The Chicago High School for the Arts

On May 26, 2026, the ChiArts Class of 2026 signed off, tossing their caps and crossing the stage at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance! 🎓🔥
As the school year comes to a close on June 4 and ChiArts marks an important transition to becoming a district-managed school with Chicago Public Schools on July 1, we celebrate and honor the Class of 2026, their families, ChiArts faculty/staff, ChiArts Parent Support Organization (PSO), community partners, board members, and all the ChiArts Foundation donors who made this journey possible.
In the words of ChiArts alum (Dance ’14), faculty member, and commencement keynote speaker Ms. Imani English, “Success is not in what you do or what you earn, it’s about who you choose to be.” To the Class of 2026: we’re so grateful for who you have chosen to be, and we can’t wait to see who you become next. 🧡
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Huge thank you to ChiArts Faculty Mr. Oscar Muñoz for capturing the moment!

Today, the ChiArts Class of 2026 celebrated their final Friday of high school ever. 🥹🧡

Next Tuesday, they will walk across the stage at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, in the heart of our city, marking the end of one milestone and the beginning of another. 🎓

The 12 students featured in this graphic represent just 10% of our incredible 14th graduating class. To the entire Class of 2026: we couldn’t be more proud of you, and we’re so excited to see what you do next! 🔥

Join us tomorrow night for Curtain Call Theatre Year 3: Face Your Fate, featuring Antigone ⚖️ and Ride the Cyclone 🎢. This double feature brings together two bold stories about confronting destiny—one a classic tragedy, the other a dark musical comedy.

Come support the ChiArts Theatre Juniors as they close out our 25/26 production season with energy, range, and heart! 🧡💚🩵

Tickets here: https://chiarts.ludus.com/index.php

Congratulations to all scholar-artists who have shown up, grown, and created boldly all year long. The Curtain Calls you’ve shared over the past month have been heartfelt and powerful. 🧡

This week, we celebrate three final milestones:
🌟 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Showcase on May 7
🌟 The Visual Arts Senior Exhibition opens May 8
🌟 Our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year Theatre majors take the stage to close out the Curtain Call series on May 8 and 15

And we’re not done yet, our community will come together again in June for our Pride Showcase. 🌈

Click here for more details and tickets: https://chiarts.org/performances/

On Monday, the ChiArts stage became a global classroom. 🎶 Through our ongoing partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, world-class musicians from around the world joined us for a special jazz “informance," bringing students inside the sound, history, and evolution of jazz in real time. 🔥

As Chicago celebrates International Jazz Day tomorrow, April 30, this moment feels especially full circle. Herbie Hancock, the Institute’s founder, delivered ChiArts’ very first commencement address, and now, ChiArts alum Joel Ross (Music ’13) returns to the global stage, performing alongside jazz legends at the All-Star Global Concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Check out the photo of Herbie and Joel performing at our first commencement! 🤩

🎥 Want to experience Monday’s informance? Tomorrow, April 30 at 8:45 AM, we’ll be streaming the full performance on Instagram and YouTube ().

End of year productions are underway with performances every week until graduation! 🎓

Swipe for pics of last week's Curtain Calls and don't miss the remaining ones! Full April/May schedule listed below. 🧡

📸: Mr. Oscar Muñoz

4/15 🗓️ Curtain Call: Instrumental
6:30p PM, Jim and Kay Mabie Auditorium

4/20 🗓️ Curtain Call: Creative Writing Year 3
6:00 PM, Black Box Theatre

4/22 🗓️ Curtain Call: Voice
6:30 PM, Jim and Kay Mabie Auditorium

4/27 🗓️ Curtain Call: Creative Writing Year 4
6:00 PM, Black Box Theatre

5/1 🗓️ Curtain Call: Dance
7:00 PM, Jim and Kay Mabie Auditorium

5/8 🗓️ Curtain Call: Theatre Years 1 & 2
7:00 PM, Jim and Kay Mabie Auditorium

5/15 🗓️ Curtain Call: Theatre Year 3
7:00 PM, Jim and Kay Mabie Auditorium

Join us this week for an incredible lineup of performances featuring our Creative Writing and Music scholar-artists! 💛 💚

Monday ➡️ We kick off National Poetry Month with an intimate reading in the ChiArts Black Box.
Wednesday ➡️ Guitar and Piano majors take both ChiArts stages with a dynamic mix of classical and contemporary works.
Friday ➡️ We close out the week with our collaborative, student-devised Senior Voice Project, a powerful culmination of our seniors’ voices and stories.

Don’t miss it! Get your tickets now: https://chiarts.ludus.com/index.php

Join us this Friday, April 3 for the opening reception of Junior Jam, an exhibition showcasing our third-year Visual Artists. Come experience the artistic process, scholar-artist perspective, and the power of pre-professional training in action. 🩵

🗓 Friday, April 3, 2026 @ 5:30–7:00 PM
📍ChiArts Gallery (Room 120)

Can’t make it? The exhibition will be on view through April 23! 💫