Evanston Symphony Orchestra

√While little is known about Antonio Vivaldi’s inspiration or his method of composition for the Piccolo Concerto, it is clear that the popular Italian composer was incredibly prolific; he penned upwards of 500 concertos, and more than two-thirds of them were written for solo instruments. Originally intended for the “flautino,” a high-pitched baroque recorder equivalent to today’s piccolo, the piece exhibits several characteristics of the baroque concerto that Vivaldi made standard during the era.

Jean Sibelius composed Finlandia for orchestra in 1899, and it became an overnight sensation. The piece was a political protest supporting the freedom of the Finnish press which was increasingly being controlled by the Russian Empire. Finlandia is a tone poem, an orchestral composition inspired by what the title of the piece refers to. (In Finlandia’s case, nationalism.) The piece premiered in the composer’s native Finland and was performed under various names to avoid this censorship.

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.The impact of these lost performances is large, but your understanding can make a difference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 10, 2020Evanston, Ill.—The third concert of the Evanston Symphony Orchestra’s 74th season—themed Great Composers—will feature the fifth ESO appearance of internationally acclaimed violinist Irina Muresanu, associate professor at the University of Maryland.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb.

Flutist Mindy Kaufman Highlights Opening of Evanston Symphony Orchestra’s Great Composers SeasonOctober 4, 2019, Evanston, IL — The Evanston Symphony Orchestra will open its 74th season —titled Great Composers— at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston conducted by Music Director Lawrence Eckerling on Sunday Nov. 10, 2019 at 2:30 PM.