Movie music to wow you at ESO's 'A Night at the Oscars'

With studio script writers on strike across the country, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra celebrates film writers and works of another sort -- the Academy Award-winning music of great Hollywood composers.

The ESO presents "A Night at the Oscars" at 8 p.m. Friday at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg; and at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.

Hear music from such blockbuster favorites as "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Schindler's List," "Titanic," "Star Wars," "West Side Story," "Dances with Wolves," "The Wizard of Oz," and more. They'll be performed by the full ESO, led by Maestro Robert Hanson -- with a special guest, acclaimed soprano Diane Penning.

"A Night at the Oscars" is presented in part by MidAmerica Bank, a 2007-08 Pops series sponsor; and concert sponsor Shales McNutt Construction.

Tickets start at $25 and range up to $64 for best available seating. For tickets or information, call the ESO Box Office at (847) 888-4000 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday or visit online at www.ElginSymphony.org.

Groups of 10 or more can purchase discounted tickets for their party; speak to an ESO box office representative for more details.

Get your tickets now for the popular "Holiday Showcase" at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. The ESO invites you to bring your family for this exciting and joyful holiday show featuring the ESO, acts from Cirque du Soleil, a chorus of hundreds, Olympic ice skaters and other special guests.

From Jan. 4-6, the ESO will perform Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Elizabeth Blumenstock, one of the country's leading Baroque violinists, will join the ESO in Vivaldi's Concerto for Violin, "Il Grosso Mogul." As part of the Historically Informed Performances initiative, the ESO also performs works by Biber and Rameau as well as Beethoven's celebrated Symphony No. 5.