Kick off summer with Fox Valley Orchestra, Illinois Brass Band pop concert June 16
The Fox Valley Orchestra's Summer Pops Concert will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.
Special guests, The Illinois Brass Band, will lead off the evening with selections from stage and screen. The band will be conducted by Stephen Squires who is also principal guest conductor for the Fox Valley Orchestra.
The second half of the program will be the Fox Valley Orchestra conducted by Brian Groner. "We always love to play the magnificent and historic Paramount Theatre. It is a delightful setting that pleases the eyes as well as the ears."
Johann Strauss's Overture to "Die Fledermaus" - even if the title is not familiar to you, the music will be. Being swept into its waltz themes will be like a trip back to old Vienna.
Aaron Copland's "Four Dance Episodes" from the "Rodeo" ballet, a distinctly and unabashedly American composition, is a favorite of audiences.
You will hear elements of Russian opera and ballet in the waltz from "Eugene Onegin." Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky created the music for the opera based on the plot of Alexander Pushkin's novel of the same name.
"American Salute" by Morton Gould was written in 1942 during the early days of World War II in a single 8-hour writing session. This patriotic score is based on the Civil War tune "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
The stirring medley of John Williams composition for "Star Wars," which opened in theaters in 1977, heralded the revival of grand symphonic scores. The soundtrack is a perfect example of music that creates the mood of the movie. You cannot conjure an image of Darth Vader without his dark and ominous theme playing in your mind. Nor can you picture Luke, Leia or Han without their hero themes.
Concert tickets purchased online at www.foxvalleyorchestra.org/order.php are $14; $12 for students and seniors; and $9 for kids, age 8 or younger. If still available, tickets at the door are $16.50, $14.50 and $10. For more information, call (630) 891-2526 or email tickets@foxvalleyorchestra.org.