EYSO's Earl Clemens Wind Quintet to perform before ESO Concert Dec. 9

Adding to the festive mood, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra's Earl Clemens Wind Quintet will perform before the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's "Magical Holiday" concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, in the Hemmens lobby, 45 Symphony Way in Elgin.

Members of the ensemble are Juan Hernandez, flute, Hampshire, 17; Bill Ulloa, oboe, Carpentersville, 16; Rebekah Harness, clarinet, Elgin, 16; Delaney Hajek, horn, Algonquin, 17; and Chloe Robbins, bassoon, Elgin.

Created in 2016, the Earl Clemens Wind Quintet is named after Earl L. Clemens, oboist and professor of music education at Northern Illinois University for 36 years.

EYSO ensembles, comprised of advanced musicians, maintain an active performance schedule, playing masterworks of the classical repertoire.

Mama Lee's Popcorn will be sell popcorn at the 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 concert. Gifts for Toys for Tots will be collected at all concerts, with contributors receiving a discount voucher for an upcoming 2017-18 ESO concert.

The ESO's "Magical Holiday" concerts are filled with holiday classics and other songs of the season and feature Chicago-area musicians, soprano Leila Bowie and tenor Joe Shadday, the Elgin Master Chorale and the Midwest Dance Collective, led by Resident Conductor Stephen Squires.

This holiday extravaganza will be presented at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Hemmens Cultural Center. The concert also includes an audience singalong and appearance by a very special visitor from the North Pole. There is valet service or convenient free parking. For tickets, which are $30 to $50, visit ElginSymphony.org or call (847) 888-4000.