The holiday season is the best time of year to see the diversity of traditions that have blended together as families and cultures have intertwined over the years. The DuPage Symphony Orchestra’s centerpiece performance of the season, February 12 at 8 PM and February 13 at 3 PM at Wentz Concert Hall, celebrates all that is America with a concert entitled Heroic and Hopeful, featuring Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, From the New World and Peter Boyer’s music and multimedia sensation, Ellis Island: The Dream of America, presented in conjunction with North Central College’s Department of Theatre and the NCC Office of International Programs.
The first half of the concert offers Dvorak’s Symphony No.9, his most popular symphony and one of the most performed pieces in symphonic repertoire. Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, the piece is influenced by Native American and African American spiritual themes and is inspired by Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha.
The audience will then be enraptured by Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America. DSO violist Andy Dogan had the pleasure of conducting this work with the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra and says “this original composition combines memorable melodies, sparkling orchestration, historical imagery, and spoken word from the Ellis Island Oral History Project to create a profoundly moving and emotional experience unlike almost anything else in the [symphony] repertoire.” It is one of the few modern orchestral compositions that is now considered a standard symphonic selection. The DSO always looks forward to our collaboration with North Central College’s Office of International Programs and welcomes this opportunity to also work with the Department of Theatre to present this unique and moving event.
Tickets for the February 12th & 13th performances make excellent Christmas, Hanukkah, and Valentine’s Day gifts and are available from the North Central College Box Office by calling 630.637.SHOW or online at http://tickets.noctrl.edu by scrolling down to the DuPage Symphony Orchestra Heroic and Hopeful performances. Tickets are $28 per adult, $25 per senior, and $11 per student. Please note that the house has been sold out in advance of the performance for each DSO performance this year so patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets early. A 25% group discount is available for 10 or more tickets to a single performance. Valet parking service will be available for each performance in front of Wentz Concert Hall for $7.
DSO Director of Education and local Chicago woodwind musician, David Orlicz, is so enthusiastic about this concert that he could not resist presenting the pre-concert educational program himself. Education programs always start 45 minutes before the concert and are free to subscribers. A nominal donation is requested from other attendees. Just arrive at the Wentz Concert Hall in time for the program; signs and volunteers will provide direction to the program.
Further information about this performance, the symphony season, and other DSO concerts and events is available by calling the DuPage Symphony Orchestra office at 630.778.1003 or by visiting the DSO website at www.dupagesymphony.org. These are both options for making donations and requesting reservations for the DSO Gala Celebration taking place April 14, 2012 at the Hyatt-Lisle. The DuPage Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
