ESO Listener's Club lectures focus on Gershwin favorite
Did you know George Gershwin wrote his iconic Jazz Age masterpiece "Rhapsody in Blue" in just a few days?
Learn more about this composer and arguably his most famous composition at free lectures by Elgin Symphony Orchestra violinist Eleanor Bartsch at the ESO's Listener's Club events.
The discussions will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at the Barrington Area Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy., Barrington; and noon Wednesday, May 3, at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove St., Elgin.
The discussions will also feature information about Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, and Coleridge-Taylor's "Ballade in A minor."
The ESO will present all three pieces at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.
Chad Goodman, a finalist in the ESO's search for a new music director, will conduct these concerts. Pianist Drew Petersen, a recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 American Pianists Award, will be featured on "Rhapsody in Blue."
Registration is requested for the free Listener's Club lectures. Reserve a seat for the Barrington Area Library event at www.balibrary.org. Reservations for the Gail Borden Library event can be made at www.gailborden.info.
Tickets for the ESO concerts can be purchased online at www.ElginSymphony.org, by phone Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at (847) 888-4000, or in person at the ESO office, 20 DuPage Court, Elgin.
Tickets start at $20; free for ages 17 and younger with a paid adult.