The upcoming season upholds the standard of
excellence the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has made a Springfield
tradition.
One of ISO’s most popular events is the Pops in
the Park outdoor concert at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 in Springfield at Douglas
Park and Aug. 31 at Miller Park in Bloomington. Cheryl Snyder, executive
director of the ISO, said it’s one of the biggest shows of the fall
season. About 3,000 people usually attend the patriotic concert, which this
year is a salute to Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Snyder says
the Pops in the Park concert gives the ISO a chance to access the
community. “It’s interactive, families come with kids,
and people bring picnics, and the best part about it is that it’s
free,” Snyder said. “It is our way of taking the orchestra into
the community.”
The fall season will continue with the traditional
Masterworks and Chamber concerts. According to Snyder, the Masterworks
Concerts attract an audience of 500-800 people. To help make the experience
as comprehensive as possible Karen Lynn Deal, music director, will host
“concert comments” at 7:15 p.m. before each 8 p.m. Saturday
concert at Sangamon Auditorium. The series begins Sept. 20 with a
performance by pianist Chu Fang Huang, an International Van Cliburn
Competition winner. She will play Russian concertos that include Symphony
No. 4 written by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, the composer of the
“Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake.”
On Nov.15at UIS and on Nov. 16 at the Bloomington Center for the
Performing Arts, the Masterworks II concert, titled Butterfly Lovers
Concert, will give an ode to fairytales, folktales and religious themes
that have inspired humanity. Xiang Gao, violinist, will bring to life
figures like Tom Thumb, the Fairy Princess and St. Anthony. Pieces include
the “Mother Goose Suite” composed by Maurice Ravel, “The
Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto,” composed by Chen Gang and He
Zhanhao, and “Mathis der maler” or “Matthew the
Painter,” composed by Paul Hindemith. The Butterfly Lovers Concert
will bring art and literature to life.
The chamber concerts are another important part of
the ISO repertoire. These are smaller concerts with intimate venues at 7:30
p.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Springfield and at Second Presbyterian
Church in Bloomington. The first concert on Oct. 17 in Springfield
and Oct.18 in Bloomington will be the Festa Italiana. Kim Resinger, the
ISO’s own piccoloist, will be featured in the program that will
celebrate music by four Italian composers and concludes with a piece about
Italy. The concert includes two pieces composed by Gioachio Rossini and
Antonio Verdi. The first piece will be the lively overture, “The
Silken Staircase,” to Rossini’s “La scala di seta,”
while the second piece, Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Prelude to Act III, will
have a melancholy tone. Other music includes “Ancient Airs and
Dances,” Suite No.3, composed by Ottorino Respighi, and the concert
concludes with Symphony No.4 in A Major, OP. 90, Italian by Felix
Mendelssohn. The upbeat “Italian Symphony” was a response to
Mendelssohn’s first visit to Italy. The Festa Italiana will take
audience members on a tour through Italian history, culture and landscape.
The Chamber Orchestra II will usher in the holiday
season on Dec. 5 in Springfield and Dec. 6in Bloomington with A Candlelight
Concert that will include highlights from George Frederic Handel’s
“The Messiah” and other seasonal favorites. Soprano Saundra De
Athos and Kimberly Ladage bring warmth to the season with their rich
voices. Afterwards, the audience and vocalists will also sing the
“Hallelujah Chorus” as a sign of unity and peace.
The ISO will wrap up the holiday season with Holiday
Pops at 8 p.m. on Dec.19at the BCPA and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 20at UIS. The
concert will include local guest artists, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra,
and St. Andrew’s Pipes to uplift spirits. Special guests include
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus.
For information about the ISO call
522-3828.
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2008.
