Elgin Symphony Orchestra

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, four-time winner of Orchestra of the Year!

ESO in the News

God & Love – Recital with Nicole Heaston

One of the definitive sopranos of our generation, Nicole Heaston has starred in productions at such revered theaters as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Norwegian National Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, Royal Danish Opera and Houston Grand Opera, and has appeared as the soprano soloist on numerous orchestral recordings over the past two decades.

This February 25th at 8:00 pm, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and Ravinia Festival are thrilled to co-present Ms. Heaston in a recital, recorded specifically for broadcast on the WFMT Radio Network. The program, titled “God & Love” will highlight rapturous music from 15th Century English master Henry Purcell to one of today’s most acclaimed living composers, Jessie Montgomery.

PERSONNEL
Nicole Heaston – Soprano
Shannon McGinnis – Piano
Mark Shuldiner – Harpsichord
Brandon Acker – Theorbo
Gene Collerd – Clarinet
Isabella Lippi – Violin
Eleanor Bartsch – Violin
Daniela Folker – Violin
Amanda Grimm – Viola
Matthew Agnew – Cello
Timothy Shaffer – Bass

PROGRAM
Franz Liszt Four Songs 
(Ms. Heaston / Ms. McGinnis)
Comment, disaient-ils 
Oh, quand je dors  
S’il est un charmant gazon 
Enfant, si j’étais roi 

Franz Schubert Der Hirt auf dem Felsem  D 956 
(Ms. Heaston / Ms. McGinnis / Mr. Collerd)

George Frederick Handel Tu del ciel ministro eletto from Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità  
(Ms. Heaston / Mr. Shuldiner / Mr. Acker / Ms. Lippi / Ms. Bartsch / Ms. Folker / Ms. Grimm / Mr. Agnew / Mr. Shaffer)

Jessie Montgomery I Want to Go Home 
(Ms. Heaston / Ms. Lippi / Ms. Folker / Mr. Agnew / Mr. Shaffer)

Henry Purcell The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation   
(Ms. Heaston / Mr. Shuldiner / Mr. Acker / Mr. Agnew)

Meet the Musician: Sharon Chang, Assistant Principal Violin II

Hailed for her, “instantaneously arresting …sweet, clear, vital” sound (The New York Sun), violinist Sharon Chang maintains an active career as a chamber musician, orchestral musician and as a teacher. Ms. Chang has won numerous first prize awards in competition and has had the privilege of performing, as a soloist, with orchestras including the North Suburban Symphony, Waukegan Symphony, and Camerata Chicago.  

As a chamber musician, Ms. Chang has performed on the Wednesdays at One series in New York City’s Alice Tully Hall, and performed in collaborations resulting in radio broadcasts on From The Top and on Chicago’s classical station 98.7 WFMT. A recipient of a Farwell Scholarship from the Musicians Club of Women, Ms. Chang has held positions in several orchestras, including the Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, and Cleveland Pops Orchestras.  She currently holds the Assistant Principal Second Violin position with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute violinist with several orchestras nationwide.  

Ms. Chang has studied with Stephen Clapp at The Juilliard School, and with William Preucil and Joel Smirnoff at the Cleveland Institute of Music.  Ms. Chang maintains a private violin studio, and has served as violin faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago.

Elgin Symphony Orchestra Announces Redesigned 2021 Spring Schedule

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra (ESO) today announced an amended spring 2021 schedule amid continued state-mandated gathering restrictions surrounding COVID-19.

“We have proactively reimagined our performances to ensure we can continue to provide a world class symphonic experience in a way that keeps our musicians, guests and staff safe,” said Erik Malmquist, executive director, Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

Previously planned spring concerts at The Hemmens have been cancelled and are being replaced with ‘Fridays on the Farm’: a new, three-concert, outdoor spring and summer festival to be held at The Venue at Gobbert’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard in Pingree Grove. The tented space allows for social distancing to comply with state guidelines. ESO subscribers have been notified by mail of the cancellation and the option to exchange or donate tickets.

“We are excited to celebrate Maestro Andrew Grams’ final season with the ESO at this beautiful location,” Malmquist said.

Grams, a protégé of Franz Welser-Moest, has conducted orchestras around the world. He was appointed music director of the ESO in June 2013 after a two-year, international search, and was named Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras in 2015.

The Fridays at the Farm symphonic performance schedule includes:

  • A chamber orchestra concert on May 21;
  • A full orchestra performance on July 2; and,
  • Maestro Grams’ farewell concert featuring the full ESO orchestra on Aug. 6.

The ESO was founded in 1950 and became a fully professional ensemble in 1985. Over its history, the ESO has featured a roster of legendary soloists including classical music legends Yo Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zucherman, Sir James Galloway and James Ehnes. The ESO has been named Orchestra of the Year four times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras (1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016).

