Get ready for a night of passion, poetry, and unforgettable melodies as The Elgin Symphony Orchestra brings you three masterpieces that will stir the heart and spark the imagination.

Dvořák’s Othello overture is a stunning, emotionally charged work originally conceived as part of a trilogy entitled Nature, Life, and Love. While its companion pieces, such as the Carnival overture, have found more frequent performances over the years, Othello held a particularly special place in the composer’s heart—he once called it “my very best.” As the trilogy’s finale, it closes the set with a deeply human story—how we gain so much from nature, yet too often harm it.

Geneva Lewis returns to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra after her remarkable January 2023 performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto, and this time she brings her artistry to Samuel Barber’s magical Violin Concerto. Overflowing with lush lyricism and soaring melodies, the concerto is as heartfelt and romantic as one might expect from the beloved American composer. Lewis, hailed as one of the premier young musicians of her generation, brings both warmth and precision to the piece’s contrasting moods—from the tender beauty of the first two movements to the dazzling, high-energy finale. Her return is one of the season’s most anticipated moments, sure to leave audiences spellbound.

Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 is his most concise—and arguably his most perfect—symphony, filled with detail, craftsmanship, and emotional depth. Throughout the work, Brahms weaves the personal motto “Frei aber froh” (“Free but happy”) into a recurring F–A♭–F motif, imbuing the symphony with both unity and personal significance. Interpreting this work requires both technical mastery and artistic vision; its subtle shifts in mood, seamless transitions, and intricate balance between orchestral voices present challenges for even the most seasoned musicians and conductors. The result, when performed with precision and sensitivity, is an unforgettable musical journey.