ORCHESTRAL SPLENDOR
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
in Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
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HIGDON: Percussion Concerto
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
She-e Wu, percussion
CUSO opens the 2023-24 season with an incandescent evening of blockbuster works. Percussionist extraordinaire She-e Wu will amaze you in Jennifer Higdon’s imaginative Percussion Concerto. The spotlight will also shine on the CUSO’s brass in the beloved tone poem Finlandia by Jean Sibelius. The Symphony No. 2 by Sibelius is an awe-inspiring masterpiece and one of the composer’s greatest works. Join CUSO for musical grandeur at its finest!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW THROUGH KRANNERT CENTER
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age
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BAROQUE GEMS
Saturday, November 4, 2023 | 4:00 p.m.
Faith United Methodist Church
1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign
LÜBECK: Präludium in E Major
J. S. BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major, BWV 1049
DALL’ABACO: Concerto grosso à più istrumenti in D Major, Op. 5 No. 6
RAMEAU: Pièces de Clavecin en concert
La Forqueray
La Cupis
Tambourin en Rondeau
TELEMANN: Tafelmusik II
Maria Arrua, violin
Mary Leathers Chapman and Amanda Pond, flute
Stephen Alltop, Conductor, harpsichord, and organ
The Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra continues its tradition of popular baroque concerts with an array of sparkling selections. Concerto grossi by George Frideric Handel and Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco offer an exciting interplay of solo lines with spirited responses by the full ensemble. The virtuosity of Concertmaster Maria Arrua will be featured in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4. Gracious music by Jean-Philippe Rameau and thrilling music for trumpet, oboe, and strings by Georg Philipp Telemann will round out this joyous program.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
The Baroque Gems concert will be performed at Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign. Seating is general admission, with reserved seating for CUSO series subscribers in the first eight rows.
General Admission Adults: $32
Youth and Students of any age: $10
Tickets are on sale now only through the CUSO office. Download the ticket order form here. To order tickets by phone, call CUSO at 217-351-9139.
A SEASON OF JOY
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
in Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
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arr. LECK and CABLE: Ding-Dong Merrily on High (Traditional English Carol)
J. S. BACH: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
HAYDN: Organ Concerto in C Major, III. Allegro Molto
BACH: Christmas Oratorio (selections)
JESSELL: Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
WILLIAMS: Two Songs from Home Alone
PRAETORIUS: Dances from Terpsichore
ANDERSON: Sleigh Ride
arr. NAUGHTIN: Christmas Angels Sing-Along
HANDEL: “Hallelujah Chorus” (from Messiah)
Central Illinois Youth Chorus, Andrea Solya, Conductor
University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrea Solya, Conductor
Stephen Alltop, Conductor and chamber organ
Join CUSO for a holiday concert of wide-ranging delights designed to usher in a Season of Joy. From popular favorites like songs from Home Alone and Parade of the Wooden Soldiers to magnificent selections from the Christmas Oratorio of Bach, there will be music to please every listener. The lovely voices of the Central Illinois Youth Chorus and the University of Illinois Oratorio Society will add great beauty and cheer to the evening. There’s a good chance Santa Claus will also make an appearance! The finale will make spirits bright as Maestro Alltop leads a sing-along of favorite carols and the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
TICKETS ON SALE NOW THROUGH KRANNERT CENTER
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age
Buy Tickets
CELEBRATION: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRUCKNER!
Saturday, February 10, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
in Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
MOZART: MOZART: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”)
DVOŘÁK: Festival March
BRUCKNER: Te Deum
University of Illinois Oratorio Society and Chamber Singers, Andrea Solya, Conductor
This jubilant celebration begins with the engaging concert opener Outburst by the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Abels. From sublime melodies to incredible contrapuntal genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 is the epitome of the composer’s work in this genre. Following the rarely heard and lively Festive March of Antonín Dvořák, we’ll join with the musical world in celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner with his majestic and soul-inspiring Te Deum for soloists, chorus, and full orchestra.
TICKETS ON SALE NOVEMBER 15!
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age
Tickets may be ordered beginning November 15 and must be purchased from Krannert Center online. To order tickets, go to Krannert Center’s website.
FANFARES FINALE—SALUTING PAUL VERMEL AT 100
Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
in Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
PUCCINI: Crisantemi
ARUTIUNIAN: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra
EVERSON: Festival Fanfare (World Premiere)
HINDEMITH: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
John Hagstrom, trumpet
We conclude our season with a salute to the one hundredth birthday of former CUSO Music Director Paul Vermel, including music such as Brahms’ elegant Variations on a Theme by Haydn that Maestro Vermel conducted with the orchestra. John Hagstrom, long-time member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra trumpet section, will dazzle you in the tuneful and energetic Trumpet Concerto by Alexander Arutiunian. Paul Hindemith’s brilliant Symphonic Metamorphosis is a tour de force for the symphony orchestra and will bring our season to a rousing conclusion!
TICKETS ON SALE NOVEMBER 15!
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age
Tickets may be ordered beginning November 15 and must be purchased from Krannert Center online. To order tickets, go to Krannert Center’s website.