Orchestra Concert Posters
In my role as Director of Marketing at Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, I often had the opportunity to design posters to promote concerts and events. These posters played an important promotional role to get word out about events in the community, as well as offering branding for graphics for social media and other merch items. The posters were also important commemorative items for students who performed in the concerts—it was such a privilege to know that my work adorns many a childhood bedroom.
CYSO’s flagship performances were held each fall and spring at Chicago’s famed Orchestra Hall. I was given tremendous creative freedom in designing for these events, the other parameters being that the artwork should tie in in some way with one of the pieces being performed. These posters were an exciting opportunity to research the inspiration behind wonderful historic and contemporary music. I used that research to then explore various styles and historic design inspiration, from dreamy photo overlays to 1920s Bauhaus to traditional European folk art.
Far left: Poster in Bauhaus style in honor of Varèse’s modernist Amériques. Center: An art nouveau homage to composer Lili Boulanger. Right: A dreamy fairytale scene inspired by Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.
Three designs inspired by European folk art traditions. Left: Embroidery flowers adorn a Midsommar-themed concert poster. Center: My take on the fairy tale firebird and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. Right: A Matryoshka doll provided branding for a tour of Baltic countries.
Left: Branding celebrating the world premiere of a new trumpet concerto. Right: Poster for Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan”, with illustration inspired by the work of Aaron Douglas.
Monarchs have long been a symbol for migration and immigrant struggles, so I utilized them in the design for a concert program celebrating the immigrant experience.
Left: In honor of a world premiere piece inspired by Chicago surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie, this poster is an homage to the black cat that often appears in her work. Center: To celebrate Stravinsky’s angular, dissonant The Rite of Spring, I channeled colors and themes from traditional Russian embroidery. Right: The ghostly image of a Chinese immigrant worker carrying water is overlaid on a historic photo from the completion of the transcontinental railroad, inspired by the Chicago premiere of Zhou Tian’s Transcend, commissioned in honor of the railroad’s 150th anniversary.
Above: Social media banners featuring branding from various concerts.
Above: CD covers with branding from concert posters featured above.