Elgin Symphony Orchestra

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

ESO in the News

Grupo De Danza Folklorica Quetzaly and Mariachi Joya Dorada de U-46 to Perform at Mariachi! Concerts

Mariachi Joya Dorada de U-46
Mariachi Joya Dorada de U-46
Grupo De Danza Folklorica Quetzaly
Grupo De Danza Folklorica Quetzaly

Concert attendees will experience a celebration of local Mexican heritage when the Elgin Symphony Orchestra welcomes Grupo De Danza Folklorica Quetzaly and Mariachi Joya Dorada de U-46 to perform at the Symphony’s “Mariachi!” concerts featuring Mariachi Acero de Las Vegas at the Hemmens Cultural Center on April 30 and May 1.

Performing in the lobby starting one hour before the concerts will be the student musicians of Mariachi Joya Dorada de U-46. The group is composed of students from U-46 middle and high schools. Since its founding in 2018, the group has performed at dozens of events.

Grupo De Danza Folklorica Quetzaly, which provides the opportunity for children and adults in the Elgin area to celebrate and stay connected to their Mexican heritage through folk dance and music, will perform at intermission.

“The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is committed to celebrating and sharing the diverse culture of our community,” said Marc Thayer, CEO of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. “We are excited to bring this festive celebration of Elgin’s local Mexican heritage to the Hemmens Cultural Center this month. These two groups are dedicated to preserving the colorful Mexican arts culture with future generations and showcasing their heritage with the greater community. We encourage patrons to arrive early to hear the student performers in Mariachi Joya Dorada de U-46, and to enjoy the intermission performance by Grupo De Danza Folklorica Quetzaly. ”

Richard Mizell will conduct the “Mariachi!” concerts featuring Mariachi Acero de Las Vegas on Saturday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. Mizell was senior music producer for the Walt Disney Company for 37 years and conducted nationally recognized orchestras with EPCOT’s Mariachi Cobre and Doc Severinsen.

Mariachi Acero de Las Vegas was founded in 2008 by Erik Ramirez, a graduate of East Chicago High School in Indiana, and received top honors in the 2012 and 2013 Mariachi Nationals hosted by Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez and at the 2014 Battle of the Mariachis at San Juan Capistrano Mission in California.

Mariachi Acero de Las Vegas has shared the stage with the greatest Mariachi ensembles in the world including Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, and Mariachi Los Camperos. They have also had the pleasure of accompanying top Latino artists such as Emmanuel, Jenni Rivera, Angeles Ochoa, Lorenzo de Monteclaro, Pancho Barraza, Maribel Guardia, Los Temerarios, Pablo Montero, Gerardo Ortiz, Voz de Mando, and Banda Limon.  

Elgin Symphony Orchestra Announces Finalists in Music Director Search

Eight notable music conductors have been named finalists in the music director search by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. The two-year search process kicked off last year when Andrew Grams announced he would depart at the end of the 2020-21 season. The new music director will be announced at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

One of the finalists was a guest conductor in the ESO’s 2021-22 season. Canadian conductor Tania Miller led the ESO in its October 2021 season opener, “Pines of Rome.” She was music director for Canada’s Victoria Symphony for 14 years and was named Director Emerita for her commitment to the community. Miller will conduct the Calgary Opera next year.

The seven additional finalists will make their ESO appearances in the 2022-23 season:

Andres Lopera on Oct. 8 and 9, 2022
Lopera is in his third season as associate conductor of the Columbus Symphony and music director of the Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra. 

John Gennaro Devlin on Nov. 5 and 6, 2022
As music director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Devlin, at age 35, is one of the nation’s youngest music directors to lead a professional symphony orchestra.

Andrew Crust on Jan. 7 and 8, 2023
Crust is associate conductor of the Vancouver Symphony in Canada and is in his second season as music director of the Lima Symphony.

Kyle Ritenauer on Feb. 4 and 5, 2023
Ritenauer is founder and artistic director of the Uptown Philharmonic, and has led ensembles across North America, Europe, and Asia. He is also on the conducting faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.

Lee Mills on March 4 and 5, 2023
Mills is currently the associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony and previously served as resident conductor of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.

