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Evanston Symphony Orchestra

Lawrence Eckerling, Music Director

Nothing Lifts the Spirit Like Music of the Holidays

Sounds of the season lift the spirit, spark warm memories of childhood, and invigorate body and soul. This December, the ESO will once again present a selection of holiday favorites for you.

Recapture the feeling of childhood delight as you listen to Sleigh Ride by Anderson, complete with the sounds of clomping hooves and shimmering sleigh bells. Our rendition of Winter Wonderland will have you humming along as you imagine a stroll along a snowy walkway, snowflakes gently falling from the sky.

Who Was Florence Price? Why Is The Evanston Symphony Orchestra Featuring Her Symphony No. 3 Oct. 30?

Compositions by Florence Price, the first widely performed female African-American composer of classical music, have experienced a strong revival in the past decade. Born in Little Rock, Ark., but active in Chicago musical circles from 1927 until her death in 1953, Price composed more than 300 works during her lifetime. The Evanston Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Lawrence Eckerling, will feature Price’s Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, composed between 1938 and 1940, as its closing work at the inaugural concert of ESO’s 76th subscription season, Oct. 30, 2022.

Florence Price, Groundbreaker

Florence (Smith) Price (1887 – 1953) was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, the daughter of a dentist father and music teacher mother. Florence’s mother was instrumental in her early musical training. A music prodigy, Florence attended the New England Conservatory, double-majoring in organ and piano teaching.

Theme and Variations

Theme and Variations

America’s Maestro

Leonard Bernstein is America’s maestro. He is one of the most important conductors and composers of his time, and the first American conductor to receive international acclaim. According to music critic Donal Henahan, Bernstein was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history."  He was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Ukrainian-Jewish parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Rivne, in present-day Ukraine. Unlike many famous conductors and musicians, Bernstein did not come from a musical family. He began by teaching himself piano and music theory at age 10, and the rest is history.

The Evanston Symphony Orchestra Plays Mahler, Mozart And Prokofiev Concerto Featuring Violinist Irina Muresanu

Evanston, Ill.—The Evanston Symphony Orchestra resumes its 2022-2023 subscription season, its 76th, Feb. 12, with a program that features Mahler, Mozart and Prokofiev. Led by Music Director Lawrence Eckerling, the ESO will perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, one of the most monumental debuts in the history of symphonic music. The concert also features a solo violinist ESO audiences know well, Irina Muresanu, playing Sergei Prokofiev’s beautiful and virtuosic Violin Concerto No.

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