Chicago Symphony Orchestra Now in its 112th year, the CSO fortified its position among the world’s finest purveyors of classical music by securing Daniel Barenboim in 1991. A superb music director in addition to being a world-renowned pianist, Barenboim was also the force behind the $110-million renovation to old Orchestra Hall, now the massive, block-sized Symphony Center that dominates the landscape across the street from the Art Institute. The native Argentinean’s success has not gone unrewarded, as the CSO extended his contract through 2006, guaranteeing the city won’t see a decline in quality for years to come.
