Welcome to the 2007/2008 Season

1957 was not only the year West Side Story premiered, but also the year of the death of the wonderful Finnish composer, Sibelius. In 1958, a young man from Fort Worth, Texas – Van Cliburn, won the Soviet Union’s first International Tchaikovsky Competition, celebrated by a ticker tape parade down 5th Avenue. 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of America’s most beloved pops composer, Leroy Anderson, responsible for giving us pieces like, “Sleigh Ride,” “Blue Tango,” and “The Typewriter.” It is these events that form the corner stone of our 2007/2008 season, as we honor the legacy of those who have contributed so significantly to our cultural heritage. You will also enjoy the opportunity to hear music by the greatest musical masters of the 19th and 20th centuries: Rachmaninov, Brahms, Chopin, Martinu, Debussy, Saint Saens. The Illinois Chamber Orchestra will delight your senses in the newly renovated Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Bloomington, and Blessed Sacrament and 1st Christian Church in Springfield. Sung by our own Illinois Symphony Chorus, favorites like Handel’s Messiah and the Durufle Requiem, along with symphonies by Mozart and Beethoven, will surely add to the beauty and intimacy of these beautiful spaces. If pops is your thing, our Holiday Pops concerts will once again feature talent from the area including the popular Saint Andrew’s Pipes and Drums – while our winter pops will honor the 100th birthday of Leroy Anderson with the Illinois premiere of one of his yet unpublished miniatures. This will be is a season unlike any other – a season of fantastic young soloists already on their way to world renown, and music which will fascinate the newcomer as well as the consummate music lover.                                                                                   I hope you will join us!

      DAVIDE CABASSI PLAYS MOZART                      
                                                       


Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 467  -  "Elvira Madigan"