Date: June 10-August 15, 2009
Cost: Free
Organizer: The Chicago Park District and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
What to expect: Classical music from the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus plus a roster of international guests.
Why to go: If you're at all intrigued by classical music, this is the top of the heap.
Additional info: Events take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park unless otherwise noted.
Full schedule: June 10: Tchaikovsky on Opening Night (6:30 p.m.)
June 12: Bernstein on the Waterfront (5:30 p.m.)
June 13: Pictures at an Exhibition (7:30 p.m., Harris Theater)
June 17: Enigma Variations (6:30 p.m.)
June 19-20: From 1909: Burnham's Plan and Rachmaninoff's 3rd (6:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday)
June 24: Mariachi From Mexico (6:30 p.m.)
June 26-27: Sounds of the Great Depression (6:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Harris Theater)
June 30 + July 2: Made in America (6:30 p.m., Harris Theater)
July 1: Gala 75th Season Concert (8 p.m.)
July 8: Bruckner's 4th (6:30 p.m.)
July 10-11: Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado (6:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday)
July 15 + 18: Dances and Fairytales (6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday)
July 17: Khachaturian's Spartacus (6:30 p.m.)
July 22 + 24: Luna Negra Dance Theater and Luciana Souza (6:30 p.m.)
July 25: Opera Hits on Venetian Night (6:30 p.m.)
July 29: Sibelius Symphony No. 1 (6:30 p.m.)
July 31-August 1: The Dream of Gerontius (6:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday)
August 5: Mendelssohn & Haydn (6:30 p.m.)
August 7-8: Mahler's 9th (6:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Harris Theater)
August 14-15: Beethoven's 9th (6:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday)
Centerstage Reviewer: Ben Rubenstein