It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure in 2010.

Music Directors
[a=Theodore Thomas (4)] 1891–1905
Frederick Stock 1905–42
Désiré Defauw 1943–47
Artur Rodzinski 1947–48
Rafael Kubelik 1950–53
Fritz Reiner 1953–63
Jean Martinon 1963–68
Irwin Hoffman 1968–69
Georg Solti 1969–91
Daniel Barenboim 1991–2006
Bernard Haitink 2006–10
Riccardo Muti – since 2010

Principal Guest Conductors
Carlo Maria Giulini (1969–72)
Claudio Abbado (1982–85)
Georg Solti (1991–97) – Music Director Laureate
Pierre Boulez (1995–2006)

Composers-in-Residence
John Corigliano 1987–90
[a=Shulamit Ran] 1990–97
Augusta Read Thomas 1997–2006
Osvaldo Golijov 2006–10
Mark-Anthony Turnage 2006–10
Anna Clyne 2010–15
Mason Bates 2010–15
[a=Samuel Adams] – since 2015
[a=Elizabeth Ogonek] – since 2015