Mark Almond joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as principal horn, having previously worked as associate principal horn of the San Francisco Symphony, co-principal horn of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and third horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra, London.

A modern full-scale symphony orchestra consists of approximately one hundred permanent musicians, most often distributed as follows: 16–18 1st violins, 16 2nd violins, 12 violas, 12 cellos, 8 double basses, 4 flutes (one with piccolo as a specialty), 4 oboes (one with English horn as a specialty), 4 clarinets (one with ...

Participation in the Civic Orchestra is a part-time commitment, which allows ensemble Members to pursue additional educational and professional opportunities on their own outside of the program. Each year, Civic Regular Members receive a stipend that is paid bi-weekly and intended to offset living expenses.