The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s bells — with their embossed angels, floral details, and echoes of Orchestra Hall’s architecture — were handcrafted by the Dutch foundry Petit & Fristen and the I.T. Verdin Company of Ohio. These remarkable instruments have resounded in some of the Orchestra’s most dramatic performances and recordings, including acclaimed recordings of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Mussorgsky's Pictures from an Exhibition.
Their legacy takes new form in the CSO’s 2025 commemorative ornament. The front reveals the bell’s intricate design, etched into brushed brass, while the reverse features the opening “Promenade” of Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition, encircled by a festive floral spray. Each ornament is handmade in the United States and presented in a decorative, foil-stamped box — a keepsake as timeless as the music itself.
