Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra recently received a $3,500 Local Tourism Grant from Visit Chicago Southland to promote the orchestra’s 2026 Valentine’s Day concert package, “Eat, Stay and Hear Them Play.”
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, in Ozinga Chapel at Trinity Christian College, 6601 W. College Drive in Palos Heights.
The $3,500 grant will be used to promote the Valentine’s Day event.
With the special day falling on a Saturday, IPO is inviting people to make their Valentine’s Day plans unique as world renowned pianist Anastasiya Poff, wife of IPO’s esteemed Gibb Music Director Stilian Kirov, takes center stage to lead a romantically tinged program.
The performance will include Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C major along with Selim Palmgren’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4.
Concert tickets start as low as $25 and can be purchased here.
Concertgoers are also encouraged to take advantage of exclusive IPO discounts at the nearby DoubleTree by Hilton in Alsip and at IPO’s partner restaurants, Francesca’s Vicinato in Palos Park and Francesca’s Fortunato in Frankfort.
The concert, hotel, and dinner are all available individually as ala carte options.
The DoubleTree by Hilton (Alsip) is offering a special rate of $139 for a room while Francesca’s restaurants are offering 15% off the bill, alcohol excluded, when concertgoers present their IPO tickets.
IPO’s February concert annually draws nearly 1,000 visitors to Palos Heights and the Chicago Southland region.
“Be it a married night out, a Valentine’s Day date, or a special evening with a valued friend, what better way to celebrate togetherness than with a magical night with Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra,” IPO Executive Director Christina Salerno said. “With such a beautiful program of music and the concert falling on Valentine’s Day, by partnering with Visit Chicago Southland, we welcome the opportunity to entice concertgoers who might otherwise consider our concert hall a bit of a drive from their home.”
Visit Chicago Southland distributes up to $51,000 annually to Chicago Southland communities and not-for-profit organizations to promote events designed to draw visitors into the Chicago Southland region for overnight stays.
These visitors contribute substantially to the Chicago Southland economy through stays in regional hotels, dining at local restaurants, shopping, recreational activities, and needed services travelers require, such as gas, oil and sundry items.
“The Local Tourism Grant program is a way for Visit Chicago Southland to extend its marketing reach,” said Mary Patchin, president and CEO of Visit Chicago Southland. “The marketing efforts by our communities – in addition to marketing efforts by Visit Chicago Southland – help us better promote the many meeting facilities, group tour attractions, festivals, sports events and area attractions throughout the Chicago Southland to potential visitors.”
For more details on IPO’s “Eat, Stay and Hear Them Play” Valentine’s Day and hotel booking portal, visit IPOmusic.org/ValentinesDay.
