• Announcing Our 75th Anniversary Season, 2020–21

    CELEBRATING 75 YEARS of music making by and for our COMMUNITY

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  • Irina Muresanu - Cricket Dance by Mark O'Connor

    "From frequent guest artist Irina Muresanu’s Four Strings Around The World program."

  • 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, Postponed TBD

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.

Meet our soloist, Sophie Webber, at Musical Insights. She and our Maestro Lawrence Eckerling and David Ellis will explore the February concert program in depth.

The Merion
Friday, Postponed TBD,
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

ESO’s Vince Flood named 2018 Board President of the Year

Vince Flood Receives llinois Council of Orchestras Award

Evanston Symphony Orchestra is proud to announce that Vince Flood won the award for Board President of the Year 2018 from the Illinois Council of Orchestras. Vince has been a strong and effective leader, who has taken this vibrant community orchestra to new heights of performance, while also pioneering initiatives to make it a more inclusive organization that truly serves the whole of its community.

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Improved Pick-Staiger Access

Breaking news (1/19/2015): Arts Circle Drive, leading up to Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, is now fully open. You can drive all the way up to the entrance now to drop people off. Both levels of the parking garage are open, with exits at the east and west ends.

If you park on the upper level, the eastern pedestrian exit is now on the same level as Pick Staiger. There are no steps at all between the parking and the concert hall, and no hill to climb.

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More about the ESO

ESO Holiday Concert videos

Are you feeling the absence of the Evanston Symphony Holiday Concert this year? We have something to provide some cheer! Visit our Holiday Concert Videos page and soak in the spirit, the fun and the beauty.

Linda Keller Celebrates 55 Years With the ESO 

Although her family wasn’t musical, Linda Keller fell in love with marching bands as a little kid in Peoria. She realized she’d have to learn play an instrument to march in a band, but that was merely the means to her dream: To march! In a band!

Fifth grade was the year to choose an instrument, and Linda wanted to play the flute. “Sorry,” she was told. “Too many flutes at the moment – but we need clarinets…” And that was that. Linda took clarinet lessons all the way through high school, the sum total of her formal musical training, and marched in her beloved school band.

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Andrea Musolf, Cello, 10 Seasons

Day Job: I work at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons as the Editorial Manager for The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, a monthly peer-reviewed journal.

Most memorable performance with ESO: Performing Star Wars Symphonic Suite by John Williams in May 2017. I love movie soundtracks and it was so much fun to play musical selections from one of my favorites!

Most pleased to have accomplished during time staying at home: I recently finished binge watching the TV show Downton Abbey. It was on my watch list for quite some time!

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Richard Holbrook, Viola, 30 Seasons

Day Job: Before retiring: At UIC as assistant dean in the School of Basic Medical Sciences and later part of the committee to establish the Chicago Technology Park. In 1990, I began work in the Northwestern University Evanston Research Park as the director of the Technology Development Center and later as the Director of the Small Business Development Center.

Most memorable performance with ESO: Performing the Verdi Requiem

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Jeanine Casler, Violin, 10 Seasons

Day Job: I teach courses in literature, writing and communication at Northwestern.

Most memorable performance with ESO: The Mother’s Day concert when Larry played Rhapsody in Blue while conducting.

Biggest challenge during lock-down: Trying to do justice to my NU students while also teaching/helping my own middle schooler and high schooler. I also miss playing with the orchestra (and with my second violin buddies in particular).

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