Individual | Inducted 2024
As the classical music critic for the Chicago Tribune for 40 years and as a freelance writer since his retirement in 2018, John von Rhein has played a significant role in establishing Chicago as a world-class cultural center. Born in Pasadena, California, von Rhein came to Chicago from Ohio in 1977 to write for the Tribune after having been the classical music and dance critic for the Akron Beacon Journal from 1971 to 1977. His reviews and features published in the city’s largest newspaper – including his on-the-road coverage of international tours by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra – helped foster a loyal and well-informed audience at home and around the world for the CSO, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, and many other musical organizations.
In addition to his Tribune columns, von Rhein co-authored, with Andrew Porter of The New Yorker and photographer Victor Skrebneski, the 1994 book Bravi: Lyric Opera of Chicago. He has written on musical subjects for national and international publications, including Vanity Fair, Opera magazine, Gramophone, Opera News, Fanfare, Ovation, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and Opera Now. He has also contributed to websites, including Chicago Classical Review and The Classical Review.
In his published work, von Rhein has not only illuminated the music of the past, he has also championed contemporary artists and works – including such LGBTQ icons as composers Ned Rorem and John Corigliano and LGBTQ-themed works such as Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie’s opera Harvey Milk, and Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed’s transgender-themed opera As One.
Von Rhein’s involvement with Rainbow Railroad, an international organization dedicated to providing life-saving assistance to LGBTQ+ individuals and families fleeing violence and persecution around the world, exemplifies his steadfast commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us.