Waukegan Symphony Orchestra opens 43rd season
The Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, which has been providing music to the community since 1974, is set to open its 43rd season with a remembrance of Shakespeare.
This year, there is a worldwide commemoration of the English language's most revered playwright and in honor of the 400th anniversary of his death. The opening concert is Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Trapp Auditorium of the Brookside Campus, 2325 Brookside Ave. The music director and conductor for the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra is Maestro Stephen Blackwelder, who has been with the orchestra since 2000.
The concert will include Mendelssohn's "Scherzo" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Mozart's Violin Concerto in A, "Turkish"; Nicolai's "Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor"; two pieces from "Henry V" by Walton; Berlioz's "King Lear Overture, Op. 4"; and selections from "West Side Story" by Leonard Bernstein.
The violin soloist for the concert is Joshua Brown, making a return appearance with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra.
The 2016-17 season includes performances with the Highland Park Strings and the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, as well as return engagements with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra, the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and the New North Shore Chamber Orchestra.
Individual adult tickets are $15, $10 for seniors/military, $8 for students 19 and older, and students 18 and under are free. Cash and check only are accepted at the door on the day of the performance.
Season tickets for the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra and Concert Chorus include one ticket for each concert, for a total of six tickets. Season tickets cost $65 per adult, $50 for senior citizens who are 62 years or older and our military, and $36 for college students. Students who are under 19 years of age are free with ID. Staff asks that students 12 years and under be accompanied by an adult.
The symphony concerts will be held on Saturdays at Waukegan High School's Trapp Auditorium at 7 p.m., and the chorus will hold its concerts Sundays at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Waukegan.
Season tickets may be purchased online by going to Brown Paper Tickets, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2579606, or by calling (800) 838-3006 and all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express) are accepted by Brown Paper Tickets. Tickets purchased through Brown Paper Tickets do have a service fee. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, 39 Jack Benny Drive.
All concert times, dates, and locations are subject to change. Watch the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WPDArtsHistoryCulture for updates on concerts and other cultural activities hosted by the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. Call (847) 360-4740 for assistance.