THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Nonetheless, before our next monthly column appears, the indoor concert season will have kicked off in earnest. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra begins its 2007-2008 season at Symphony Center Sept. 14-16 with maestro Riccardo Muti conducting an early 20th-century program of works by Prokofiev, Falla and Ravel ( including everyone's favorite sex music, Bolero ) . The Chicago Symphony Orchestra ( CSO ) barely will be under way before Muti leads them on a European tour, Sept. 26-Oct. 6. Keep in mind that, for the second season, the CSO is without a permanent musical director. The CSO honchos reportedly have a short list of candidate to succeed Daniel Barenboim ( who stepped down 15 months ago ) , but several of them are tied-up with other obligations for another year or two, so the honchos are prepared to mark time with a series of distinguished guest conductors for at least another year and possibly two.

The same weekend the CSO toots its horn section, Music of the Baroque—another of Chicago's great musical organizations—launches its 2007-2008 performance year with The Seasons. It's not Vivaldi's familiar suite of four-violin concerti, but the secular oratorio by Franz Joseph Haydn. The Seasons will be performed under musical director Jane Glover, with vocal soloists Rebecca Evans, Shawn Mathey and Nathan Berg. Performances are Sept. 16 in Evanston ( First United Methodist Church ) and Sept. 17 in Chicago ( Harris Theater for Music and Dance ) .

But wait, there's more! The Chicago Sinfonietta begins its season the very same weekend, Sept. 16-17, joining forces with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble to offer the classical version of Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite as well as the jazz version by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Additional Ellington works, plus Russell Peck's Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra also are on the program. Marking its 21st season, the Chicago Sinfonietta is under the musical direction of Paul Freeman. The Chicago Jazz Ensemble—founded by this writer's late friend and collaborator, William Russo—is under artistic director Jon Faddis. The concerts are Sept. 16 in River Forest ( Lund Auditorium, Dominican University ) and Sept. 17 in Chicago ( Symphony Center ) .

Meanwhile, the outdoor season ain't quite over 'til the fat lady sings, especially when it comes to jazz. The Museum of Contemporary Art continues its Tuesdays on the Terrace programs through Sept. 25, offering free jazz from 5:30-8 p.m. on the patio overlooking the sculpture garden. Admission to the MCA itself also is free on Tuesdays. Those attending are invited to bring a blanket and pick up some picnic fare from the MCA cafe ( or you can reserve a table for dinner ) . Upcoming Tuesdays will feature the Corey Wilkes Trio ( Aug. 29 and Sept. 25 ) , the Green Mill Quarter ( Sept. 4 ) , the Damian Espinosa Trio ( Sept. 11 ) and the Marlene Rosenberg Trio ( Sept. 18 ) .

And for an orgy of jazz—trad, modern, contemporary, Dixieland, boogie, big band, you name it—you can't beat the City of Chicago's annual Chicago Jazz Festival, taking place over the Labor Day weekend on Aug. 30-Sept. 2. There are far too many participants to list here, both local and nationally-known artists, but the performance venues include the Pritzker Pavilion ( Millennium Park ) , the Harris Theater, Symphony Center, the Cultural Center ( Cassidy Theater and Preston Bradley Hall ) and Grant Park ( Petrillo Music Shell and several temporary stages ) . All programs at all venues are free except the Herbie Hancock concert at Symphony Center ( Aug. 30; $16-$46 ) . Details are online at www.chicagojazzfestival.us.

Finally, the Ohm Multimedia Series, presented by the City of Chicago, might be described as a creature of summer but grown indoors in a musical hothouse. The five-concert summertime series incorporates new media in electronic music, performance and visual art in which live DJs and visual artists are invited to create multimedia works in front of an audience. The particular emphasis this year has been on music and visuals influenced by video games. There are two programs remaining. Aug. 24 offers Bleep! Remixing Pong to Donkey Kong featuring Mark DeNardo, Pixeljam, Baseshot Scenario and 3pHaze, while Sept. 7 presents Game Over featuring Atmospheric Audio Chair, Brobot and Video Janitor. Programs are at 7 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center Claudia Cassidy Theater. Admission is free, but seats are limited.