Wheaton Symphony opens new-look season
Tributes to Hollywood and Broadway will highlight a revamped season for the Wheaton Symphony Orchestra.
Organizers say moving away from the symphony’s traditional focus on classical music has pushed preseason ticket orders to record levels.
And last month, for the first time in its 53-year history, the symphony added an extra audition for string players to accommodate the rush of applicants — mostly high schoolers — vying for a spot.
Don Mattison, the longtime manager and founder, says interest from both observers and performers is a result of the lineup — tweaked after disappointing ticket sales last year.
“At the end of last year, financially we were not in good condition,” said Mattison, a retired dentist who also plays the oboe. “We had to do something.”
Mattison said newcomers can expect performances where vocalists and instrumentalists mesh.
At a previous concert saluting John Williams, the musical genius behind Steven Spielberg hits like “E.T.,” the audience demanded four curtain calls by the conductor, Mattison said.
“I couldn’t get my instrument back in the case,” Mattison said of the swarm of patrons who surrounded him onstage after the concert.
Here’s a look at the concerts to be performed at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of Glenbard South High School, 23W200 Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn:
Saturday, July 7: The season opener weaves through the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook with selections from “The Music Man” and “South Pacific” as part of the “Broadway Memories” concert.
Saturday, July 28: Hear the staple “Rhapsody in Blue” in a concert devoted to George Gershwin, with Mary Schallhorn on piano.
Saturday, Aug. 4: How about a little music of the night? Pieces from Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Broadway virtuoso behind “Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats,” and Irving Berlin inspire the show.
Saturday, Aug. 11: The season wraps up with the almost operatic crescendos in “E.T.,” “Star Wars” and other John Williams masterpieces.
Advance tickets are $28 and available by calling (630) 790-1430. For details, visit wheatonsymphony.org.