ESO's maestro wins big again

When an athlete succeeds, the coach often says, "Act like you've been there before."

Robert Hanson, the maestro of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, has been "there" before.

He won Conductor of the Year honors for a professional orchestra from the Illinois Council of Orchestras several years ago and took home the same honor this week.

"The people that make me look good are the people of the orchestra. They deserve thanks, first and foremost," he said, also crediting the orchestra board of directors and staff.

"It was a complete surprise to me. I didn't even know my name had been submitted," added the former Elgin resident who now lives in Highland Park. "The Elgin Symphony, we like to think of ourselves as one of the two top orchestras in the state - the Chicago Symphony being the other one."

The council also named Joyce McFarland Dlugopolski volunteer of the year and issued two special awards for 50 years of service with the ESO to violist Sue Ollman and cellist Mark Kuntz.

Hanson said the pair stayed with the orchestra even after it made the transition from amateur to professional.

"That is a very unusual occurrence," said Hanson, who joined the orchestra in 1974. "Those two players have really done a yeoman's job of keeping their playing at the highest level."

The ESO also has been named Orchestra of the Year three times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras and performs more than 60 concerts a year in the suburbs, Wisconsin and Indiana.

The ESO also broadcasts its classic performances on the fourth Friday of each month on 98.7 WFMT.