All-City Performing Groups

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) All-City Performing Groups (ACPG) provide supplemental training and performance opportunities in both music and dance to a selected group of CPS students; from 3rd through 12th grades. Participation in one of the nine (9) performing groups is determined by audition; which begins on October 3 and extending through October 17. Rehearsals are weekly beginning on the last week of October and extending through the end of May, 2010.

October 24, 2009 will start the 47th consecutive year of existence for the All-City Performing Groups. For 46 years, ACPG has the distinction of being the only selective group of its kind to rehearse continuously throughout the school year in the United States.

Rehearsals are open to the public and alumni are welcome to perform with any group. The All-City Performing Groups are:

The HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT BAND (1963) rehearses on Saturdays at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy (2850 W. 24th Blvd) from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

The HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS (1963) rehearses on Tuesdays at Whitney Young Magnet High School Fine Arts Center (1431 W. Jackson Blvd.) from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM

The SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (1965) rehearses on Thursdays at Lincoln Park High School Performing Arts Center (2001 N. Orchard) from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM

The HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ ENSEMBLE (1970) Saturdays at Columbia College of Chicago Music Center (1410 S. Michigan Ave.) from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM

The ELEMENTARY YOUTH CHORUS (1982) rehearses on Saturdays at Whitney Young Magnet High School Fine Arts Center (1431 W. Jackson Blvd.) from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM

The ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONCERT BAND (1996) rehearses on Saturdays at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy (2850 W. 24th Blvd) from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

The ELEMENTARY SCHOOL JAZZ ENSEMBLE (2000) rehearses on Saturdays at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy (2850 W. 24th Blvd) from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

The STRING ENSEMBLE (2000) rehearses on Saturdays at Jones College Preparatory High School(606 S. State St.) from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

The DANCE ENSEMBLE (2002) rehearses on Saturdays at the A.A.E.P. / Gallery 37 Center (66 E. Randolph) from 9:00 AM to 12:45 PM

Since 1964, the Culminating activity, showcasing all nine groups, has been the Festival Concert which has been hosted by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Center.

The 47th All-City Festival Concert will be at Symphony Center (220 S. Michigan Ave) on Saturday May 29, 2010 from 12:00 PM  to 4:00 PM

Citywide Music Performance Festivals

The Office of Arts Education is pleased to announce the 2010 Chicago Public Schools Citywide Music Performance Festivals. The change from Citywide Music Contests is in line with the current curricular philosophies of the Office of Arts Education and the Office of Teaching and Learning.

The focus of the Music Performance Festivals will be on performance and will be adjudicated in the same fashion as previous years without the additional pressure of competition. Our focus is on the best practices for bringing out the optimum musical performance for our students.

The festivals will provide opportunities for solo performers, small ensembles and large performing organizations (both instrumental and vocal) to exhibit the highest level of adjudicated performance through the selection and presentation of quality music literature. The Festival format allows students and teachers to hear other performers while competing against a standard of excellence instead of each other; as represented by the performance rubrics developed for each event. All student participants must be active on the current rosters of, and be in good standing at their respective schools. The Music Performance Festivals are open to students attending Chicago Public Schools and CPS-approved charter schools.

Students are adjudicated on the following rating scale: 

         HONORS SUPERIOR (Division IH) – Superlative, Optimum Performance

         SUPERIOR (Division I) – Extraordinary Performance

         EXCELLENT (Division II) – Above Average Performance

         GOOD (Division III) – Average Performance

         FAIR (Division IV) – Below Average Performance

         POOR  (Division V) – Unsatisfactory Performance 


The ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOLPIANO SOLO PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Saturday February 6, 2010 at Whitney Young Magnet High School) is designed for pianists to demonstrate their best keyboard performance skills in a solo setting. It is open to both elementary and high school students.

The ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Saturday February 27, 2010 at Kelly High School) is designed for individuals (solo) demonstrating their best performing abilities on published instrumental, orchestral and guitar solo literature. The Festival is open to elementary (solo only) high school students.

The HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Saturday February 27, 2010 at Kelly High School) is designed for instrumentalists demonstrating their best performing abilities on a combination of standard band, orchestra (string) and classical guitar in a groups setting. The groups range in size for two (2) to sixteen (16) members. This Festival is limited to high school participants only.

The VOCAL SOLO PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Saturday March 20, 2010 at Whitney Young Magnet High School) is designed to provide an opportunity for vocalists to demonstrate their best abilities in vocal performance in such vital areas as tone, breath control, vowel formation, phrasing, stylistic interpretation, posture and presentation. This Festival is open to 8th grade and high school students only.

The VOCAL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Saturday March 20, 2010 at Whitney Young Magnet High School) is designed to provide performance opportunities for vocalist to demonstrate their best performing abilities in an ensemble setting. The ensembles range from two (2) to sixteen (16) performers. This Festival is limited to high school participants only.

The HIGH SCHOOL BAND AND ORCHESTRA MUSIC PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Saturday April 10, 2010 at Schurz High School, Curie Metro High School and Kenwood Academy High School) is designed for bands and orchestras to demonstrate their best performing abilities on standard band and orchestral literature, in a large ensemble (organizational) setting; ranging from 25 to 115 participants. This Festival is limited to regular high schools (9 – 12) and middle high schools (7 – 12) students.

The HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL (Tuesday April 13 at Lane Tech College Prep High School, Wednesday April 14 at Curie Metro High School and Thursday April 15 at Kenwood Academy High School 2010) is designed for choruses to demonstrate their best performing abilities on standard choral literature with once selection being from a specific historical era (from renaissance to the 20th Century). This Festival is limited to regular high schools (9 – 12) and middle high schools (7 – 12) students.

The ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ FESTIVAL (Saturday May 8, 2010 at Simeon Career Academy High School) is designed for the large jazz ensemble and small combos (3 to 8 performers) to demonstrate their best performing abilities of jazz music. The festival is open to elementary, middle and high school students.

The ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MUSIC FESTIVAL (Tuesday May 11, 2010-Instrumental at Lowell Elementary School; Wednesday May 12, 2010-Instrumental at Kenwood Academy High School; Thursday May 13, 2010-Choral at Whitney Young Magnet High School and Friday May 14, 2010-Choral at the School of Leadership at South Shore) is a 4-day festival designed to provide adjudicated performance opportunities for elementary / middle school bands, orchestras and choruses only.