Broadway superstar Christiane Noll joins the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and new Music Director Alastair Willis for Holidays in the Heartland, a musical feast celebrating the upcoming holidays on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. at Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts and Saturday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. at Sangamon Auditorium. Bring your family and bring your friends for this cornucopia of holiday favorites, including songs from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, Copland’s Simple Gifts and selections from Rodeo, selections from The Nutcracker, Sleigh Ride, A Chanukah Overture, Skater’s Waltz, The Christmas Song and more!
A multitude of performing arts groups from throughout our community will join the ISO including The Springfield Ballet Company led by Artistic Director Julie Ratz, Springfield Youth Performance Group led by Artistic Director Ronda Brinkman and President Taryn Grant, the Bloomington-Normal Youth Symphony led by Music Director Deanne Bryant in Bloomington and the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony led by Music Director Aaron Kaplan in Springfield.
Christiane Noll (ChristianeNoll.com) starred on Broadway in the Kennedy Center revival of Ragtime, receiving TONY and Drama Desk award nominations and winning a Helen Hayes award for her portrayal of Mother. Broadway and National Tour appearances include Chaplin, Urinetown (Ovation Award), It Aint’ Nothing but the Blues, Jekyll & Hyde, Grease, and Miss Saigon. She is a frequent guest soloist with symphony orchestras around the world including the National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops, Jerusalem Symphony, Philly Pops, Boston Pops, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as international appearances with Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, China Philharmonic with concert pianist, Lang Lang and orchestras in Hong Kong, Czech Republic and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson, in his last pops performance with The New York Pops and more recently sang with Steven Reineke for Stephen Sondheim's 80th Birthday Celebration at Carnegie Hall. She made her Hollywood Bowl debut singing with Julie Andrews and her opera debut with Placido Domingo in The Merry Widow.
Grammy-nominated conductor Alastair Willis was appointed Music Director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra in May 2012. Previous positions include Principal Guest Conductor with the Florida Orchestra's Coffee Concert series, Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, and Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Willis has guest conducted orchestras around the world including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Silk Road Ensemble (with Yo-Yo Ma) among others. His recording of Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortileges with Nashville Symphony and Opera for Naxos was Grammy nominated for Best Classical Album in 2009.
Join Mr. Willis and Ms. Noll for Concert Comments, a pre-concert conversation about the evening's program, beginning at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16 in the BCPA Ballroom and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Sangamon Auditorium.
Tickets for the Bloomington concert on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 are available by calling the BCPA Box Office at 309-434-2777. Tickets for the Springfield concert on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 are available by calling Sangamon Auditorium Ticket Office at 217-206-6160. Tickets for both performances may also be purchased at the door beginning two hours before each performance. Ticket prices range from $5 for students (6 years ) to $60 for premium seating. Tickets for youth (5 and under) are free with a paying adult. Senior discounts are also available. Additional information about the Illinois Symphony Orchestra is available at www.ilsymphony.org.
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra Season Sponsor in Springfield is AAA Insurance. The Thrilling Three series is sponsored by Landmark Auto in Springfield and WGLT in Bloomington. The Holidays in the Heartland concert is sponsored in Springfield by Memorial Medical Center, and co-sponsored in Springfield and Bloomington by US Bank and Springfield Electric. Christiane Noll's appearance is sponsored in Springfield by Davis Financial and in Bloomington by Roger and Mary Hunt. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
