Pianist Albert Cano Smit joins Elgin Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto Feb. 4-5

Acclaimed New York-based conductor Kyle Ritenauer will direct the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and guest pianist Albert Cano Smit at the Feb. 4-5 concerts. He is one of eight finalists in the ESO's search for a music director.

The concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way in Elgin. A preconcert discussion for ticket holders will take place one hour prior to the performances.

The concerts will feature Richard Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll"; Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor" featuring pianist Albert Cano Smit; and Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 3, "Rhenish." Watch a video message from Ritenauer about the concert program on the ESO's Facebook page.

Ritenauer is establishing himself as one of classical and contemporary music's singular artistic leaders. As founder and artistic director of the Uptown Philharmonic, he has earned renown for his detailed and imaginative musicality and has found further success leading ensembles across North America, Europe and Asia.

Smit most recently was awarded the 2020 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Prize from The Julliard School. He has appeared with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the San Diego Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río, Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Nottingham Youth Orchestra, and American Youth Symphony.

Tickets are available on the ESO's website, www.ElginSymphony.org, and, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling its box office at (847) 888-4000. Tickets start at $20. Student tickets are $10, and youth age 17 and under are free with an accompanying adult.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra has a long history of highlighting the works of world-renowned conductors, composers, and musicians, and of promoting the advancement of women in the arts.

Founded in 1950 as a community orchestra, the ESO became a professional ensemble in 1985, in good part due to the leadership of the late Margaret Hillis, who was music director at the ESO from 1971-85. Hillis was one of the first females to break through the male-dominated world of conducting and is credited with being the impetus behind the creation of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Association, the formation of the ESO League, and the start of the ESO's outreach to youth through concerts for school students.

Today, the ESO continues to draw its creativity and artistry from the Elgin area and gives back to the community through its Adopt-a-School Program, performances at local hospitals, hospices and retirement homes, Listeners Clubs, and other free programs at public libraries, The In Harmony Program in places of worship, Ainsworth Concerts for Youth, free tickets for youth under 18, open rehearsals, and free community concerts throughout the region.

The ESO has been named Orchestra of the Year four times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras (1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016).

The ESO is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To learn more or to support the ESO, visit www.elginsymphony.org.