ChiIL Mama's Chi, IL Picks List
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
in Concert
One night only, Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 PM at The Auditorium
What’s this?! Back by popular demand, see one of Tim Burton’s most celebrated films like never before! The full-feature film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, will be projected on the big screen with live accompaniment by the Chicago Philharmonic bringing Danny Elfman’s darkly charming score to life. Families are welcome and costumes are encouraged. After all, this is Halloween! ChiIL Mama will be there... will YOU?!
Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts. ©Disney. All rights reserved. MPAA Rating: PG
Date
Oct 25, 2025
Event Starts
7:30 PM
Doors Open
One Hour Prior to Show
The Chicago Philharmonic performs Danny Elfman’s iconic score while the film plays on the big screen
The Auditorium (Chicago’s landmark stage at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) and The Chicago Philharmonic continue the second season of the Auditorium Philms Concert Series, a multi-media experience presenting iconic films brought to life with scores performed in concert. Next up is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas in concert, the cult-classic stop-motion masterpiece with an iconic score by Danny Elfman. The film will play on The Auditorium’s big screen while the Chicago Philharmonic, under the direction of long-time collaborator conductor Thiago Tiberio, performs the score live in sync with dialogue and sound effects from the original film. The one-night-only presentation takes place Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 PM at The Auditorium, 50 E Ida B Wells Dr. Due to high demand, new tickets have just been released for this presentation. Tickets are available at
auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300. Subtitles will be shown during the live performance.
Preceding the performance, The Auditorium will host a hauntingly fun VIP Halloween Party with specialty themed food and drink and a costume contest. Costume contest competitors can win several prizes including gift cards to local establishments and free tickets for upcoming Auditorium and Chicago Philharmonic events. The VIP Halloween Party begins at 6:00 PM. Tickets for the party are $45.
Though only a modest box-office success upon its release in 1993, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas quickly became an enduring favorite and continues to be a Halloween-time staple. The meticulously crafted stop-motion animation film tells the story of Jack Skellington- the king of Halloween Town- who accidentally discovers Christmas Town and attempts to take over the holiday with disastrous effects. The film’s stunning visuals are enhanced by an iconic score written by then frontman of the band Oingo Boingo Danny Elfman. Elfman drew on musical influences from the past like Kurt Weil, George Gershwin and even Gilbert and Sullivan to make the music in the film feel both nostalgic and otherworldly. Audiences for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert will have the opportunity to hear the instantly recognizable tunes from the film like “This is Halloween” and “What’s This?” performed live by a full orchestra in the context of the film.
“Audiences continue to tell us how much they love our Auditorium Philms Series,” said The Auditorium CEO Rich Regan. “Whether it be for a family night, a date night or simply a night out, we are proud of the variety of films with orchestras that have graced our stage. Each presentation allows audiences to see their favorite films in an entirely new light, and what’s a better way to celebrate Halloween than with a screening of Nightmare Before Christmas. We look forward to welcoming everyone to The Auditorium.”
“We are proud to co-present this film with The Auditorium and to bring Danny Elfman’s score to life for Chicago audiences,” added Chicago Philharmonic Executive Director Terell Johnson. “This project highlights what great cultural partnerships can do: combine cinematic storytelling with the power of live orchestral music to create an immersive, communal experience.”
Tickets are also now available for the final presentation in the 2025 season of The Auditorium Philms Concert Series The Holiday in concert, on December 20.
About The Chicago Philharmonic Society
Founded by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra in 1989, The Chicago Philharmonic Society is on a mission to reimagine the orchestra concert experience. With nearly 200 musician members and a unique system of musician governance, the organization is one of the most versatile, innovative, and ambitious orchestras in the country.
Chicago Philharmonic proudly collaborates with the greatest artists of our time, in every genre. Past collaborations have included The Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Kishi Bashi, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, Tank and the Bangas, William Basinski, the American Ballet Theatre, Ryan Speedo Green, and more.
In 2021, Crain’s Business Chicago 40 Under 40 awardee Terell Johnson joined the organization as Executive Director. Since then, the orchestra has become a force for innovation and inclusion in the city’s performing arts ecosystem with a series of increasingly high-profile events. 2024 brought the orchestra’s debut at Lollapalooza Chicago with Icelandic jazz/pop sensation Laufey as the first orchestra to ever perform at the famed festival; a highly anticipated return to Ravinia Festival with a World Premiere tribute to Whitney Houston and a concert with the Violent Femmes; and the World Premiere tour of An Evening with Sleeping At Last culminating in a sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall. Learn more at www.chicagophil.org.
About Thiago Tiberio
Mr. Tiberio is a specialist in musical synchronization to film, having conducted orchestras in scoring sessions during most of his career. This naturally led to positions in live-to-picture concert productions, such as Star Wars Live in Concert, Pixar in Concert, Danny Elfman: Music from the Films of Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lord of the Rings: Live to Projection, and others. He premiered the fully orchestrated version of Coco in Concert for Disney, closing the 2019 Ravinia Festival, with the Chicago Philharmonic.
Tiberio is the official conductor of America’s Wonders, the world’s first 3-dimensional, IMAX-style cinematic journey with live orchestra—a celebration of America’s most breathtaking national parks and cities with classical, pop, and original music meticulously synchronized to picture. He also composed and orchestrated a large portion of the music in the show.
Get ready for thrills, chills, and symphonic magic! The Auditorium Auxiliary Board and Chicago Philharmonic Associate Board invite you to an exclusive VIP pre-concert Halloween party before Disney in Concert: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas performed live by the Chicago Philharmonic.
VIP Party: October 25 at 6:00pm
Concert: 7:30pm at The Auditorium
Tickets are selling fast. Reserve yours today!
Your $45 VIP upgrade includes:
Costume contest with fabulous prizes (gift cards, free tickets & more)
Two complimentary themed cocktails or mocktails
Halloween candy, snacks & photo ops galore
Then settle in for the full-feature film projected on the big screen with Danny Elfman’s iconic score brought to life by the Chicago Philharmonic, conducted by Maestro Thiago Tiberio.
Please note: VIP access is sold separately and must be added at checkout when purchasing concert tickets.
Get Concert Tickets + VIP Upgrade
Costumes encouraged. Ages 21+ for VIP upgrade.
About The Auditorium
The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889.
The Auditorium’s 2025-26 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. Some of The Auditorium’s fall highlights include musical appearances from David Byrne (Oct. 28-Nov.1), ARRIVAL From Sweden: The Music of ABBA (Nov. 6), Tortoise (Nov. 11), Sarah McLachlan (Nov. 22) and Sting (Nov. 24); evenings with esteemed guests including Kamala Harris (Oct. 11), Sarah Millican (Oct. 17-18), and Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng (Nov. 7); and theater and dance presentations including Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater (Nov. 15) and Elf The Musical (Dec. 2-14) For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium please visit auditoriumtheatre.org.
