One night only Saturday, April 19 at 7:30 PM
Performance includes World Premiere orchestral arrangements of songs from Kishi Bashi’s latest album Kantos
The Chicago Philharmonic and The Auditorium (Chicago’s Landmark Stage® at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) are thrilled to announce a special collaboration with acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Kishi Bashi. This exclusive event will feature world premiere orchestral arrangements of selections from Kishi Bashi’s latest album, Kantos, performed with the full Chicago Philharmonic orchestra under the direction of Chicago Philharmonic Artistic Director Scott Speck. This one night only performance takes place on Saturday, April 19 at 7:30 PM at The Auditorium, 50 E Ida B Wells Dr. Tickets start at $59.00 and are available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300.
Kishi Bashi, born Kaoru Ishibashi, is renowned for his innovative fusion of indie pop, folk, and classical music. His fifth studio album, Kantos, released in August 2024, is described as a “party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful.” The album showcases a vibrant blend of genres, including Brazilian jazz, ’70s funk, orchestral rock, and city pop, reflecting Kishi Bashi’s eclectic musical influences.
This concert marks a reunion between Kishi Bashi and The Chicago Philharmonic, following a sold-out performance in April 2023. That event centered around Improvisations on Improvisations on EO9066, a six-movement multimedia piece that blends music, recordings, and historical imagery to grapple with the legacy of Executive Order 9066, which incarcerated over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. That concert, which closed The Chicago Philharmonic’s 2022-23 season, focused on reflection, remembrance, empathy, and ultimately, joy – a testament to the power of storytelling through music.
The 2025 performance promises an immersive experience, combining Kishi Bashi’s dynamic stage presence with the rich, full-bodied sound of the orchestra in a program spanning his expansive repertoire and featuring the world premiere of orchestral arrangements from Kantos. In addition to selections from Kantos, audiences can look forward to orchestral renditions of fan-favorite songs from across Kishi Bashi’s discography, making this a must-see event for longtime fans and new listeners alike and blending indie pop with symphonic depth for a one-of-a-kind performance.
“We are ecstatic to welcome Kishi Bashi back to Chicago for this unique collaboration,” said Chicago Philharmonic Executive Director, Terell Johnson. “He is a master storyteller, an electric performer, and an incredible artistic partner. At The Chicago Philharmonic, all of our artistic programming is rooted in collaboration—it’s been a joy to create this concert with Kishi Bashi and our partners at The Auditorium.”
Rich Regan, Chief Executive Officer of The Auditorium, added:“It is an honor for us to welcome innovative and talented artists like Kishi Bashi onto our stage and this program is no exception. We are looking forward to having The Auditorium filled with the unique and powerful sounds of such a dynamic performer and The Chicago Philharmonic.”
About The Chicago Philharmonic:
The Chicago Philharmonic is reimagining the orchestra concert experience through culturally diverse, genre-bending programs that break barriers of exclusion in orchestral music. With diverse, trailblazing leadership, it is one of the most ambitious and innovative orchestras in the country.
Founded by Lyric Opera principal musicians in 1989 and restructured in 2012 as a community of 200 musician members, The Chicago Philharmonic has become an essential pillar of Chicago’s cultural ecosystem. The orchestra offers culturally relevant concerts that are unique within the city’s orchestral scene, continually pushing the art form forward and responding dynamically to the evolving needs and interests of Chicago audiences.
In 2021, Terell Johnson, a Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 awardee and APAP “Spark of Change” honoree, joined as Executive Director. Since then, the orchestra has grown as a force for inclusion, achieving milestones such as its 2024 Lollapalooza debut as the first orchestra to perform at the festival to a global audience of over 100,000 live attendees and on Hulu.
To learn more, visit www.chicagophil.org.
About Kishi Bashi:
Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of Kaoru Ishibashi, a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter known for his expansive musical style. Born in Seattle, Washington, and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he studied at Berklee College of Music before touring internationally as a violinist with artists such as Regina Spektor and of Montreal.
Since launching his solo career, Kishi Bashi has released five studio albums, blending classical, electronic, and indie-pop influences into his work. His latest album, Kantos, is a genre-blurring, deeply thematic body of work, exploring human nature and technological evolution. The latest full-length from Kishi Bashi, Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his critically lauded 2019 LP Omoiyari—a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II—the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer’s fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and ’70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-’80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations—the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete—Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities.
“At a time when so many people had begun to panic about AI and what it might mean for our future, I started working on this record as a way to explore the concept of grounding ourselves in our humanity,” says the Santa Cruz, California-based multi-instrumentalist otherwise known as Kaoru Ishibashi. “The album title is a nod to Hyperion Cantos and to Immanuel Kant, but it also refers to ‘canto’ meaning ‘I sing’ in Spanish. The idea is that even with so much technological advancement, songs are still something we very much rely on to connect with other people.”
To learn more, visit www.kishibashi.com.
About Maestro Scott Speck
With recent performances in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, Scott Speck has inspired international acclaim as a conductor of passion, intelligence, and winning personality. Scott Speck was named Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of The Chicago Philharmonic in June of 2013 and has been Music Director of the Joffrey Ballet since 2010. He has become a frequent guest for the Chicago Symphony’s family concerts. His work with The Chicago Philharmonic earned him the award “2021 Conductor of the Year” from the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
Scott Speck is the co-author of two of the world’s bestselling books on classical music, Classical Music for Dummies and Opera for Dummies. These books have received stellar reviews in both national and international press, have garnered enthusiastic endorsements from major American orchestras, and have been translated into twenty languages. His third book in the series, Ballet for Dummies, was released to great acclaim as well.
Born in Boston, Scott Speck graduated summa cum laude from Yale University. There he founded and directed the Berkeley Chamber Orchestra, which continues to perform to this day. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Berlin, where he founded Concerto Grosso Berlin, an orchestra dedicated to the performances of Baroque and Classical music in a historically informed style. He received his Master’s Degree with highest honors from the University of Southern California, served as a Conducting Fellow at the Aspen School of Music, and studied at the Tanglewood Music Center.
To learn more, visit www.scottspeck.org.
About The Auditorium
The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889.
The Auditorium’s 2024-25 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.