• Announcing Our 75th Anniversary Season, 2020–21

    CELEBRATING 75 YEARS of music making by and for our COMMUNITY

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  • Bach Concerto for Two Violins Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh, Violins

    "This is a vintage performance of the Bach Double Violin Concerto. It features two virtuoso violinists of the time: Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh. On the surface it would seem an unusual partnership, because Menuhin was known as a “gentle, beautiful sound, and musical warmth” violinist, whereas Oistrakh was known as a “muscular, virtuosic, profound” violinist. Admittedly, those generalizations are unfair, but still they were distinctly very different violinists. And yet, in this performance, they do come together, blend so well together, and it is a real testament to both of their artistries. I hope you enjoy!

  • ESO’s
    Share The Stage

    Share the Stage lets you sponsor a chair in the Orchestra. It’s our way of recognizing that the ESO Community is made up of Orchestra Members and Supporters.

     

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2020–2021 SERIES: 75th Anniversary

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Musical Insights

Free Pre-Concert Preview Series!

Friday, at 1:30 pm

Enhance your concert experience with a sneak preview — Composers come alive and their passions take center stage when ESO General Manager David Ellis and ESO Maestro Lawrence Eckerling take you on an insider’s tour of the history and highlights behind the music.

Maestro Lawrence Eckerling and David Ellis will explore the concert program in depth.

The Merion
Friday, at 1:30 pm,
The Merion Crystal Ballroom at
1611 Chicago Avenue at Davis Street, Evanston.
FREE and open to the public.
Please RSVP to 847-562-5318.

Light refreshments will be served and casual tours of newly renovated apartments will be available after the program.

Give the gift of music

Treat a friend or relative to the ESO

Give the gift of music by ordering directly from our website and purchasing a custom gift certificate in any denomination of your choice! Certificates may be redeemed for single ticket or season subscriptions for any of our concerts.

You will receive an electronic gift certificate or we can mail the certificate to you or directly to the recipient.

SHOP and Support the ESO!

Are you looking to buy a gift for someone at Amazon? Need to stock up on supplies from Amazon?

Amazon has a special program called Smile, where the company donates a small amount of your purchase to your designated charity. Once you select the ESO as your Smile recipient, just point your browser to smile.amazon.com each time you want to shop at Amazon and the Evanston Symphony will benefit. It won’t cost you a thing!

Thanks, and happy shopping.

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Latest news

February 2021 Concert Postponed, Virtual Performance Planned

As Coronavirus Pandemic Continues, Evanston Symphony Orchestra Announces Changes

November 4, 2020, Evanston, IL —With the COVID-19 pandemic in its third wave throughout the US, and case counts setting new records in Illinois, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Lawrence Eckerling have announced more changes to the 2020-2021 season, its 75th anniversary season.

Maestro Eckerling issued the following statement to the orchestra:

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ESO awarded "Community Relations of the Year" for 2020 by ICO

ICO

The Illinois Council of Orchestras is pleased to announce the 2020 recipients of its annual awards for excellence in the field of music performance and for support of musical organizations. An awards panel of judges drawn from the Illinois Council of Orchestras Board of Directors and independent professional conductors and musicians reviewed nominations representing orchestras, youth orchestras, and chamber ensembles from throughout Illinois.

…Community Relations of the Year, Evanston Symphony Orchestra

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Schedule update regarding COVID-19 concerns

All of us at Evanston Symphony Orchestra hope that you, our generous and loyal patrons, are safe and well. As you likely have heard by now, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra announced the cancellation of the remainder of our 2019–2020 season on March 26th.  We take the safety and health of our artists, staff and especially our audience very seriously, yet this was an incredibly difficult decision, as we were very excited to present our March and May concerts.

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Program notes for all ages

The Evanston Symphony Orchestra now offers three different program books at our subscription concerts so all can enjoy the concert to the full. We have KidNotes to help younger audience members learn about the concert and include puzzles and other 'fidget-reducing' activities. We also offer large-print programs for patrons with reduced eyesight, and then our regular program books, all of which contain so much information to help you enjoy the concert.

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More about the ESO

ESO videos

We are happy to share videos of previous concerts with you until we can get back to sharing live concerts with you.

Watch the latest video we just added to our library. John Bruce Yeh, Assistant Principal Clarinetist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing James Stephenson’s Liquid Melancholy with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, from 2018.

The Path to the Most Coveted Seat on Stage

Julie Fischer grew up in a home where music was a way of life. Her mother, Paula Fischer, is a longtime violinist (currently with the Evanston Symphony) and a teacher, leaving Julie with fond memories of sitting on her mother’s lap during lessons or in the audience for Chicago String Ensemble rehearsals and concerts. Julie started her own musical journey at the tender age of two, on a plastic toy violin, and then began in earnest when she was four. Though she progressed rapidly, it wasn’t until around age 11 that Julie decided music was her calling.

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Music, Miles, and Motherhood

Karen BoyarisLaura Cinat

First violinist Karen Boyaris was originally inspired to play an instrument when her older sister took up the oboe. The aspiring flautist was swayed by her school’s need for string players, and she has been playing violin ever since, all through high school and college and then joining the Evanston Symphony Orchestra in 1982. Her professional calling, however, was law. Hoping to make an impact, Karen originally pursued social justice, but her path took her to criminal appellate work and, ultimately, state and local taxes and her current role at KPMG.

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