Elgin Symphony's 'Music for Woodwinds' features music of Strauss, Mozart and Ravel
On Sunday, Nov. 19, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra will present a program featuring its woodwind section.
Pieces featured in this intimate performance will include French composer Maurice Ravel's "Pavane pour une infante défunte," German composer Richard Strauss' Serenade in E-flat major, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Serenade No. 12 in C minor, K. 388, as well as works by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti and French composer Henri Marteau.
The concert will be conducted by Matthew Sheppard, artistic director of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras and music director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company of Chicago.
It will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of the historic First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Ave. in downtown Elgin.
Tickets are $20 or $5 for students with a valid student ID. Tickets are available at www.ElginSymphony.org, or through the ESO box office, open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 20 DuPage Court in Elgin or by phone at (847) 888-4000.
The ESO also offers free youth tickets with the purchase of an adult ticket. To take advantage of this offer, tickets must be reserved by calling the ESO box office.
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is one of the preeminent regional orchestras in the United States, led by Chad Goodman, who was named the ESO's music director - the fifth in the orchestra's history - in May 2023.
Since its founding in 1950, the organization has developed a reputation for artistic excellence, and innovative programming as demonstrated through its long history of highlighting the works of world-renowned conductors, composers, and musicians, and of promoting the advancement of women in the arts.
The ESO became a professional ensemble in 1985 in good part due to the leadership of the late Margaret Hillis, who served as the ESO's music director from 1971 to 1985.
Hillis was one of the first females to break through the male-dominated world of conducting and is credited with being the impetus behind the creation of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Association, the formation of the ESO's volunteer core - the Elgin Symphony League, and the start of the ESO's commitment to music education and enrichment for youth.
Today, the ESO continues to draw its creativity and artistry from the Elgin area and gives back to the community through its Adopt-a-School program that provides supplemental music education and in-school performances to local schools; Musicians Care program that brings live music performances to local hospitals, hospices, and retirement homes; informational Listeners Club events and other free programs at public libraries; In Harmony Program in places of worship; Ainsworth Concerts for Youth; free tickets for youth under 18; open rehearsals; and free community concerts throughout the region.
The Illinois Council of Orchestras has named the ESO Orchestra of the Year four times (1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016).
The ESO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, visit www.elginsymphony.org.