Saturday, May 6, 2023, 7:00PM
Pre-Concert Conversation with Dr. Ted Hatmaker at 5:45 PM in the Upper Gathering Area
Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church
What’s Interesting About This Concert
- Joy! Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony adapts the text of the “Ode to Joy”, a poem by Friedrich Schiller (with some additional text thrown in there by Beethoven himself). If there was ever a piece to feed your soul, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is it!
- The very first symphony to ever employ a chorus (sung at this performance by the Elmhurst Choral Union), the work is considered Beethoven’s greatest and one of the most significant pieces of music in history.
- The program opens by featuring violinist Elinor Detmer, winner of the 2022 Stanger Competition, in a performance of the Violin Concerto by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, widely considered one of the best (and most difficult) violin concertos ever written.
What’s Playing
Sibelius: Violin Concerto — I. Allegro moderato
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Who’s Performing
Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra
Elmhurst Choral Union
Members of Apollo Chorus of Chicago
Stephen Alltop Music Director & Conductor
Elinor Detmer violin | 2022 Stanger Competition Winner
Michelle Areyzaga Soprano
Tetyana Vakhnovska Mezzo-Soprano
Peder Reiff Tenor
Bill McMurray Bass-Baritone