Chicago Symphony African American Network Timeline

Sheila Anne Dawson Jones recognized the need for deeper community engagement and advocated for the creation of the Chicago Symphony African American Network. With Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti’s support, the Network held its first event in 2016, launching an annual series of curated and hosted programs to create connections and conversations through music. A former choir conductor and string teacher at Milwaukee’s Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts, Jones rose up through the ranks of the Chicago Symphony’s ticketing and patron services department before she was promoted in 2018 as the full-time director of community stewardship of the the Network. Her energetic charm and warm persona endeared her to friends and associates along the way. Read more in As the CSO’s Sheila Jones retires, her cause lives on.

In the summer of 2023, the Chicago Symphony African American Network Advisory Board was established. The mission of the Network is to engage Chicago’s culturally rich African American community through the sharing and exchanging of unforgettable musical experiences while building relationships for generations to come. The Network seeks to serve and encourage individuals, families, educators, students, musicians, composers and businesses to discover and experience the timeless beauty of music. Read more in Barbara Wright-Pryor reflects as CSO’s African American Network marks its 10th anniversary.

Note: No AAN in-person events were held in the 2020/21 Season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.