Brahms' Double Concerto highlight of Elgin Symphony Orchestra's Nov. 4-5 concerts
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra's performances of Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello on Nov. 4-5 will reunite two guest artists who first met at a music festival when they were teenagers and have each since gone on to international acclaim.
Brant Taylor, cellist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Stephen Rose, who has held the position of principal second violin with The Cleveland Orchestra since 2001, tackle the solos in the Brahms that showcases the versatility of these two instruments while accentuating the brilliance of the orchestra.
"The Brahms Double Concerto is a piece that I have loved for decades. Brahms has always been one of my favorite composers, to both listen to and perform," Rose said. "This piece is filled with such extraordinary writing for both the soloists and the orchestra."
In fact, as Taylor notes, "Brahms' Double Concerto is very special to cellists because it is the only concerto we have by this amazing composer."
This concerto is also particularly meaningful to him, personally.
"This piece is special to me because I have known it for more than half of my life. I was lucky to win the concerto competition in college with this piece, so I performed it way back then and have loved it ever since," Taylor said.
ESO Music Director Chad Goodman will lead the orchestra in the concerts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way in Elgin.
Concert attendees are encouraged to allow extra time to arrive at the Hemmens Cultural Center. Due to construction on the north side of the building, valet parking will not be offered. Guests may be dropped off on Symphony Way at the sidewalk on the east side of the building. Patrons are encouraged to utilize the many free City of Elgin parking garages and lots adjacent to the Hemmens.
Goodman will also give a pre-concert chat one hour before each concert, providing ticketholders with an in-depth understanding of the music to be performed, which also includes Rodolfo Halffter's "Obertura festiva" and Beethoven's Symphony No. 2.
Tickets start at $20 and 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. Single concert student tickets are $10.
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.
After finishing music school, Taylor and Rose were members of the Everest String Quartet, which was honored at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Today, in addition to their roles at their respective orchestras, they continue to perform together and separately at music festivals around the globe and are educators to the next generation of musicians. Rose has been a member of the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music for over two decades, serving for many of these years as Head of the violin department. Taylor is a member of the faculty of DePaul University's School of Music and serves on the board of cellobello.org, the leading online resource for all things pertaining to the cello.
Taylor holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where he won the school's concerto competition and performed as soloist with the Eastman Philharmonia, and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, Bloomington. Rose earned a Master of Music degree and Performers' Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, preceded by a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Founded in 1950 as a community orchestra and becoming a professional music ensemble in 1985, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information about the ESO, visit www.elginsymphony.org.