Among the “hots” or “nots” of 2025’s Lollapalooza setlist, there’s a group that stands out for the DGN community: the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Seniors Varun Ganesh and Caleb McCloud will perform at Lollapalooza with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO). The program’s capstone Symphony Orchestra (SO) will take the stage for a 45 minute set in Grant Park.
McCloud, a lifelong member of the CYSO program and classical music lover, has spent years working for his spot in the SO. There’s no performance better fit to end his experience with the orchestra, spreading his passion for the genre.
“For us, it’s a really cool blend of our passion and talent for making classical music, combined with our love for different popular artists,” McCloud said. “For our orchestra and organization, this is a super important opportunity, and will bring a lot of awareness to our programs and our talents.”
On the other hand, Ganesh was not always a lover of classical music. Spending most of his life as an enjoyer of rap and jazz, Ganesh’s love for classical music was only able to bloom upon joining the program. This performance allows Ganesh to show the world of classical music to those who might not yet understand the appeal of orchestral groups.
“It’s an opportunity to show people how classical music can be really exciting,” Ganesh said. “The audience that comes to Orchestra Hall are there out of love for classical music but the opportunity to get people interested in classical music just from this performance makes it so much different from our other community performances.”
Ganesh has participated in the CYSO program since his sophomore year, but did not expect performance opportunities at venues such as this upon his enrollment of the program.
“I thought I wasn’t good enough to even make the Debut Orchestra,” Ganesh said. “To get to this point where I’m not just in SO but also able to play world-class festivals is really amazing. I’m so glad I made it into SO this year and have the chance to not just play Lolla but also Orchestra Hall and Spain.”
Not only is the orchestra’s chance to take the stage impressive, but there’s no better time to be performing than what they have. Not only will the young musicians play at the festival, they will be performing at one of the best festivals.
“We are opening for one of the Saturday night headliners at 7 p.m., which is literally when the most people will be there as opposed to a noon set where not that many people will show up,” Ganesh said. “The fact that Lolla is working so closely to showcase CYSO to the rest of the community is really special.”
Once in a lifetime performance opportunities are something that the CYSO program values highly year after year. Whether it’s playing at Lollapalooza, regular community performances, or a week of concerts through Spain, these performances will leave a lasting impression on students.
“The opportunity to showcase our Symphony Orchestra on a main stage at one of the world’s biggest music festivals is truly groundbreaking,” CYSO Music Director Allen Tinkham said. “It will be an unprecedented performance in Chicago and an unparalleled experience for our young musicians. We are thrilled to engage such a huge audience in our hometown with extraordinary symphonic music.”phonic music.”
