'Water' to be theme of EYSO concerts March 11
On Sunday, March 11, Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra will present "Water" with performances at 2, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
"Water's power - for life, and for death - has been pondered by poets, philosophers, and artists since the ancient Greeks, and it continues to fascinate," said Randal Swiggum, artistic director. "Why is our relationship with water so profound, so mysterious, so elemental? Is it water's mystical shape-shifting property? Or a deep sense that we ourselves are fashioned from this elemental stuff?"
The 2 p.m. concert features EYSO's Prelude and Sinfonia Orchestras performing works by a range of composers including Handel and Vaughan Williams.
Guests at the 4:30 p.m. concert will be treated to performances by the Brass Choir, Sinfonia and Philharmonia Percussion Ensemble, Primo Intermezzo, Philharmonia and Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra. Philharmonia will perform the world premiere of "Alongside for the Fourth Part of the Living Water" by EYSO alumnus and composer in-residence, Ethan T. Parcell. The piece combines a sense of patience and free-flowing unpredictability, beginning with a restrained sense of movement, which gives way to a floating series of soft-edged episodes in which all the players play with relative rhythmic freedom.
At 7:30 p.m., the Youth Symphony program includes Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from "Peter Grimes," and Dvorak's epic symphonic poem, "The Water Goblin."
EYSO alumnus Megan Healy appears as violin soloist in "Tears of Sakura" by Yannick Paget.
Other highlights include pieces by the Youth Symphony Percussion Ensemble as well as EYSO's Young Artists Concerto 2017-18 winner, Trudie Childs, playing the Kabalevsky Cello Concerto. And EYSO's premier honors ensemble, the Maud Powell String Quartet, will perform the finale of Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 1.
EYSO also will present its 2018 Music Educators of the Year Award to Michael Kasper and Beth Wood of Carpentersville Middle School at each performance, including a special reception in the theater lobby between 5:45 and 7:15 p.m.
Each season, EYSO students explore a thematic curriculum. This year's theme is "Elemental: What Nature Tells Us About the Orchestra." "Water" is the second in a series of four concerts that grow from that theme, preceded by "Earth" in November 2017 and followed by "Air" in April, and "Fire" at the season finale in May.
For tickets call (847) 622-0300 or go to tickets.elgin.edu.
EYSO will host its annual gala "Springboard 2018" on Saturday, April 14, at the Elgin Country Club. There will be cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Early bird tickets are $89 through March 17; $100 afterward. It includes dinner, open bar and chamber music. Consider corporate sponsorship of "Springboard 2018" as way to combine your support of EYSO with great visibility for your organization. Contact Eric Larson at elarson@eyso.org more information.
Auditions for the 2018-19 EYSO season are May 31 to June 3.
For information about Springboard 2018, or EYSO auditions and performances, visit www.eyso.org or call (847) 841-7700.
The EYSO serves nearly 400 students from 70 Chicago area communities and has a national reputation for providing students with an engaging musical experience and a comprehensive learning environment of curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and collaboration. Students explore a thematic curriculum each season - one which helps students develop artistically and technically, and prepare them for a future of complex ideas, creative risk-taking, and leadership as global citizen. This approach has led hundreds of alumni to successful careers as professional musicians, educators, and strong leaders in every field.