Elgin symphony offers free tickets to federal workers affected by shutdown

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is offering free tickets for its Jan. 25 and 26 concerts to federal workers who are furloughed or working without pay during the partial government shutdown.

"A Night in Old Vienna" concerts of waltzes and polkas will be conducted by Music Director Andrew Grams at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.

The symphony will give one free ticket and up to three guest tickets, while supplies last, to each employee who presents a valid government ID at the venue the day of the concert, said Diane Handler, the symphony's director of marketing. Customers can redeem tickets starting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26 and 1:30 p.m. Jan. 27.

"We hope this program of lively and exuberant music, performed by the world-class ESO, will transport concertgoers beyond everyday worries to a place of calm and relaxation. Music is a powerful healer," Handler said. The music is among Grams' favorites, she added.

The partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, entered Day 27 on Friday after an impasse between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress about federal funding for a U.S. Mexico-border wall.

The symphony also offered free tickets a day before the Jan. 12 and 13 concerts but found that was not enough time to publicize it, she said.

"No tickets were redeemed but we did receive many expressions of good will and gratitude," she said. ""We hope that by starting earlier and expanding the offer, more people will hear about the offer and respond."