2024-25 Season

COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Hiawatha Overture
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 107 (“Reformation”)
BRAHMS: Hungarian Dances No. 5 and 6
MÄNTYJÄRVI: Richte mich, Gott (from “Stuttgarter Psalmen”)
DVOŘÁK: Te Deum

Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor
University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrew Major, Director
University of Illinois Chamber Singers, Andrea Solya, Director
Ellen Robertson, soprano
Ricardo Herrera, bass-baritone

The Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra’s 65th season begins with a concert of majestic music to stir the soul. The dramatic sweep of the Hiawatha Overture shows why Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is considered one of the finest composers of the late 19th century. Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 offers rich orchestral colors and a rousing finale based on the hymn “A Mighty Fortress.” CUSO is joined by the University of Illinois Oratorio Society and Chamber Singers to perform Antonín Dvořák’s uplifting Te Deum, one of his most joyous and celebratory works for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.

TICKETS
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

LULLY: Suite from Roland
     Ouverture
     Gigue
     Gavotte
     Chaconne
J. S. BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050
BUXTEHUDE: Toccata in D Minor
G. F. HANDEL: Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op. 6, No. 1, HWV 319
RAMEAU: Suite from Les Indes galantes, Naïs, and Hippolyte et Aricie

Maria Arrua, violin
Mary Leathers Chapman, flute
Stephen Alltop, Conductor, harpsichord, and organ

CUSO’s popular fall baroque concert will be performed once again in the beautiful North Sanctuary of Faith United Methodist Church. This engaging baroque program opens and closes with elegant and evocative music from the French masters Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. In his Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Johann Sebastian Bach weaves a sonic tapestry for three solo instruments and strings, and provides a blazing cadenza for the solo harpsichord, the first such keyboard solo in the history of music. Adding to the pleasures of this concert will be Dietrich Buxtehude’s impressive Toccata in D Minor for organ, and George Frideric Handel’s Concerto Grosso in G Major, a sparkling showcase for strings.

The Baroque Highlights concert will be performed at Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign in the North Sanctuary. Seating is general admission.

TICKETS
General Admission/Adult: $32
Youth/Student of any age, including U of I: $10

Baroque Highlights tickets are on sale now through CUSO. Download the ticket order form here. To place your credit card order by phone, call the CUSO office at 217-351-9139. Tickets may also be purchased online through Eventbrite here.

TCHAIKOVSKY: Overture from The Nutcracker
VIVALDI: Gloria, RV. 589
arr. FRY: Angels We Have Heard on High
TCHAIKOVSKY: Dances from The Nutcracker
      Waltz of the Flowers
      Dance Sequence
RUTTER: For the Beauty of the Earth
ANDERSON: Sleigh Ride
arr. NAUGHTIN: Christmas Angels Sing-Along
HANDEL: “Hallelujah Chorus” (from Messiah)

Stephen Alltop, Conductor
Central Illinois Youth Chorus, Andrea Solya, Conductor
University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrew Major, Director
Josefien Stoppelenburg, soprano
Kate Tombaugh, mezzo-soprano

The Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra’s December concert has become a favorite holiday tradition for music lovers of all ages. This year’s festive program brings the beautiful voices of the Central Illinois Youth Chorus and the University of Illinois Oratorio Society together in Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria and other joyous works. There’s more magic in store with performances of musical selections from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Leroy Anderson’s famous Sleigh Ride, and a visit from Santa. CUSO’s finale will make spirits bright with a sing-along of holiday carols and the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

TICKETS
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

TICKETS ON SALE THROUGH KRANNERT CENTER

CLYNE: Masquerade
PRICE arr. FINE: Adoration
SAINT-SAËNS: Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 103  (“The Egyptian”)
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67

Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor
Ran Dank, piano

Anna Clyne has garnered acclaim as one of the most imaginative composers of our time. CUSO’s March concert opens with Clyne’s Masquerade, an exuberant, action-packed piece that is sure to delight, followed by a string arrangement of Adoration by trailblazing composer Florence Price. CUSO welcomes celebrated pianist Ran Dank to perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ elegant Piano Concerto No. 5, “The Egyptian.” From its famous opening to its extraordinarily triumphant conclusion, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 holds a special place in the symphonic repertoire. To hear the power of this music in live performance is an unforgettable experience.

TICKETS
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

TICKETS ON SALE THROUGH KRANNERT CENTER

GLINKA: Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla
MUSSORGSKY: Night on the Bare Mountain (original version)
STRAVINSKY: The Rite of Spring

Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor
East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra, Kevin Kelly, Conductor

The premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in 1913 was a seismic event in music history. A composition of revolutionary brilliance and stunning imagination, The Rite of Spring calls for an enormous orchestra. Hearing this inspired work live is a bucket-list wish for many music lovers. An in-depth introduction to The Rite will be presented by Maestro Alltop and CUSO musicians. Complementing Stravinsky’s masterpiece, the concert will open with a lively overture by Mikhail Glinka. CUSO is pleased to welcome the talented young musicians of the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra for a side-by-side performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s thrilling orchestral poem, Night on the Bare Mountain.

TICKETS
$40 standard/$36 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

TICKETS ON SALE THROUGH KRANNERT CENTER