Alex Amsel on April 1 and 2, 2023
Argentinian-born conductor Alex Amsel is currently assistant conductor for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s 2019-2021 seasons.

Chad Goodman on May 6 and 7, 2023
Goodman is currently conducting fellow for the New World Symphony, and founder and artistic director of the Elevate Ensemble.

Filed Under: ESO

Elgin Symphony Orchestra Announces 2022-23 Season Schedule

New family-friendly pricing allows a family of 4 to attend for $40

The award-winning Elgin Symphony Orchestra (ESO) announced its 2022-23 season schedule at its Prelude Reception Thursday, March 24, at Highland Lofts in Elgin, Illinois. The ESO’s 73rd season is filled with masterpieces by both contemporary and historic composers, as well as holiday concerts. Tickets are now on sale at www.ElginSymphony.org, or Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., by phone at 847-888-4000 or at the ESO office, 20 DuPage Ct., Elgin.

Marc Thayer, CEO of the Symphony, also announced new family-friendly pricing with the goal of making the live symphony experience more accessible to the community. Adult ticket prices for the 2022-23 season will start at $20, and tickets for children 17 and younger will be free with a paying parent, guardian, or grandparent.

“Our new pricing structure makes it affordable for parents and grandparents to share the beauty of a live symphony experience with the next generation,” said Marc Thayer, the Symphony’s CEO.
Subscribers to three or more shows will also receive a 20 percent discount through the ESO’s “Build Your Own Subscription” program.

A leader in bringing world-renowned symphonic talent to Chicagoland, the ESO has again secured guest appearances from up-and-coming musicians and notable conductors from around the world to entertain audiences at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin, Illinois. Concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

The season begins on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m., when guest conductor Andres Lopera and violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins join the ESO to perform Dvořák’s “Carnival Overture,” Wynton Marsalis’ “Violin Concerto,” and Sir Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” The concert will be repeated on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 2:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6, John Devlin will lead the ESO in Mendelssohn’s “The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave),” Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez,” Clarice Assad’s “Impressions,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy-Overture)”. European guitar virtuoso Ana Vidovic will perform.

In December, the ESO brings back its family-friendly holiday concerts on Friday, Dec. 9, at 8 p.m. at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake, and on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. at the Hemmens Cultural Center.

January welcomes guest conductor Andrew Crust and violinist Stella Chen for performances of Jocelyn Morlock’s “Oiseaux bleus et sauvages,” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, and Brahms’ “Violin Concerto,” on January 7 and 8.

On February 4 and 5, Albert Cano Smit, the 2020 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Prize winner from The Juilliard School, will be featured alongside the ESO. New-York based Kyle Ritenauer, founder, and artistic director of the Uptown Philharmonic, will be the guest conductor. The program will include Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll,” Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”.

Celebrated cellist Thomas Mesa returns to the ESO on March 4 and 5, 2023, to perform Dvořák’s “Cello Concerto,” in a program conducted by Lee Mills. Other pieces will include Ives’ “The Unanswered Question,” Juan David Osorio’s “El Paraíso segun María (The Paradise According to Mary),” and Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2”.

April 1 and 2 are the dates for the ESO’s performances of Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers,” Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The performances will feature guest conductor Alex Amsel and violinist Blake Pouliot.

The season finishes with guest conductor Chad Goodman and pianist Drew Petersen joining the ESO on May 6 and 7 for Coleridge-Taylor’s “Ballade in A Minor,” Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

A number of exciting concerts are still in the works, including a special Latin Fire program with conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and featured guests Mónica Abrego and José Sibaja. More information on this and other additional concerts will be announced at a later date.

The ESO will also continue its tradition of bringing the arts to students through its Ainsworth Concerts for Youth. This concert program for teachers and students will take place Tuesday through Friday, March 14 – 17, with concerts at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. Teachers interested in this program, which includes advance study materials, should contact Macauley Manzano, ESO librarian and patron services manager, at m.manzano@elginsymphony.org or 847-888-0404.

