Music in the Gallery season at The Norris starts Dec. 18
With events ranging from swing to Irish folk to steel pan to "songs you love" to classical music - plus an appearance by Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln - the newly announced 2016-17 "Music in the Gallery" season at the Norris Cultural Arts Center offers something for everyone.
All events are scheduled on Sundays at 3 p.m., with standardized ticket prices of $15 or $10 for seniors and children under 12. Tickets are available for all nine events through The Norris box office, by phone at (630) 584-7200, in person during the gallery's regular hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday or online at www.NorrisCulturalArts.com.
St. Charles law firm, Meyers & Flowers Trial Attorneys, supports The Norris as official season sponsor of "Music in the Gallery" for the third consecutive season.
The third annual season of concerts produced in the beautiful and spacious art gallery of The Norris begins on Dec. 18 with a festive "Home for the Holidays" concert performed by two of St. Charles' own "rising star" talents - Taylor Sherry and Tom Bravos, 2013 graduates of St. Charles North High School. Sherry is completing her degree in musical theater at Florida State University, and Bravos is finishing a degree in music at Illinois Wesleyan University. You'll be glad to say you saw these two dynamic young artists at the start of their performing careers.
On Jan. 15, singer and songwriter Jay Casmirri performs "Songs You Love." Casmirri infuses favorite songs of the past several decades - and some originals that he wrote - with a soulful style of his own. Appealing to music lovers of all ages, Casmirri has entertained audiences from Arizona to the Midwest both as a soloist and as frontman for several bands including the longtime popular Arizona duo, The Blenderz.
Popular Chicago-area jazz and swing band, The Flat Cats, will "Swing in the New Year" on Jan. 22. The Flat Cats play a range of vintage and modern music rooted in the hottest swinging jazz and blues, contemporary classics and timeless standards. The group is comprised of six talented musicians with years of performing, arranging, and composing experience. There will be room for audience members to dance, plus some pro dancers from the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of St. Charles to help get things moving.
On Feb. 5, just in time for Presidents Day, Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, come to life, personified by Michael Krebs and Debra Miller. "Meeting the Lincolns" is an entertaining and enlightening performance (including a Q&A and meet-and-greet sessions) that is sure to delight audience members of all ages.
In an all-youth program on Feb. 19, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra's acclaimed Maud Powell String Quartet and Earl Clemens Wind Quintet perform classical chamber music. And the new Elgin Master Chorale Children's Chorus, featuring some of the area's most talented student performers, rounds out the program.
To start out the week of St. Patrick's Day, The Norris welcomes back to "Music in the Gallery" the Ragged Rascals, who thrilled a sold-out audience last season. Prepare for celebrating St. Patrick's Day on March 12 with an Irish folk band and songs appropriate to St. Paddy's. The Ragged Rascals, who rove the Chicago area performing their own brand of Irish songs, have audiences singing along with traditional Irish favorites.
The NIU Steel Pan Studio returns to "Music in the Gallery" on April 2 after a successful appearance last season. This small ensemble from the full NIU Steel Band is appropriately scaled to provide an excellent steel band experience for the gallery audience. Their music and enthusiasm will put audience members in the mood for Spring.
On April 23, the Fox Valley Flutes present a musical tour around the world with selections from lilting ancient melodies to imaginative modern pieces. Some of the members of the Fox Valley Flutes have been performing together for over 15 years, as part of Fox Valley Concert Band and other small woodwind ensembles.
The 2016-17 season concludes on Mother's Day, May 14, with a performance by concert pianist Jeffrey LaDeur, who enjoys a busy career as soloist, chamber musician and educator. He has concertized around the world including performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt, and Banff Centre for the Arts. Recent concerto performances have included concerts with the Oakland Symphony, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and the Denver Philharmonic. LaDeur is a founding member of the acclaimed Delphi Trio.