ESO selling tickets online for $25 for one week only

For one week only, starting Jan. 18, all seats for all remaining 2008-09 Elgin Symphony concerts will be just $25. The sale will be available online at www.ElginSymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased through the Elgin Symphony Box Office starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20. The sale will conclude at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23.

This sale is one of the symphony's continuing efforts to make live performance affordable to all in spite of the current economic environment. Since kicking off their 59th season in fall of 2008, the ESO has opened up lower ticket prices at all of their concerts, hosted various web sales and served as a drop off site supporting the city of Elgin's food drive, offering patrons concert tickets in exchange for donations of nonperishable food items.

The ESO box office, located at 20 DuPage Court in downtown Elgin, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday but will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday on Monday, Jan. 19. For information, call the box office at (847) 888-4000.

• "Beethoven Pastoral" on Feb. 6-8 with conductor Alastair Willis and harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. One of Beethoven's more programmatic works, his Sixth Symphony was once referred to as "Recollections of Country Life," conveying the feelings found during his trips into the Viennese countryside. The sounds of life in Buenos Aires share this program through Piazzolla's "Tangazo" and Ginastera's Concerto for Harp.

• "Patriotic Pops" on Feb. 20-22 with Maestro Robert Hanson conducting music by John Philip Sousa and Aaron Copland. This President's Day, the ESO's "Patriotic Pops" promises to be one of the most inspiring programs of the season with "The Washington Post March," "Stars and Stripes Forever," "America the Beautiful" and more. Plus, experience the powerful Lincoln Portrait just in time for Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.

• "New World Symphony" on March 6-8 with Hanson conducting Dvorak's Symphony No. 9. "From the New World" is a favorite work of audiences worldwide, depicting the composer's voyage from his Czech roots to America, where he found inspiration from Native American music and African-American spirituals. Janacek and Kurka offer works rounding out a program that travels from Eastern Europe to the New World.

• "All Mozart" on April 3-5 with conductor Shi-Yeon Sung and soprano Arianna Zukerman. In 2006, Shi-Yeon Sung became the first woman to have the distinction of winning Frankfurt's George Solti International Conductor's Competition. The ESO welcomes her and highly sought-after soprano Arianna Zuckerman as they present a program including Mozart's "Exultate Jubilate" and Symphony No. 40.

• "Big Band Blast" on April 17-19 with conductor Robert Hanson and pianist Rich Ridenour. Blast into spring with audience favorite Rich Ridenour and a celebration of beloved big band gems. "In the Mood" for the "A-Train"? Call "Pennsylvania 6-5000" to "Begin the Beguine." Dance the night away in the aisles if you must, "Stardust" and more await you.

• "Leonard Bernstein: American Icon Festival" on May 1-3 with Hanson conducting violinist Isabella Lippi. The ESO and Maestro Hanson celebrate the work of a true American Icon, Leonard Bernstein, as part of a multiyear effort to explore American voices in orchestra music. A program including the Overture to "Candide" and "Symphonic Dances" from "West Side Story" explores the way in which Bernstein's music found relevance outside of the concert hall and into the fabric of American culture.

• "Greig's Piano Concerto" on June 12-14 with Hanson conducting pianist Terrence Wilson. Wilson is quickly establishing a reputation as one of America's most gifted young pianists. He performs Grieg's famous Piano Concerto, while works by Sibelius and Nielsen round out a program featuring music from Scandinavian composers.

With a budget of more than $3 million, the ESO is Illinois' preeminent regional orchestra and the second largest in the state. Under the leadership of Maestro Robert Hanson, it performs over 60 concerts a year to audiences of more than 50,000. The ESO broadcasts its Classic performances on the fourth Friday of each month on 98.7 FM WFMT, the Midwest's largest classical music station. In 2005 the Illinois Council of Orchestras named the ESO "Orchestra of the Year" for an unprecedented third time. In May 2008, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra released its first international recording, an album featuring works of Aaron Copland, as part of the NAXOS label's American Classics collection.