Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Recipient of the prestigious Medalla Bellas Artes, the highest honor granted by Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts, Jorge Federico Osorio has been lauded throughout the world for his superb musicianship, powerful technique, vibrant imagination, and deep passion. He has performed with many of the world’s leading ensembles, including the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico; the Israel, Warsaw, and Royal Philharmonics; RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Dublin), Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai (Torino), São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), Moscow State Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de France, Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra.  He has collaborated with such distinguished conductors as Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, James Conlon, Bernard Haitink, Manfred Honeck, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Juanjo Mena, Jorge Mester, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Robert Spano, Klaus Tennstedt, and Jaap van Zweden, among many others.  His concert tours have taken him to Asia, North, Central, and South America, and Europe, where he has performed in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Torino.

An avid chamber music performer, Osorio has served as artistic director of the Brahms Chamber Music Festival in Mexico; performed in a piano trio with violinist Mayumi Fujikawa and cellist Richard Markson; and collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Ani Kavafian, Elmar Oliveira, Henryk Szeryng, and the Pacifica and Moscow Quartets.  He began studying the piano at the age of five with his mother, Luz María Puente, and later attended the conservatories of Mexico, Paris, and Moscow, where he worked with Bernard Flavigny, Monique Haas, and Jacob Milstein.  He also studied with Nadia Reisenberg and Wilhelm Kempff.  Highly revered in his native Mexico, Osorio resides in the Chicagoland area, where he serves on the faculty at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

While he has performed with the PSO multiple times, most recently, Jorge was a guest artist with the PSO during the September 2022 concert, Beethoven’s Ninth, where he performed the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major “Emperor” and received an overwhelming standing ovation.

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As a coveted performer with a diverse repertoire, American soprano Michelle Areyzaga is held in high regard by orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and abroad. She has performed operatic roles with New York City Opera in Telemann’s Orpheus as well as in their VOX series and has appeared in leading roles with Chicago Opera Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s In the Neighborhoods programs, Opera Birmingham, Ravinia Festival, and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México.

Michelle Areyzaga’s association with the music of Leonard Bernstein runs deep. She has become well known for her interpretation of his delightful and moving music – from her portrayal of Cunegonde in Candide to her participation in varied programs featuring his works, including musical theater and chamber music/recital works. Areyzaga toured the show Bernstein on Broadway together with Jamie Bernstein (Leonard’s daughter) for six years, performing it with the Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Oregon Bach Festival, among many others. Areyzaga is still often heard performing Bernstein, such as her performances in Las Vegas and at Ravinia in conjunction with the composer’s centennial celebration.

Michelle was the PSO’s 123rd Season Artist-in-Residence and has appeared on numerous PSO orchestral concerts, chamber music programs, and television broadcasts. Most recently, Michelle was a featured guest artist during the September 2022 concert, Beethoven’s Ninth. Michelle’s stunning vocals were highlighted during Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor.

Read More About Michelle Areyzaga

Christine Lamprea is a dynamic artist with a reputation as a firebrand cellist with a “commitment to the highest standards” (Palm Beach Daily News). Recent performances include the Schumann concerto at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, the premiere of a concerto written for her by Jeffrey Mumford, as well as a last-minute replacement for Lynn Harrell with Symphony Silicon Valley. As a recitalist, Christine recently performed premieres of her own arrangements of Colombian music for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and the Colombian Ambassador to the United States. Other credits include Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Florida’s Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, and the Washington Performing Arts Society.

Christine began her concert career in 2013 upon winning Astral Artists’ National Auditions, the Sphinx Competition, and the Schadt National String Competition. She has since performed with orchestras such as the Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, and the San Antonio Symphony. In 2018, she received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence for her contributions to the field as an artist of color.

Making her debut with the PSO in March 2023, Christine will take the stage during the Sounds of Spring concert highlighting her firebrand cellist skills during Saint Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor. While Christine is in town for the Sounds of Spring concert, she will partake in a multitude of community events during her Resident Artist Week (RAW). These events will be open to the public and more information on them will be coming soon.

Get Your Tickets to See Christine Lamprea Perform