New Philharmonic Caps 25-26 Season with “Harp of Ages & Pictures at an Exhibition" at the MAC April 11-12

New Philharmonic, the professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at the College of DuPage, completes its 2025-2026 season with an eclectic and ambitious program: “Harp of Ages & Pictures at an Exhibition.” Under the baton of Music Director Kirk Muspratt, the program will be performed Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m. Concertgoers will be among the first to learn about New Philharmonic’s 2026-2027 50th Anniversary Season programming. In addition, a free MAC Chat will be held one hour before each performance.

“Harp of Ages” is a colorful suite by contemporary American composer Michael Daugherty, whom The Times (London) has called “a master icon maker” with a “maverick imagination, fearless structural sense, and meticulous ear.” The six-time GRAMMY Award-winner is one of the most-performed living American composers and is known for drawing on American popular culture, literature and history. With “Harp of Ages,” Daugherty crafted seven eclectic movements, each inspired by a memorable figure associated with the harp. Among them are comedian Harpo Marx, Mexican poet Sister Juana and “Star Trek” communications officer Nyota Uhura. The work was commissioned by the Colorado Symphony for Principal Harpist Courtney Hershey Bress and received its premiere in May 2023.

Guest harpist Nichole Young will perform “Harp of Ages” at both New Philharmonic concerts. Her credits include collaborations with Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Audra McDonald and Celtic Women, among others.

Sharing the program is Maurice Ravel’s celebrated 1922 orchestral adaptation of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” which has endured as one of the most beloved works in the orchestral canon. An innovator of the Russian Romantic tradition, Mussorgsky drew inspiration for “Pictures” from an 1874 memorial exhibition of paintings by his recently deceased friend, artist Viktor Hartmann. Originally composed as a 10-movement piano suite, the work takes listeners on a vivid emotional journey, with each movement evoking the mood and imagery of a different canvas.

Audiences at both performances will have the exclusive opportunity to be among the first to hear details of New Philharmonic’s 2026-2027 50th Anniversary Season. Following each concert, the MAC Box Office will remain open for 45 minutes to accommodate patrons wishing to purchase subscriptions for the new season.

New Philharmonic presents “Harp of Ages & Pictures at an Exhibition” at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, on the campus of College of DuPage. Tickets are $57 adult, $55 students and $10 tickets for students/youth . To purchase, visit AtTheMAC.org or call 630-942-4000. The McAninch Box Office is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.