ESO Concert Archives

Dec 8, 2018 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm
Dec 9, 2018 2:30 pm
Hemmens Cultural Center

Stephen Squires, conductor
Elgin Master Chorale
Catalina Cuervo, soprano
Midwest Dance Collective

Bring the entire family and create joyful holiday memories together at ESO Sounds of the Season. Includes a sing along, a visit from Santa Claus, and a cameo appearance by ESO Music Director Andrew Grams!

Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, December 2 at 2:00 pm
Hemmens Cultural Center

Director       Linda Cunningham
Conductor   Steven Squires
Starring       Alexandre Hammoudi (soloist with ABT), Abigail Simon (formerly with ABT and  Joffrey Ballet), Roger Hendricks Simon (veteran actor/director of stage & screen), Raoni Xavier (Bolshoi Brazil) and Malachi Squires

Chicago Ballet Conservatory, in partnership with Elgin Symphony Orchestra and professional dancers and actors from around the world, brings “dreaming in color” to Elgin this holiday season!

Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 2:30 pm
Hemmens Cultural Center

Andrew Grams, conductor
Laura Wilde, soprano

Beethoven   Fidelio Overture
R. Strauss    Four Last Songs
Wagner        Highlights from The Ring

Friday, November 2, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Hemmens Cultural Center

Andrew Grams and the ESO explore Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung at this fun, informal event. For newcomers and connoisseurs alike!

Friday, October 5, 2018 at 7:30 pm Prairie Center for the Arts
Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 7:30 pm Hemmens Cultural Center
Sunday, October 7 at 2:30 pm Hemmens Cultural Center

Stephen Squires, conductor
Elgin Master Chorale (October 6 & 7 only)
Joe Shadday, tenor

An eclectic mix of American music by Irving Berlin, Aaron Copland, Julia Ward Howe, John Williams and more
Honors the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI

September 15, 2018 7:30 pm
September 16, 2018 2:30 pm
Hemmens Cultural Center

Andrew Grams, conductor
Joshua Roman, cello

Chopin       Grande Valse Brillante
Bates           Cello Concerto
Debussy      Clair de Lune
Stravinsky   Firebird Suite (1919)

Support the ESO today with a tax-deductible donation and help us present amazing music and educational programs with Music Director, Andrew Grams.

Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 2:30 pm
These season finale concerts hold the ESO premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide Suite, part of a worldwide celebration of the 100^th anniversary of his birth. The program will also feature Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, which conveys a dazzling array of emotions. The fourth movement of this symphony, Adagietto, may be the most famous of all his works.

Friday, May 4, 2018
Doors open at 6:30pm, Rehearsal starts at 7:15pm
The ESO musicians work hard at rehearsals throughout the weeks to prepare for concerts, and we invite you to join us for this free and open to the public working rehearsal!

Please join Maestro Andrew Grams and Event Chairs Rev. Arlyn & Jeanne Tolzmann for the ESO 2018 Fundraiser: Hidden Treasure! Sunday, April 29, 2018 from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm at St. Charles Country Club. Limited tickets available!

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 11:15 am
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 11:15 am

Music Emojis: Feelings, Connections, Life, explores how music expresses emotion. The ESO Ainsworth Concerts for Youth are designed to introduce children in grades 2-8 to the fundamentals of music.

Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 2:30 pm
This program features Elgar’s Cello Concerto, arguably the most exquisite concerto ever written for cello, performed by the 2016 Sphinx Competition winner, Thomas Mesa.  These concerts also explore the theme and variation form in two works: Brahms’ Haydn Variations and Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Friday, March 23, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Andrew Grams and the ESO demystify the process of creating a masterwork. Dive deep into Elgar’s Enigma Variations in the first half of the event, as Andrew Grams explores what makes a great piece of music using excerpts performed by the ESO. After intermission, the orchestra plays the entire work with the audience experiencing a deeper connection to the piece. 

Saturday, March 3, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 4, 2018 at 2:30 pm
ESO favorite William Wolfram, piano, will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on these concerts. Chicago-area guest conductor Edwin Outwater, known for his dynamic musical interpretations, will conduct the program, which includes Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 12.

Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 11 at 2:30 pm
Experience elation and anguish, the bittersweet dichotomy of life, with this program that holds Vivaldi’s joyous Gloria and the transcendent masterwork, Mozart’s Requiem, featuring the Elgin Master Chorale and special guest soloists.