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Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra

Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra

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single concert

Verdi’s Requiem

Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.

Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

VERDI: Requiem

Stephen Alltop, Conductor
University of Illinois Meredith Chamber Singers, Andrea Solya, Director
University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrew Major, Director
University of Illinois Varsity Men’s Glee Club, Barrington Coleman, Director
University of Illinois Women’s Glee Club, Andrea Solya, Director
Laura Strickling, soprano
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano
Scott Ramsay, tenor
Stephen Clark, bass

The Requiem of Giuseppe Verdi is one of the most moving and memorable works of the choral repertoire. From the sublime beauty of soaring solo voices to the awe-inspiring power of the full orchestra with large chorus, this powerful music reaches deep into our souls. To hear this masterpiece sung by the combined choirs of the University of Illinois choral program in the resplendent Foellinger Great Hall will be a stunning experience.

TICKETS go on sale to the public August 13 at krannertcenter.com
$45 standard/$40 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 10%!
Order the concert series now through CUSO by July 21 and save! Download the 2025-26 Season Brochure here. Download the ticket order form here and the Foellinger Great Hall seating chart here.

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Happy Birthday, America!

American Highlights for the 250th Anniversary of the United States

Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.

Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

TOWER: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
BARBER: Adagio for Strings
BERNSTEIN: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
WILLIAMS: Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (from the film “Catch Me If You Can”)
HOLLAND: Dream Elegy
SIERRA: Fandangos

Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor
Taimur Sullivan, alto saxophone

The Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra offers a wide-ranging program of American music to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States. Joan Tower’s bold Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman and Leonard Bernstein’s unforgettable Symphonic Dances from West Side Story will contrast deeply contemplative music by Samuel Barber and Jonathan Bailey Holland. John Williams’ cool jazz score for the film Catch Me if You Can is reimagined as a spell-binding concerto for alto saxophone, expertly played by Champaign’s own Taimur Sullivan. The lively Fandangos of Roberto Sierra will bring the evening to an uproarious close.

TICKETS go on sale to the public August 13 at krannertcenter.com
$45 standard/$40 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 10%!
Order the concert series now through CUSO by July 21 and save! Download the 2025-26 Season Brochure here. Download the ticket order form here and the Foellinger Great Hall seating chart here.

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Good Tidings!

Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.

Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

J. S. BACH arr. ORMANDY: “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” BWV 140
POULENC: Gloria
arr. BREINER: Angels We Have Heard on High
Traditional French Carol: Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
LEONTOVYCH arr. NAUGHTIN: Carol of the Bells
WILLIAMS: Two Songs from the film Home Alone
      “Star of Bethlehem”
      “Somewhere in My Memory”
ANDERSON: Sleigh Ride
arr. NAUGHTIN: Christmas Angels Sing-Along
HANDEL: “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah

Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor
Emily Birsan, soprano
University of Illinois Meredith Chamber Singers, Andrea Solya, Director
University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrew Major, Director
Central Illinois Youth Chorus, Andrea Solya, Director

Celebrate the season with the glad musical tidings of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra’s beloved holiday concert, a favorite family event for music lovers of all ages. CUSO is joined by the University of Illinois Chamber Singers and Oratorio Society to perform Gloria of Francis Poulenc, a spectacular work for large chorus and full orchestra. The angelic voices of the Central Illinois Youth Chorus will be featured in music by John Williams from the film Home Alone. Uplifting songs of the season, a visit from Santa, and a sing-along of carols are sure to make spirits bright.

TICKETS go on sale to the public August 13 at krannertcenter.com
$45 standard/$40 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 10%!
Order the concert series now through CUSO by July 21 and save! Download the 2025-26 Season Brochure here. Download the ticket order form here and the Foellinger Great Hall seating chart here.

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ConcertoFest

Saturday, November 22, 2025 | 4:00 p.m.

Faith United Methodist Church
1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign

HANDEL: Concerto a due cori No. 1 in B-Flat Major, HWV 332
HAYDN: Concerto for Violin, Harpsichord and String Orchestra in F Major, Hob. XVIII:6
ALBINONI: Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Op. 9 No. 2
RAMEAU: Suite from Les Boréades

Maria Arrua, violin
John Dee, oboe
Stephen Alltop, Conductor and harpsichord
Francis Ho, Assistant Conductor

Savor an afternoon of beautiful Baroque music performed in the stunning acoustics of Faith United Methodist Church. This year’s concert starts with spectacular music by George Frideric Handel. You’ll delight in hearing famous choruses recast for two instrumental “choirs” in the Concerto a due cori in B-Flat Major. Concertmaster Maria Arrua and Music Director Stephen Alltop will team up in a fabulous and rarely heard concerto for Violin and Harpsichord by Joseph Haydn. Principal oboist John Dee will shine in Tomaso Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto in D Minor. Magical and enchanting music from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera Les Boréades will conclude this enjoyable afternoon.

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

ConcertoFest tickets are available 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 starting on July 26, 2025.

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 10%!
Order the concert series now through CUSO by July 21 and save! Download the 2025-26 Season Brochure here.

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The Thrill of the Orchestra

Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.

Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

BRAHMS: Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G Major
RACHMANINOFF: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor
Timothy Ehlen, piano

The 66th season of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra opens with three blockbuster works. The festivities commence with Johannes Brahms’ ebullient Academic Festival Overture. University of Illinois faculty member Timothy Ehlen brings his virtuosity to Maurice Ravel’s splashy Piano Concerto. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s final composition for orchestra, the Symphonic Dances, is a brilliant work that also held great personal meaning for the composer. Hearing this masterpiece live is a thrill that audiences remember for a lifetime.

TICKETS go on sale to the public August 13 at krannertcenter.com
$45 standard/$40 senior/$10 youth, student of any age

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 10%!
Order the concert series now through CUSO by July 21 and save! Download the 2025-26 Season Brochure here. Download the ticket order form here and the Foellinger Great Hall seating chart here.

Subscribe

Baroque Highlights

Saturday, November 16, 2024 | 4:00 p.m.

Faith United Methodist Church
1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign

Tickets No Longer Available

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.

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Calendar

Oct 12, 2024: Music and Majesty
Nov 16, 2024: Baroque Highlights
Dec 11, 2024: Season of Glory
Mar 8, 2025: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
Apr 12, 2025: The Rite of Spring

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