Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

To Mäkelä, much of the joy is in the audience experience. “When you hear a concert, it doesn’t have to be in this incredible room, although this one is great,” he said of Orchestra Hall. But “it touches you spontaneously. You don’t have to know anything about the piece … but you hear it and feel touched, and this spon- taneous touch is something incredible.” He continued: “But of course we have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders: we have to make sure we keep develop- ing, we take it forward as much as we also cherish the tradition. And we need to have a great connection with you. So, we have to make sure that we don’t lose that at any moment. We also have to challenge you, because we’re here to pro- voke you, but then also to console and comfort you. And I mean, that’s what it is; it needs to have the different levels.” Though his schedule now includes conducting engagements around the world, “I go to listen to concerts as much as I can,” he shared. “And in those mo- ments, I always come out feeling at least a better person than when I went in, be- cause you have this moment for yourself to really feel; art somehow gives us the possibility to see where we belong.” He continued: “And it’s both a col- lective and very personal experience, because although you sit together with 3,000 people, you’re also completely by yourself. So it’s a very beautiful, unique experience, and unique is the word be- cause no concert is ever the same.” So, despite their wishes, how do Mäkelä’s parents now feel about their son’s journey into music? “I think they’re still very proud,” he said, adding, “in their very Finnish way.” Excerpt provided courtesy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and WFMT Program Host Lisa Flynn from A Conversation with Klaus Mäkelä , October 15, 2025, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center. Klaus Mäkelä returns to Chicago in September and will take the CSO on tour through Europe in January. Visit cso.org for more information. Above, Right: Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä and the CSO make their first appearance together at Carnegie Hall on February 25, 2026, during a US tour. Below: Klaus Mäkelä enters the stage at Orchestra Hall to lead the CSO in a program featuring Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony in December 2025. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 15