Filed Under: ESO

ESO’s “Scheherazade” Performances Rescheduled

New dates set for May 20 and 21 at the Hemmens Cultural Center

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s performances of “Scheherazade” previously scheduled for June 11 and 12 at Goebbert’s Farm have been rescheduled. The concerts will now take place May 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the Hemmens Cultural Center. The performances will be led by former ESO Music Director Andrew Grams.

In addition to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” the concerts will include “Raise the Roof” by Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty. Robert Everson will be featured on timpani.

Tickets for the performances at the Hemmens Cultural Center are available at the ESO Box Office, 20 DuPage Ct., Elgin, or by phone at 847-888-4000, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased online at ElginSymphony.org. The concert has reserved seating options at $35 and $65 for adults. Student and youth tickets are $10.

Patrons with tickets for the original June 11 and 12 dates should contact the ESO box office at 847-888-4000 to transfer their tickets to one of the May performances or request a refund.

Proof of complete Covid-19 vaccination is required for all attendees; masks are optional. Please note that valet parking will not be available at this concert.

Filed Under: ESO

Elgin Symphony Orchestra Announces Free Listeners Club Events

Elgin Symphony Orchestra's Listeners Club is back.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra invites the public to free, educational discussions about the composers and music featured in its upcoming concerts. The discussions are led by ESO musicians.

Mozart’s “Requiem”

ESO Associate Concert Master and Violinist Eleanor Bartsch  will lead discussions about the Symphony’s upcoming “Mozart Requiem” concerts at the Hemmens Cultural Center on March 5 and 6. The concerts feature the works of Thomas Tallis’ historic hymn “Why fum’th in fight,” Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Theme by Thomas Tallis,” and Mozart’s “Requiem.”  

The free Listeners Club events will take place:

Tuesday, March 1, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m.
Barrington Area Library, Meeting Room
505 N. Northwest Highway
Barrington, IL 60010

Registration is required and can be made at https://balibrary.librarycalendar.com/events/elgin-symphonys-listeners-club.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022, from Noon – 12:45 p.m.
Gail Borden Library, Meadows Community Rooms ABC
270 N Grove Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120

Registration required and can be made at http://attend.gailborden.info/event/5713904

“Old American Songs”

At the March 29 and 30 Listeners Club events, ESO Principal Cellist Matthew Agnew will discuss the ESO’s “Old American Songs” concerts, taking place at the Hemmens Cultural Center April 2 and 3. These concerts feature Barber’s “The School for Scandal: Overture,” Copland’s “Old American Songs,” and Dvořák’s “Symphony No.9, op.95, B.178, E minor from the New World”.

Hear Agnew speak about these works on:

Tuesday, March 29, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m.
Barrington Area Library, Meeting Room
505 N. Northwest Highway
Barrington, IL 60010

There is no charge for this free Listeners Club event, but registration is required at https://balibrary.librarycalendar.com/events/elgin-symphonys-listeners-club-0.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 – Noon – 12:45 p.m.
Gail Borden Library, Meadows Community Rooms ABC
270 N Grove Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120

Seating is limited; registration is required at http://attend.gailborden.info/event/5713905.

Elgin Symphony Orchestra to Announce Season Schedule, Music Director Finalists at “Prelude” Event March 24

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will reveal its 2022-23 season at a cocktail and appetizer reception Thursday, March 24, at 5:30 p.m. The “Prelude Reception” will take place at Highland Lofts, 168 E. Highland Ave., in Elgin, Illinois. The event will include an announcement of the finalists in the Symphony’s two-year music director search.

The 2022-23 season is the 73rd in the history of the ESO, which was founded as a community orchestra in 1950 and became a professional ensemble in 1985. The Symphony has been named Orchestra of the Year four times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

‘We are very excited to announce our programs for next season, our exciting lineup of diverse and rising stars coming as guest soloists, and especially the conductors who will be appearing as finalists for the Music Director position. Many of them will be conducting the Elgin Symphony for the first time and are coming from all over the United States. A year from now we will announce which one of them will become our 5th Music Director just in time to celebrate our 75th Anniversary,” said Marc Thayer, CEO, Elgin Symphony Orchestra. “There’s a lot of excitement to look forward to with the Elgin Symphony.”

Tickets for the “Prelude Reception” are $55 and can be purchased on the ESO website.