The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s 42nd season will feature performances by special guest musicians. The season is set with seven concerts, with the orchestra under the direction of maestro Stilian Kirov. The season opens at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19 with a “Rhapsody in Blue” program of American composers featuring pianist Xiayin Wang.
The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s 42nd season will feature performances by special guest musicians.
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
(Photo by Chuck Moses)
The season is set with seven concerts with the orchestra under the direction of maestro Stilian Kirov. Concerts will be Oct. 19, Nov. 16, Dec. 21, Feb. 8, March 14, April 18 and May 9. All concerts are at Ozinga Chapel at Trinity Christian College, 6601 W. College Drive, Palos Heights.
The season opens at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19 with a “Rhapsody in Blue” program of American composers featuring pianist Xiayin Wang. It will open with Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” followed by Leroy Anderson’s “Piano Concerto in C major” and Walter Piston’s “Symphony No. 6.”
Rounding out this first concert will be the world premiere of a work by Martha Horst, IPO’s second composer-in-residence and the 2019 winner of Classical Evolve composer competition.
The concert is followed by a celebratory dinner at Midlothian Country Club at 7:30 p.m.
Soprano Emily Birsan joins the IPO for the 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 program featuring Augusta Read Thomas’ “Absolute Ocean” and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 4.” IPO will also perform a piece by Martha Horst.
The holiday program will be at 3 p.m. on Dec. 21. It is planned as a family event with many favorites on the program.
An all-Tchaikovsky program at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8, will feature violinist William Hagen performing Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto.” Also on the program is “Dance of the Tumblers” and “Symphony No. 2.”
The “Beethoven@250” program at 7:30 p.m. March 14 features Los Angeles Philharmonic principal clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan joining IPO as it celebrates Beethoven’s 250th birthday. Works will be Schoenberg’s “Transfigured Night” and Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto.” The program finishes with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1.”
A guest conductor will be with IPO for the 7:30 p.m. April 18 program focusing on fantasy and fairy tale. The line-up includes Grieg’s “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,” Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for Organ” and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.”
On May 9, the 7:30 p.m. concert features Beethoven’s “Leonore Overture No. 3” and Sibelius’ “Symphony No 2.” The audience will also hear the world premiere of a work by Horst.
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