DuPage Symphony Orchestra gala celebrates Maestra Barbara Schubert’s 25-year leadership

DuPage Symphony Orchestra musicians, board members, patrons and community leaders will celebrate the changes and growth within the orchestra during Maestra Barbara Schubert’s first 25 years as conductor and music director next month at a fundraising gala.

The evening’s festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Hyatt Lisle, 1400 Corporetum Drive, and include live jazz music, gourmet meal, silent and live auctions and a DSO retrospective.

Guests 21 and older will receive a custom-blended beverage inspired by Schubert. The “Maestratini” will feature vodka blended with dark chocolate liqueur and Kaluha. The auction includes diverse items such as handmade quilts, a wine refrigerator and a diamond necklace.

Schubert’s primary position is as director of performance programs at the University of Chicago, including the school’s symphony orchestra and New Music Ensemble. Along with conducting the DSO, she also shares her talents with the Park Ridge Fine Arts Society during the summers. Schubert graduated summa cum laude from Smith College, Northampton, Mass., and continued her education studying music history and theory at the University of Chicago. Among other honors, she was named Conductor of the Year in 2003 by the Illinois Council of Orchestras, which cited her “consistently high artistic standards, her energetic podium style, and her innovative programming.” She is also one of few women to hold the post of president of the Conductors Guild.

During her tenure with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, the musician membership has nearly doubled to 100 regularly performing musicians, stimulated by Schubert’s grace and clarity while conducting, her choice of repertoire, and her knowledge of how to bring players to their highest level of musicianship.

Once a nomadic group, performing in different venues for each concert, the orchestra found its first home after Schubert took the helm and fostered a relationship with North Central College. For years, Pfeiffer Hall was the designated symphony hall, until the college’s recent addition of Wentz Concert Hall, with its noted acoustics and intimate seating.

Guest soloists have become a regular element of DSO performances, ranging from professional opera singers to Latin band Tiempo Libre, to the winner of the annual Young Artists Auditions.

Advance reservations are required to attend the gala and can be made online at www.dupagesymphony.org/gala.aspx or by calling the DSO office at (630) 778-1003. Reservations are $100 per person, or $850 to reserve a table for 10. Funds raised at the event will be placed in a Director’s Discretionary Fund to be administered by Schubert for the benefit of the orchestra.

Ads for the program book will be for sale until March 26 with prices ranging from $35 to $75. For information, contact gala chairwoman Patricia Fragen at (847) 308-8120 or tricia@dupagesymphony.org.