The Department of Music is but one member of an active and thriving cultural population in Hyde Park. At the core of Hyde Park’s community life are the arts: theater, visual art, literature, dance, film, and of course—music. We are proud partners of many organizations in developing a culture-filled neighborhood of arts lovers and practitioners.

The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera company performs Iolanthe.
Photo: Daniel Collins

About Hyde Park

Located just seven miles from the city’s center, Hyde Park is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Chicago, and home to The University of Chicago since its establishment in 1892. In addition to hosting the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Hyde Park has been the residential choice of many Chicago luminaries, including Marshall Field, Muhammed Ali, and Barack Obama.

Quieter and more “suburban” than bustling residential areas further north, the neighborhood includes idyllic parks such as Jackson Park (the potential site of the 2016 Olympic Games) and Promontory Point. Hyde Park is a richly diverse neighborhood, boasting the largest number of independent booksellers in the city, as well as an enviable collection of cultural institutions including The Museum of Science and Industry, the Smart Museum of Art, Court Theatre, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, and The DuSable Museum of African American History. A center for world-renowned research and study and the south side’s hub of culture, Hyde Park is a vibrant part of the fabric of Chicago.