Bad Bunny taps Chicago conductor for surprise Super Bowl halftime orchestra

Eagle-eyed Chicago classical-music fans spotted a familiar face during Bad Bunny’s Sunday evening Super Bowl halftime show: Giancarlo Guerrero, artistic director and principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival.

Guerrero was spotlighted among some 700 performers who took part in Bad Bunny’s sprawling performance, which included famed vocalists Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga as well as singers and musicians across a wide range of genres.

Guerrero, who was named to the Grant Park Music Festival post in 2024 and conducted his first concerts last summer, led a 30-member string orchestra composed of San Francisco-area musicians in the song “Monaco.”

“It has been an absolutely unbelievable, unforgettable, life-changing experience all-around,” Guerrero told WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday night after just getting back to his hotel room. “To be part of it, honestly, is one of the greatest joys in my life and something that will stay with me forever.”

In what he called a “beautiful surprise,” Guerrero was invited to take part in the show just nine days before it took place. He rushed to San Francisco last Tuesday to begin rehearsals after signing a non-disclosure agreement that he would not discuss his participation ahead of time.

“It all came about very, very quickly. My manager got a call from Bad Bunny’s people saying that he had requested me to be part of the show. They wanted a prominent Latino conductor, and I immediately jumped at the idea,” said Guerrero, who was born in Nicaragua and grew up in Costa Rica.

The six-time Grammy Award-winning conductor was the first major classical music figure to take part in a Super Bowl halftime show since another noted maestro, Gustavo Dudamel, did so in 2016.

“The fact that he [Bad Bunny] wanted to include an actual string orchestra with an actual conductor tells you his musical interests go beyond what you would think: pop,” Guerrero said of the Puerto Rican rapper and singer. “I think it’s a great moment particularly for classical music, because normally it gets overlooked.”

The 10-week Grant Park festival takes place each summer in Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion. This year’s lineup will feature a heavy dose of music from American composers, as the country marks its 250th birthday. The first concert is scheduled for June 10.

“What can I say about Benito [Antonio Martínez Ocasio], Bad Bunny. What a talent, what a musician,” Guerrero said. “I have to say this has been beyond my wildest dreams.”