CHICAGO — Thousands of people lined the Chicago Riverwalk and nearby bridges Wednesday evening as Music of the Baroque turned the river into an open-air concert venue.
The crowd gathered along the downtown waterfront to watch musicians perform from a boat, with the Merchandise Mart, Riverwalk and Chicago skyline providing the backdrop. The free performance, known as The Chicago Water Music, ran from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and stretched from the east end of the Riverwalk toward Merchandise Mart.
For many spectators, getting a good view meant arriving early. By the time the music began, portions of the Riverwalk and the bridges were filled with people hoping to catch the performance from the water.
“I’m incredibly stoked,” Cade Caulfield said while taking in the scene.
Sherry Silvers said the turnout was a reminder that the event has become increasingly popular.
“We probably should have gotten here a little bit earlier,” she said.
Classical music on the Chicago River
Music of the Baroque presented the concert for the third consecutive year, building on an event that first brought the ensemble’s musicians onto the Chicago River in 2024.
The program was led by Dame Jane Glover and featured the organization’s chorus and orchestra. Young singers from the ensemble’s Strong Voices program also joined the performance. The student chorus is made up of young musicians from seven Chicago public high schools.
The program connected Chicago’s riverfront with music written centuries ago. Selections included portions of Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, along with music from Vivaldi’s Gloria and Credo.
Handel’s Water Music has its own connection to a river. The composer wrote the work for a 1717 royal boat outing on the River Thames in England. More than three centuries later, Music of the Baroque brought that idea to Chicago, using the city’s river and architecture as the setting for a public performance.
Declan McGovern, executive director of Music of the Baroque, said the Chicago River provided a natural setting for introducing the music to a broad audience.
The concert’s format also made classical music accessible to people who might not normally attend a traditional concert hall performance.
A concert designed for the riverfront
Rather than keeping the audience in one location, the performance moved along the river. Musicians traveled from the Riverwalk’s east end toward Merchandise Mart before making additional stops, allowing people watching from different sections of the waterfront to hear the program.
Music of the Baroque said spectators could watch from the Riverwalk and bridges between the east end and Merchandise Mart. The program was also performed at locations near Merchandise Mart and between LaSalle and Clark streets.
The evening ended near LaSalle and Clark with “Hallelujah, Chicago,” a community sing-along built around the famous “Hallelujah” Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
For Silvers, that final piece carried a particular emotional weight.
“Anytime I hear Hallelujah, it brings me to my knees,” she said.
The event was free to the public, giving people an opportunity to experience live orchestral and choral music without buying a traditional concert ticket.
For a summer evening in downtown Chicago, the combination of music, water and city architecture offered something different from a conventional concert hall — and drew a crowd large enough to fill much of the riverfront.
