On Saturday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m., violin and fiddle virtuoso Jeremy Kittel joins the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Evan Chambers’ “Concerto for Fiddle” and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” featuring ISO’s concertmaster Violetta Todorova. The program will open with Brahms’ pastoral “Third Symphony,” as directed by ISO’s conductor laureate, Kenneth Kiesler. Kittel, widely recognized as one […]
Illinois Symphony Orchestra
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A Winter Fable
PHOTO BY HARALD BOERSTLER On Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m., enjoy a classic tale of romance and deceit performed by the sweet sounds of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. The symphony will be joined by St. Louis-based Circus Flora, a traveling one-ring circus featuring acts that emphasize the connections between people and animals. The show […]
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Shakespeare and percussion
Illinois Symphony Orchestra has a spectacular concert planned for Saturday, Feb. 22, at Sangamon Auditorium UIS that includes a special guest percussionist and a dramatic performance. ISO is joined by Illinois Shakespeare Festival players who will bring Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” to life. Multi-percussionist Joseph Gramley joins the concert playing different percussion instruments in Chen […]
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Vibrant virtuosos
Boundary breaking violinist Nicolas Kendall of Time for Three, ensemble-in-residence with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, plays with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, April 13 at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. With theatrical lighting, the concert begins with the world premiere of “The Arc Inspired,” written by composer Steve Hackman. Also on tap, Sibelius’ “Violin Concerto” and Strauss’ “Death […]
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String fling
Saturday, Mar. 31, at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, guest conductor Andrew Sewell, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra music director, leads the Illinois Symphony Orchestra in a concert of swashbuckling overtures, brilliant symphonies and the beautiful Brahms Violin Concerto featuring extraordinary world-renown violinist, Vadim Gluzman. Gluzman is an Israeli violinist who appears regularly around the world with major orchestras. […]
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Harping on
Concertgoers are in for a treat as critically-acclaimed harpist Bridget Kibbey plays with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. “Ecstatic & Exotic Music” showcases the exotic sounds of Spanish serenades and ethereal bliss. Guest conductor is music director candidate Rei Hotoda, assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, who […]
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Branches of brilliance
Looking for a little Christmas spirit in November? Memorial’s Festival of Trees at the Orr Building Nov. 19-27 is a must for pre-season holiday cheer. You can walk around and see more than 150 trees and wreaths decorated by organizations and individuals. Various dancers, bands and singers perform. Other attractions include: children’s craft area, Santa, […]
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Home run
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra hits a home run with a free baseball-themed concert on the Old State Capitol grounds Sept. 4. You’ll hear all the songs you love about America’s favorite pastime, including “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Yaniv Segal conducts. He is New York Chelsea Symphony founder and Michigan Pops Orchestra music director. […]
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Symphonic sounds
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra performs its final concert led by Music Director Karen Lynne Deal, May 7 at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. Tickets for “Earthly Encounters” can be purchased by phoning the number above or at the door beginning two hours before the performance. Pre-concert Conversations start at 7 p.m. Illinois Symphony OrchestraSaturday, May 7, 8pmSangamon Auditorium, […]
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A grand tradition at the Grandstand
It wasn’t too long ago that the popular rock band Hootie and the Blowfish sold out the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair. In 1995, the year after late author David Foster Wallace wrote about the fair in Harper’s Magazine, more than 13,350 people from around the state packed the venue to see the band […]
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Raw Deal
Music director Karen Lynne Deal will be saying goodbye to the Illinois Symphony Orchestra at the end of the coming season, but the controversial maestra would prefer to stay if she could. “I wish this wasn’t the way this was ending, because I feel like we’ve finally gotten the pieces of the puzzle together so […]
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Illinois Symphony votes to unionize
The new season for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra brings not only new management, but also a recent announcement that musicians have voted to officially unionize. On Oct. 20, representatives from the National Labor Relations Board sub-regional office in Peoria counted 64 ballots that were mailed in by ISO musicians. (The NLRB sent ballots to 107 […]
