Tribune’s picks for the best in arts and entertainment in 2022

As we find ourselves at the end of another year, it’s time to hand out some superlatives. The writers, columnists and critics of A+E offer a look back at the best of 2022 when it comes to arts and entertainment.

Writer Hannah Edgar reflects on this year’s standouts in classical music and jazz, including a “Tosca” for the ages, the belated local premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 and an excellent 12 hours full of music that had a trippy tribute to German composer Carola Bauckholt.

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Writer Lauren Warnecke suggests that the theme for this Year of Chicago Dance could be resilience as local dance companies ran full steam ahead after years of disruption. Highlights include Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater’s “Flamenco Passion” and Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project’s “Reclamation.”

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Writer Lori Waxman has selected the shows she loved and learned from most this year, including nearly every exhibit at the Cultural Center, works by Alberto Aguilar and the Chicago Botanic Garden’s festive anniversary show.

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Writer Christopher Borrelli says it was a particularly good year for excellent books, and his top 10 picks include the criminally underrated “Planes” by Peter C. Baker and “My Phantoms” by Gwendoline Riley.

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Critic Chris Jones writes that while it’s unclear if 2022 was a normal year in Chicago theater, there was some distinguished work on offer on Chicago stages, including “Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol” and “The Notebook” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

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Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.