DuPage Symphony Orchestra Unveils Spectacular 70th Anniversary Season

By Amber Broderick

Naperville, IL – The DuPage Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is thrilled to announce its much-anticipated 70th Anniversary Season, with six distinctive concert programs taking place at the prestigious Wentz Concert Hall. This distinctive celebratory season offers a sequence of exceptional musical experiences, guaranteed to captivate our audiences.

Concert 1: "Echoes of the English Soul" Saturday, October 14, 2023, 7:30 PM

Under the baton of Music Director Barbara Schubert, the 70th Anniversary Season opens with "Echoes of the English Soul," featuring Concert Artists Guild and Sphinx Competition Winner Gabriel Martins. This highly acclaimed soloist will enrapture listeners with his performance of Edward Elgar's deeply moving Cello Concerto of 1919. The program also includes two noteworthy works by Ralph Vaughan Williams – his playful Overture to The Wasps and the powerful Symphony No. 9, his final work in the genre.

Concert 2: "Magic of the Magyars" Saturday, November 18, 2023, 7:30 PM

Rich Hungarian flavors promise to enthrall DSO audiences in "Magic of the Magyars," featuring Franz Liszt's enchanting Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 and Zoltán Kodály's charming Háry János Suite. Acclaimed bassoon soloist Eleni Katz takes listeners on a special journey with her spellbinding performance of Weber’s Hungarian-infused work, the Andante e Rondo ungarese. Liszt’s powerful and dramatic tone poem Les préludes caps the evening.

Concert 3: "Holly Jolly Harmonies" Sunday, December 17, 2023, 2 PM and 4 PM

Embrace the sparkle of the season with festive holiday creations by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel Barber, and more. Plus, enjoy a selection of seasonal medleys and carols with the Spectrum Youth Singers on stage. And who knows: will that special visitor in a fancy red suit take over the podium for another rousing rendition of Sleigh Ride?

Concert 4: "Reflections of the Rus’" Sunday, February 11, 2024, 3 PM

You’re bound to be dazzled by our Eastern European inspired concert, featuring Concert Artists Guild Winner Adam Sadberry, one of the Washington Post's "23 for '23 Artists to Watch." This acclaimed young virtuoso performs Aram Khachaturian's mesmerizing Flute Concerto, originally written for violin. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's rarely performed Symphony No. 3, known as The Polish, rounds out the program.

Concert 5: “Springtime Celebrations” Sunday, March 17, 2024, 3 PM

The DuPage Symphony celebrates the cultural holidays of springtime with Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture, Richard Strauss’s playful tone poem Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, and Victor Herbert’s folk tune flavored Irish Rhapsody. Plus stay tuned for our featured concert soloist, the high school age winner of the DSO’s 2024 Young Artists Auditions.

Concert 6: "Modern & Melodious" Saturday, May 18, 2024, 7:30 PM

For the grand finale of the DSO’s 70th Anniversary Season, celebrated trumpet player Mary Elizabeth Bowden joins the orchestra to perform the hauntingly beautiful (yet seldom heard) Trumpet Concerto of 1963 by Welsh composer Grace Williams, following on the heels of a short orchestral showpiece by Chicago-area composer Stacey Garrop. For an exuberant close to the year, the DSO presents Leonard Bernstein’s vibrant, colorful, and infectiously upbeat “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story – and more!

Subscriptions and single tickets for the 70th Anniversary Season are available now, offering music enthusiasts the opportunity to secure their seats for these unforgettable concerts. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.dupagesymphony.org or call the DSO Box Office at (630) 778-1003.

For media inquiries, please contact: Amber Broderick, DSO General Manager

Email: abroderick@dupagesymphony.org

Phone: (630) 822-8072