stylist, event producer - generally a Renaissance woman.

Welcome to another !

It’s me, hi, I’m the moderator of this account, it’s me 🪩! My name is Allison LeClere and I am the Social Media Chair of the Overture Council!

I have been an OC member since 2022 and started as the Social Media Chair this season. I live in Edgewater 🌊 and work in Evanston as the Assistant Director of Study Abroad at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University ✈️🌍My favorite piece is Holst’s The Planets (SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW) and my favorite OC event was this year’s Season Kickoff Party. I love trying new foods around Chicago so don’t hesitate to reach out to ask for recommendations!

🥳🥳 What a turnout for our monthly happy hour ! Thrilled to see so many friendly faces ahead of our Nov 7 CSO concert highlight. Missed this Happy Hour? Stay tuned to our monthly newsletter, Cliff Notes and our socials for our next Meet the Members Happy Hour around the city!

Welcome to ! 🥳🤩🎶

Our first member introduction this season is none other than the OC Exec Board President herself, Leah Williams!The OC wouldn’t be nearly as organized or exciting without her leadership! 🥰 Keep scrolling to learn more about Leah! ⬇️

I joined the OC in the summer of 2019. I'd been a going to Saturday night CSO concerts for a few years at that point; I think I'd seen something about the OC in a program. When I left consulting, I decided I had the capacity to get involved.

I'm currently the President of the Overture Council; in that role, I work with the rest of our EC to set the vision for each season and help our incredibly capable leaders communicate with members and plan each season's slate of programming.

I first joined the EC as Core Member Activities Chair for the 2020-2021 season. It was a little tough to run a committee previously dedicated to throwing great events for our members during the first year of COVID; I coordinated a lot of Zoom events, Discord listening parties, online game nights and movie watch parties during my first year before we returned to some in-person events my second season in the role.

I love spending time with the folks who've been in the group far longer than me and our new members. I like seeing everyone at big events like Chanticleer and Champagne, but I also fondly remember the movie watch parties online with onlly two other members (you know who you are!).

I’m currently a Director of Strategy and Business Development at Discover Financial Services. For the last two years, I was a Chief of Staff -- so I have experience corraling groups of leaders to achieve great things!

We hope you will join us for the first concert highlight of the season - The Planets on Tuesday, Nov. 7!

This series is a curated list of concerts we're particularly excited about this season. Some of these are familiar favorites, while others highlight young composers, conductors and guest artists. Concert attendees are also invited to attend a sparkling wine toast at concert intermission.

We are looking forward to seeing you all at our next Meet the Members Happy Hour this Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6 pm at Red Lion Pub (2446 N Lincoln Ave)!

Mingle and network with fellow members at our informal happy hour!

Thrilled with our Member Meet-up turnout last night at 2Twenty2 Tavern! 🥰🤩 Overture Council members met up before heading to see Civic Orchestra's performance of Symphonic Dances Civic Performance together. 🎻🎼

Sad you missed out on this meet up? Join our next Meet the Members: Happy Hour, Thursday, Nov 2 · 18:00–20:00 at Red Lion Pub at 2446 N Lincoln Ave! See you there!

We’re still reeling from last night! 🥰🥰 OC members celebrated the start of the new CSO season 🎶🎻 in style in Streeterville. We are so thrilled to see so many new faces and welcome back old members. We look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming events for the year!

Join Overture Council tomorrow August 1st at Summer Meet-up: Courtyard Concert (Colvin House)! Tony Richards, guitar, and Joe Policastro, double bass, together make the Tony Richards Duo! This jazz duo concert begins at 6:30 pm - see you there!

What a great happy hour at before our Spring Members Salon! Everyone got a chance to catch up before hearing the talented performances from and
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Check out Forte for preconcert cocktails and bites next time you have tickets the
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THIS WEEK! Tickets are still available for Soundpost: Remixing Transit on 3/30. Get yours before they're gone!

Learn more here: https://cso.org/performances/22-23/events/soundpost-mar-30-2023/

Soundpost includes food, drinks, art and music. Attendees can also add on a CSO concert ticket for only $15!

Soundpost — Remixing Transit: Found Sounds with Rachel Steele | Chicago Symphony Orchestra Remixing Transit is an interactive, site-specific, audio-visual installation and art exhibition that highlights the power of cultural exchange and place-making through music.

We have a great mix of events planned for you this March! You can find out more information through the calendar in our bio. Don’t miss out!

3.13.23: OC at Civic & OC Luxe Toast

3.18.23: Concert of the Month - Carmina burana

3.22.23: Film Screening - Close Encounters of the Third Kind

3.30.23: Soundpost - more info coming soon!

Soundpost is officially sold out!
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Didn’t get tickets this time? Not to worry! Keep your eyes out for the next upcoming Soundpost.

We’re hosting a Meet the Members gathering before the performance on December 19! Stop by 2Twenty2 Tavern between 6:00-7:45 p.m. to network with OC members.

As always, the CSOA has held a block of tickets for OC members at the Civic performance. Be sure to claim your seat today!

Our December Clef Notes newsletter is out now!
https://wfly.co/j1L9A

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association The OC’s fall season continues to celebrate the vibrations of life together! We are grateful for an incredibly unique and valuable community that allows us to enjoy classical music and the CSO together. This community exists because of OC members like you! As we look forward to Chanticleer & Champ...