A community organization that draws its creativity and artistry from the Elgin area, the ESO is dedicated to giving back to the areas it serves. Ensemble members regularly perform at local hospitals and hospice centers, offer music education programs within local schools, and provide free experiences through the Listeners Club and open-to-the-public rehearsals.

Elgin Symphony League Boutique is Live!

Ho ho ho! Your last-minute holiday gift problems are solved! (And we do mean last-minute). The ESL Boutique is online! The holiday décor, ornaments, and “attire” (including t-shirts and hats that light up) are now available at ESOboutique.com.

Do you like to shop in your pajamas at 2 AM? We’re here for you. Do you need a centerpiece for your holiday table, stuffed gnomes and hedgehogs to add whimsy to your family room, lighted angels, or any of our other delightful items to deck your halls? And don’t forget the tree ornaments in the shape of instruments:  for your grandson who just took up the guitar, your niece who’s majoring in flute, and the garage band drummer next door! We also have warm winter hats with hidden batteries to light the outdoor meetups that we now need to have. 

The Elgin Symphony League Boutique is back—and online for your convenience!  Even though the Hemmens is closed, you can still shop with us for holiday home décor and jewelry for your friends and family and, of course, yourself.  So you can still find gifts and décor at the same high quality and low prices you have come to expect from us. 

Go to ESOBoutique.com to shop with us. While supplies last, you’ll find great bargains and help your Symphony at the same time.

Because of COVID restrictions, the ESO office is closed to the public at this time. After ordering and paying for your purchase online, you may pickup your purchases by appointment between 1 PM and 4 PM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday  and between 6 PM and 8 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the ESO Office, 20 DuPage Court, Elgin 60120. (Instructions will be provided at order checkout.)

These are difficult times, and we appreciate, not only your order, but also your willingness to pick it up!  Together, we’ll make the Symphony strong again! 

Meet the Musician: Nazar Dzhuryn, Assistant Principal Cello

ESO-Nazar Dzhuryn, Assistant Principal, Cello 

Nazar Dzhuryn, Assistant Principal Cello

A native of Lviv, Ukraine, cellist Nazar Dzhuryn enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and educator. He graduated from the Lviv Music School and earned his Master of Music degree at the Moscow State Conservatory under Igor Gavrysh. Upon graduation, Dzhuryn served as an assistant professor at the Moscow State Conservatory, before moving to Chicago. 

Dzhurin’s solo recitals for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the PianoForte Salon Series have been broadcast live on 98.7 WFMT. In recent seasons, he has appeared as a soloist with the Moscow State Symphony, Moscow Conservatory Symphony, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Lviv Philharmonic, National Symphony of Ukraine in Kiev, Minsk Philharmonic, Ensemble of Soloists Classicus in Zagreb, Sinfonietta Bel Canto IL, Harper Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Woodstock Mozart Festival Orchestra, Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Nazar has given numerous solo recitals and master classes in Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, South America, South Africa, South Korea and the U.S. In 2008 he released his solo debut CD, Cello Monologue, featuring works by Reger and Kodaly. His next CD, Cello Monologue 2 was released in 2013, featuring works of Ysaye, Hindemith, Crumb, Ligeti and Laniuk. 

Nazar has appeared as part of the Rush Hour Concerts Series at St. James Cathedral in Chicago and as a guest artist with the Chicago Chamber Musicians and is a frequent chamber music collaborator of members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Formerly the principal cello of the Moscow State Symphony “Young Russia” and the Moscow Conservatory Symphony, Nazar has served as the assistant principal cello of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra since 2000 and as the principal cello of the Woodstock Mozart Festival Orchestra since 2004. He participated in the Rostropovich Festival in Evian, France, and has performed as an orchestral musician under such conductors as Georg Solti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Barenboim, and Helmuth Rilling.

Nazar maintains private teaching studios in Chicago and Elgin and serves on the faculties of Northeastern Illinois University and the Naperville School for the Performing Arts. He also coaches chamber ensembles for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO). Nazar’s students have won prizes in numerous competitions, including the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, and the Chicago Chamber Music Competition.

ESO-Nazar Dzhuryn, Assistant Principal, Cello

Meet the Musician: Rebecca Swan, Viola

ESO- Rebecca Swan, Viola

Rebecca Swan, Viola

Rebecca Swan is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory. A native of the Chicago area, Rebecca recently moved back after several years in Charlotte, NC, where she played Principal Viola for Charlotte’s Broadway Series and subbed regularly with the Charlotte Symphony.

Rebecca has played with Iris Chamber Orchestra under Michael Stern, New World Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas, The Perlman Program Orchestra with Itzhak Perlman, and The Orquesta Sinfonia Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica. She was the youngest member ever to be accepted into the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under Daniel Barenboim when she was 16. Some of her favorite freelance opportunities have been playing backup for Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder, and Andrea Bocelli.

Rebecca currently is a member of the Grant Park Symphony, Elgin Symphony and is Principal Violist with the Rockford Symphony. This year she played with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, and has served as guest principal of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.