Orion Ensemble’s 32nd season to feature Chicago premieres, classics and forgotten gems
New England Congregational Church in Aurora will host The Orion Ensemble's first concert of its 32nd season on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Joining Orion’s core musicians — Florentina Ramniceanu, violin; Judy Stone, cello; Kathryne Pirtle, clarinet; and Diana Schmück, piano — are guest artists Stephen Boe, viola; Mathias Tacke, violin; Robert Kassinger, bass; Andrei Muravev, bassoon; and Gregory Flint, French horn.
Scheduled selections are “To Melody!” with guest violinist Boe and features Max Bruch’s Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 83; Franz Schubert’s Trio in B-flat Major for Violin, Viola and Cello, D. 581; and Antonin Dvorák’s Quartet in E-flat Major for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 87.
The concert starts at 3 p.m. at the church, 406 W. Galena Blvd. Parking is free. A champagne reception in the church narthex will follow each concert at the Aurora church.
Single-ticket admission is $30; $25 for seniors, 65 or older; and $15 for students, age 13 or older. Children 12 and younger may attend free. A four-ticket flexible subscription provides a $10 savings on single tickets plus one complimentary ticket. The March 16 spring benefit ticket is an additional $75. For tickets or more information, call 630-628-9591 or visit orionensemble.org.
The Orion Ensemble performs its 2024-25 concert programs at three Chicago-area venues: the PianoForte Studios, 1335 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Mondays (a new weekday this season), Sept. 23, Nov. 11, March 10 and April 28; the Music Institute of Chicago’s Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. in Evanston, where Orion is Ensemble in Residence this season, at 7:30 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 29, Nov. 17, March 9 and May 4; and New England Congregational Church at 3 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 22, Nov. 10, March 16 (followed by the spring benefit) and April 27.
Founded in 1992, The Orion Ensemble is a winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming for its critically acclaimed millennium celebration “An Inside Look at Contemporary Music.” It is supported in part by grants from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, the Arts Tour Fund of the Illinois Arts Council, the John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund and generous donations from its patrons.