ESO Concertmaster Isabella Lippi Takes Center Stage
in November 7 & 8 Concerts

Performances feature dynamic works for violin by Dvořák and Saint-Saëns, plus Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony

ELGIN, Ill. (October 19, 2026)– The Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s November concerts pair solo brilliance with orchestral sophistication in a program that features the virtuosity of Isabella Lippi, longtime ESO Concertmaster. Lippi will be featured on Antonín Dvořák’s lyrical and flowing “Romance for Violin and Orchestra” and the fiery and masterful “Introduction and Rondo capriccioso” by Camille Saint-Saëns, a true showpiece for the instrument.

A Chicago native and concertmaster with the ESO, Lippi, who has been called “a standout, even among virtuosos,” began performing in public at the age of 10 when she made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has since appeared as guest soloist with orchestras in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and the Far East.

Lippi shared that performing in front of her ESO colleagues feels natural and comfortable, particularly since the ESO feels like a family after so many years together. “Although I have led the orchestra for a long time, I started as a soloist, so I feel very confident when I am standing up, and especially in front of my colleagues. It means so much for it to go well when I am with them.”

Lippi also noted that the ESO musicians can feel the positive support emanating from Elgin’s audiences toward the stage as they perform. “I am thrilled at how welcoming they are. They are all rooting for you,” said Lippi, “it feels like a real community event.”

A special moment for Lippi is performing Dvořák’s “Romance for Violin and Orchestra,” which she will play with a full orchestra for the first time on the concert. She notes a favorite passage for audiences to listen for, “Towards the end, it’s almost like the orchestra is floating into the clouds with a surreal, otherworldly feeling. The violin soars like pure love, it’s so warm and beautiful. Then there is a bit of trouble, but you can hear in the music that you’ve conquered what you were fighting and you won! On the very last note, you’ve finally reached home and peace. That’s what I am hoping to convey.”

Her performance will complement Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, a work known for its refined structure, dramatic depth, and luminous orchestration. The concert, led by ESO Music Director Chad Goodman, will also include Jonathan Leshnoff’s “Score,” a short, fast-paced piece full of mischief and spritely passages.

Chad Goodman said “Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 was a monumental work in the composer’s catalog. The symphony premiered in Prague, a city that treated Mozart like a personal rock star. Though written in only three movements instead of the traditional four, it is massive in scale, with a first movement longer than any written in the 18th century. The symphony is dramatic, daring, sensual, and charming, with a complexity that is masked by the sheer beauty of the music. This work pushes the orchestra to technical and emotional extremes and will allow our incredible ESO musicians to shine brilliantly!”

The ESO concerts featuring Lippi’s solo mastery take place Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2:30 p.m., at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.

A Pre-Concert Talk by ESO Music Director Chad Goodman will take place one hour prior to each concert.

Tickets are available at ElginSymphony.org. Tickets start at $20. Continuing its commitment to making performances affordable and accessible to the community, the ESO offers discounts for groups of 10 or more, student tickets for $10 for those with a valid student ID, and a free youth ticket for children age 17 and under with a paid adult ticket. Call the ESO Box Office at 847-888-4000 for more information and to include free youth tickets in your order. The ESO Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra was named Professional Orchestra of the Year in 2025 by the Illinois Council of Orchestras, which also awarded Goodman the Professional Conductor of the Year award.

The ESO’s 77th Season is made possible through the generous support of donors, including Season Sponsors OTTO® Engineering, Willow Springs Charitable Trust, and an anonymous sponsor; Concert Sponsors the Illinois Arts Council, The Pepper Family Foundation, and John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.; Contributing Sponsors Elgin Symphony League, Barrington Area Community Foundation, Seigle Foundation, Florence B. & Cornelia A. Palmer Foundation, Richard & Carol Leonard Foundation, and W.R. Meadows; and Community Sponsors Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, Donald & Kathleen Brungard Family Foundation, Epic Real Estate Group, and ARK Technologies.

About the Elgin Symphony Orchestra

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is one of the preeminent regional orchestras in the United States, and is led by Chad Goodman, who was named the ESO’s Music Director – the fifth in the Orchestra’s history – in May 2023.

Since its founding in 1950, the organization has developed a reputation for artistic excellence, and innovative programming as demonstrated through its long history of highlighting the works of world-renowned conductors, composers, and musicians, and of promoting the advancement of women in the arts.

