Another year, another Chicago Symphony season opening without a music director on the continent.

The years-ahead planning tempo of the world’s biggest classical music organizations means Klaus Mäkelä, the CSO’s incoming chief, and Riccardo Muti, its outgoing, have been tied up for opening nights for two years now. But when one sees the very busy Gustavo Dudamel — also bearing the “designate” tag at the New York Philharmonic — happily raise the curtain at his orchestra-to-be this month , it’s hard not to feel like the ugly stepchild.

But just as Andrés Orozco-Estrada engagingly stepped in last season , Danish conductor and violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider was a smart pick for both the season-opening cycle on Sept. 18-19 and the CSO’s annual Symphony Ball gala, the latter of which d

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