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Elgin orchestra tops in Illinois for 2016

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra was named professional orchestra of the year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras, the only professional orchestra to receive the award four times in its history.

"I have a huge congratulations for the ESO for that," said Illinois Council of Orchestras President Allan Dennis. "It's a big deal. There's a lot of orchestras that want to win that. Anybody that does win, it's a huge, huge feather in their cap as a community."

A panel of judges reviewed nominations for orchestras, youth orchestras and chamber ensembles from across the state. The ESO, founded in 1950, also won the honor in 1988, 1999 and 2005.

The award is given for the orchestra's accomplishments and its relationship with the community. Nominees submit concert recordings, which for ESO were Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Dvorak's Symphony No. 7 and Mahler's "Totenfeier."

"It's just such encouraging news. It's such a wonderful award for musicians that work so hard throughout the year," said Karen Schock, chairwoman of ESO's executive committee. "Andrew (Grams) was conductor of the year last year, and this is all really celebrating the level of music and excellence of the experience that you get every time you get to come to the ESO."

The orchestra's community initiatives include Kidz Konzerts, designed to introduce kids to the fundamentals of music, partnerships with area hospitals where musicians perform for patients and visitors, and special events such as "Mingle with the Musicians" on Saturday nights at the Elgin Public House and "ESO Industry Night," a collaboration with the Elgin Development Group that highlights doing business locally.

The orchestra of the year award is a plus when applying for grants through the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Dennis said.

"It's like a stamp of approval," he said, "because they have gone through the process of a separate evaluation outside their organizations."

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