Free ESO Family Concert, 'Fused Art with ESO Cellist Elizabeth Start' Feb. 26 at Gail Borden Library
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra Free Family Concert Series presents "Fused Art with ESO Cellist Elizabeth Start & Friends" at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, in the Meadows Community Room at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin.
Join ESO cellist, composer, and fused glass artist Elizabeth (Betsy) Start and her ESO friends as they demonstrate how poetry can spark the imagination to create music and visual art. Hear how the poetic imagery takes form in musical notes and phrases, and see the fused glass artworks it inspired. From dragonflies to lawn mowers, birds, lakes, constellations, grandfather clocks and snakes, you will hear the imagery in the poems, read by the poet himself, and see how a poetic turn of phrase can inspire sounds, both familiar and strange, on musical instruments, including the electric cello. Then the audience will help create a musical piece using multiple choice endings, and create their own story to go along with it. ESO Family Concerts are presented in partnership with the Gail Borden Public Library. Free tickets are available at the main library and the Rakow Branch. For more information, contact the library at (847) 742-2411.
Originally from Kalamazoo, Mich., Start has bachelor's degrees in mathematics and cello performance from Oberlin College and Conservatory, master's degrees in cello and theory/composition from Northern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Chicago. Following the completion of her doctorate, she spent 10 years freelancing as a professional cellist, composer and teacher in the Chicago area. She has taught cello, composition, music history and theory, music appreciation, acoustics, and basic mathematics at many institutions, including DePaul University, Columbia College, Concordia University, Elmhurst College, Kalamazoo College, Elgin Suzuki Talent Education, and the McHenry County Music Center.
As a performer, Start has premiered more than 60 works, and performed with many organizations in the Chicago area. As a composer working in acoustic, electronic, and mixed media, she has had numerous commissions and over 100 performances of over 50 works in the U.S. and abroad. She is a member of the International Alliance of Women in Music, and performed in June 2000 at their annual concert at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.
Start returned to Kalamazoo in 2001. She is a section cellist with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and executive director of the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music. She continues her activities with the Elgin Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic (formerly known as Symphony II), and Chicago Composers' Consortium. Since 2011, she has served as vice president-secretary of the Kalamazoo Federation of Musicians, Local 228, and the American Federation of Musicians.
The Gail Borden Public Library has received 20 awards, including Recipient of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Services and Recipient of the 2010 Elgin Hispanic Network Organization of the Year. The main library opened in October 2003 and is the third largest public library building in Illinois, after Chicago and Schaumburg. The library, which serves 144,597 residents in Elgin, South Elgin and portions of Hoffman Estates, Streamwood and Bartlett, has over 1 million visitors, and is the largest library district in the state of Illinois for population served. For more information, visit www.gailborden.info.
Now in its 66th season, the ESO offers programming unmatched for an entertaining, informative and relaxing cultural experience. The ESO has won Illinois Professional Orchestra of the Year an unprecedented four times - in 1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016 - and works to create an enjoyable entertainment experience that goes beyond the magnificent music performed by some of the best musicians in the region. Area student musicians often perform in the lobby before concerts and patrons can purchase gifts at the Elgin Symphony League Boutique. Preconcert chats are given by Andrew Grams, guest artists and others one hour before most performances and Saturday night patrons are invited after concerts to "Mingle with the Musicians" at the Elgin Public House. In addition, free Listeners Club lecture/discussions presented by music historian Jim Kendros are offered before ESO Classics Series concert weekends at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the Gail Borden Public Library. Flex passes are available for purchase so that you can choose your concerts at a later date based on your own schedule. And if a patron can't make a concert, the ESO offers free exchanges to subscribers and to single ticket buyers for a $5 fee. There is accessible, free parking around the Hemmens Cultural Center and valet service available. The ESO is a world-class orchestra providing quality musical explorations that are entertaining, hassle-free and conveniently located close to home in the western suburbs. For more information, see ElginSymphony.org.