New Philharmonic celebrates eight decades of Broadway musical hits
Due to popular demand, New Philharmonic has added an additional performance to their “Broadway Through the Years” concerts on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
The professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center and music director and conductor Kirk Muspratt will open 2026 with the greatest musical hits from the past eight decades.
Featured guest artists include Alisa Jordheim (soprano), Kate Tombaugh (mezzo-soprano), Lorenzo Parnell (tenor), Jonathan Wilson (baritone) and the 60-voice Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus.
Says Maestro Muspratt, “We’ve assembled a grand selection of the greatest hits from Broadway and a world-class roster of guest artists guaranteed to lure audiences from near and far to join us at the MAC. Past Broadway concerts have repeatedly sold out so this year we added a third performance to meet the demand.”
The program opens by celebrating some of the most beloved moments in musical theater. The first half journeys through the golden age and beyond, beginning with the rousing title song from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” and the gentle beauty of “Edelweiss” from the duo’s “The Sound of Music.”
Audiences will then hear Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s timeless “My Funny Valentine” from “Babes in Arms,” followed by the playful charm of the team’s “Honey Bun” from “South Pacific.”
The spirit of classic Broadway continues with the title song from Jerry Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!,” Jule Styne’s tender “Long Before I Knew You” from “Bells Are Ringing” and Meredith Willson’s high-energy “Ya Got Trouble” from “The Music Man.”
The first half concludes with a nod to more contemporary favorites, featuring the exuberant title song from “Mamma Mia” by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Marvin Hamlisch’s stirring “One” from “A Chorus Line.”
After intermission, the program turns to some of musical theater’s most emotionally powerful works.
The second half opens with John Kander’s reflective “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret,” followed by Stephen Sondheim’s haunting “Johanna” from “Sweeney Todd” and the poignant “Children Will Listen” from “Into the Woods.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sweeping melodies are next, with “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from “Evita” and the romantic duet “All I Ask of You” from “The Phantom of the Opera.”
The evening culminates in a moving finale with Bob Krogstad’s arrangement of “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Misérables,” composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, and 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, at the McAninch Arts Center on the campus of College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn. Note: A 1 p.m. Feb. 1 performance is sold out.
A free MAC Chat will precede each concert one hour prior to concert start time.
Tickets are $63 with $10 tickets available for youth with ID. For tickets visit AtTheMAC.org or call (630) 942-4000. The McAninch box office is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and two hours prior to performance.
Sullivan Taylor Family Trust is Show Sponsor. John Rutledge and Betty Joseph are Soprano Soloist Sponsor, and Chicago's Home for Jazz, WDCB 90.9 FM is Media Sponsor.
About New Philharmonic
New Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra based in DuPage County, Ill., has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for nearly five decades. It continues to thrive with the goal of giving innovative treatment to both classic compositions and modern works while striving to make the music accessible to new audiences and youth through a variety of educational efforts.
New Philharmonic was recently honored with the Illinois Council of Orchestras’ 2020 ICO Award in the category Programming of the Year. Today, under the direction of Music Director/Conductor Kirk Muspratt, named 2018 Conductor of the Year (Professional Orchestra) by Illinois Council of Orchestras, and recipient of a 2025 honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Lethbridge, New Philharmonic consists of more than 60 professional musicians and typically performs more than a dozen concerts a year, reaching more than 7,500 from the greater Chicago area annually.
2025-2026 season support for New Philharmonic is provided in part by the DuPage Foundation, a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Brookdale Glen Ellyn; Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, Frank Modruson and Lynne Shigley, Anonymous, and the College of DuPage Foundation. Media sponsor is 90.9 FM WDCB Public Radio.