ESO Music Director Chad Goodman to discuss season opening concerts at free Listener’s Club events in Elgin and Barrington

(September 18, 2023 – Elgin, Ill.) – Chad Goodman, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s new music director, will discuss the music and composers featured in the ESO’s 74th season opening weekend concerts at two free Listener’s Club events.

The public can learn about Strauss’ poetic “Four Last Songs”, which will be performed by internationally acclaimed, Grammy winning soprano Christine Brewer on the ESO’s opening weekend, Saturday, Oct. 7, and Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Hemmens Cultural Center.

Goodman will also discuss Mozart’s “The Magic Flute Overture,” and Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances” at the Listener’s Club events set to take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at the Barrington Area Library (register at www.balibrary.org) and at noon, Wednesday, Oct. 4, at the Gail Borden Library in downtown Elgin (register at www.gailborden.info).

Opening Weekend Concert Tickets

Tickets for the ESO’s 74th season opening weekend concerts start at $20 and are available at www.ElginSymphony.org, or through the ESO Box Office, open Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 20 DuPage Court in Elgin or by phone at (847) 888-4000. Single concert student tickets are $10. Subscriptions, offering access to all six concerts in the Classics series, start at $98. Free parking in City of Elgin parking garages and lots is available.

Opening Weekend Reception

The ESO will host a reception to celebrate the start of its 74th season and to welcome Music Director Chad Goodman. The reception will be held at The Heritage Ballroom, 100 Symphony Way, Elgin, following the ESO’s Saturday, Oct. 7, concert. Guests will enjoy heavy appetizers, desserts, an open bar, and the opportunity to meet the fifth music director in the history of the ESO, Chad Goodman. Tickets for the reception are available online at www.ElginSymphony.org or by phone at (847) 888-4000 for $50 in advance. The price at the door will be $60.

For more information about the ESO, visit www.elginsymphony.org.

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About the Elgin Symphony Orchestra

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is one of the preeminent regional orchestras in the United States. 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 core – 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 Orchestra of the Year four times (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.