The ESO became a professional ensemble in 1985 in good part due to the leadership of the late Margaret Hillis, who served as the ESO’s music director from 1971 to 1985. 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’s volunteer corps – the Elgin Symphony League, and the start of the ESO’s commitment to music education and enrichment for youth.

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 that provides supplemental music education and in-school performances to local schools; Musicians Care program that brings live music performances to local hospitals, hospices, and retirement homes; informational Listener’s Club events and other free programs at public libraries; 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 Illinois Council of Orchestras has named the ESO “Professional Orchestra of the Year” five times (1988, 1999, 2005, 2016, and 2025), and named Goodman “Professional Conductor of the Year” in 2025.

The ESO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

To learn more or to support the ESO, visit www.elginsymphony.org. 

About Chad Goodman

Since his appointment as Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in 2023, Chad Goodman has been praised for elevating the orchestra to new artistic heights and dramatically expanding its impact in the community. In his first three seasons he led the ESO premieres of more than twenty works, increased community engagement through run-out concerts and captivating presentations and spearheaded the orchestra’s first-ever Día de los Muertos concert, uniting the symphony with folkloric dance and vocals in a city-wide cultural celebration. In recognition of his committed work, Goodman was named Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras in 2025. In 2026, it was announced that his contract was extended for 3 years through the 2028/2029 season.

As a guest conductor, Goodman has led orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Utah Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Pacific Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Puebla (OSEP).

From 2019 to 2023, Goodman served as the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony and Assistant Conductor to Michael Tilson Thomas. In addition to leading the orchestra on subscription, education, and special event programs, he collaborated with videographers, animators, and light designers to push the boundaries of how classical music can be presented. Goodman has also served as an Assistant Conductor to the San Francisco Symphony, working with Esa-Pekka Salonen, Herbert Blomstedt, Elim Chan, Manfred Honeck, Daniel Harding, and Simone Young, among others.

Goodman additionally leads workshops that teach young musicians the business skills needed to successfully navigate the music world. Forbes praised the conductor’s bold strides both on and off stage and hailed him as “An entrepreneur bringing innovation to classical music.” In 2022 he published the book You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?

Goodman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree from San Francisco State University. His mentors include Michael Tilson Thomas and Alasdair Neale.

About Isabella Lippi

Violinist Isabella Lippi, who has been called “A standout, even among virtuosos,” began performing in public at the age of 10 when she made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has since performed in numerous recitals and has appeared as guest soloist with orchestras in the United States, Mexico, Europe and the Far East.

In 1989, Isabella Lippi won the St. Louis Symphony Young Artist Competition, so impressing Maestro Leonard Slatkin, that for the first time in the 55-year history of the competition, the winner (Ms. Lippi) was invited to perform with the symphony in subscription concerts under Maestro Slatkin. Of this program, the St. Louis Post Dispatch declared, “Lippi introduced rhythmic subtleties into the music of the like that haven’t been heard since the heyday of Heifetz.”

In addition to the Chicago Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony, Isabella Lippi has performed with numerous orchestras including the Dallas Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, New Orleans Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, the New World Symphony under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, the Mexico City Philharmonic under Enrique Batiz, the San Diego Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Bilbao of Spain, and the Moscow Symphony.

Ms. Lippi has won a number of competitions and awards including First Place in the Young Musicians Foundation National Debut Competition, Highest Honors in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Talent Search, the Henryk Szeryng International Competition, and the Illinois Young Performers Competition where she performed again with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a live television broadcast under Maestro Hugh Wolff. She was also named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

In January 1998, Isabella Lippi made her New York City recital debut at the 92nd Street Y’s Tisch Center for the Arts. Other important debuts included recitals at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Chicago’s Ravinia Festival and the famous Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

In addition to her work as a soloist, Ms. Lippi has participated in numerous chamber music festivals including those of Santa Fe, La Jolla, Mainly Mozart and the Aspen Music Festival. She was Concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony from 1999-2002 and is currently Concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony.

Ms. Lippi has been a featured artist on a number of radio stations throughout the United States including WQXR in New York, WNIB in Chicago and KFAC in Los Angeles; and in a nationally distributed educational program entitled Encounters. She is featured on a CD on the Koch International label which contains complete works for violin and piano and the solo works by the late composer, Miklos Rozsa.

A Chicago native, Isabella Lippi’s teachers have included Robert Lipsett at the University of Southern California, Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School and Almita and Roland Vamos in Chicago.