Hinsdale classical music fans will have four chances to hear a professional 40-piece orchestra perform a short walk from the downtown Washington Street corridor and the Metra BNSF Hinsdale Station this coming season.
Camerata Chicago, the chamber orchestra that has made Union Church at 137 S. Garfield St. its suburban home, announced its 23rd season on Saturday, July 25 with all four concert programs scheduled for Hinsdale performances. The season runs from October 2026 through April 2027, featuring works spanning Mendelssohn to Fauré.
"Audiences who are used to hearing the Mendelssohn and Mozart played by a symphony orchestra can savor these more intimately scaled performances for the musical detail they reveal," founder and music director Drostan Hall said in the season announcement.
The lineup
October 16-18: The season opens with Mendelssohn's music for Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds, and the world premiere of "Fantasy on English Melodies" by Chicago-area composer Dr. Tony Payne, commissioned by Camerata Chicago. All three works are new to the orchestra's repertoire.
November 20-22: Handel's "Messiah" and "Zadok the Priest."
March 5-7, 2027: "Baroque Violin Concerti with Apollo's Fire Soloists."
April 9-11, 2027: Fauré Requiem and Poulenc Organ Concerto.
Each program plays in Chicago, Oak Park, Wheaton, and Hinsdale. The specific Hinsdale performance day and time within each weekend window has not been announced. The orchestra's past Hinsdale concerts have typically been held on Sundays at 3 p.m.
New appointments
Hall has appointed Eric Gratz as guest concertmaster for the season. Gratz became concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony at age 22, making him the youngest in North America at the time, according to the Music Institute of Chicago, where he joined the violin and chamber music faculty in March 2026.
The season is ambitious.
Dr. Tony Payne, who retired in July 2024 after 45 years as associate professor of music and general manager of the Wheaton College Artist Series, serves as composer-in-residence. He holds a Doctor of Music degree in composition from Northwestern University and has composed and published more than 100 psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Tickets and venue
Camerata Chicago is Orchestra-in-Residence at Union Church, with free parking available in the church lot. Ticket prices for recent Hinsdale performances have been $50 for adults, $40 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for students, and $2 for children 14 and under. Prices for the 2026-2027 season have not been confirmed.
Tickets can be purchased at cameratachicago.org or by calling 312-799-0916. Residents seeking exact Hinsdale performance dates and times should check the website or contact the orchestra directly as the season approaches.
