A panel of judges selected the ESO as best in Illinois
Enhance your concert experience with a sneak preview — Composers come alive and their passions take center stage when ESO Maestro Lawrence Eckerling takes you on an insider’s tour of the history and highlights behind the music.
Adrian Munive, ESO Principal Clarinet, will be featured at Musical Insights.
Friday, October 17 at 1:30 pm,
Merion’s Crystal Ballroom at
529 Davis St, Evanston.
FREE and open to the public.
Please RSVP to 847-570-7815.
Light refreshments will be served and casual tours of apartments will be available after the program.
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.
The Evanston Symphony Orchestra is delighted to again welcome the popular Evanston Symphony Holiday Gospel Choir led by Reverend Ken Cherry for the sixth year in a row! The Evanston Gospel Choir will perform "Oh, What a Pretty Little Baby." This is the first time they will perform this piece with full orchestra. The orchestration of this piece was graciously funded by the Evanston Arts Council.
Nothing brings fond holiday memories to mind quite like Christmas carols. The talented vocalists of the North Shore Choral Society will offer their renditions of See Amid the Winter’s Snow and the beloved Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. The rhythmic yet lyrical Gloria by Randol Bass is returning this year, which will also highlight the ESO brass section with its exultant fanfares.
Watch the holiday classic of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker come to life when the Evanston Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the Evanston Dance Ensemble. Not only is The Nutcracker one of the most popular ballets, but it is often performed during the holiday season due to its Christmastime setting. In fact, its music is often an introduction to classical music for audiences of all ages.
Even though Sibelius’ pieces such as Finlandia are more popular, his Symphony No. 1 is no less important. Sibelius premiered his Symphony No. 1 in 1899 and revised it in 1900.
Symphony No. 1 starts off its first movement slowly with a clarinet over a soft timpani roll and moves into a main theme in the strings. A contrasting theme is picked up by the woodwinds, then a standard development and recapitulation follow. The movement ends with two soft pizzicato chords in the strings.
