“Pied Piper Fantasy,” the second concert of the Elmhurst Symphony’s 57th season, on November 12 at 3:00 p.m., welcomes you to an afternoon of majestic beauty and theatrical splendor when renowned flutist and Elmhurst resident Mary Stolper headlines a program of musical favorites that will appeal to all ages. You will be enveloped by the lush strings of the orchestra in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, be inspired by Felix Mendelssohn’s tribute to the Reformation in Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 107, and be carried away by the Pied Piper in John Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy for Flute and Orchestra. Local flute students will join Stolper in portraying the exciting story of how the piper saved the inhabitants of Hamelin.
Mary Stolper is currently Principal Flute of the Grant Park Symphony Festival Orchestra and Music of the Baroque Orchestra, both in Chicago. She also acts as Principal Flute with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and the Joffrey Ballet. As a sought-after orchestral and chamber musician and soloist, Stolper often performs throughout the city, nationally and internationally. This concert is underwritten in part by generous gifts from Jane and Richard Kiep (Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia) and Elaine Libovicz (Mary Stolper’s performance.)
Following the concert, you are invited to help support the ESO by enjoying dinner from the HB Jones Food Truck, which will be stationed in front of the main entrance to the church. On the menu are a variety of delicious sandwiches or mac and cheese. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased on the ESO web site (www.elmhurstsymphony.org.) Seating is in the Garden Room, where beverages and desserts will be served. HB Jones will donate fifteen percent of sales to the ESO.
The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Stephen Alltop, performs in the beautiful contemporary venue at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, 149 W. Brush Hill Rd in Elmhurst. The church has accessible parking and facilities; parking is free. The concert experience at ECRC is enhanced by the informative and lively discussion, Behind the Music Stand, led by audience favorite Dr. Ted Hatmaker, which takes place at 1:45 p.m. prior to the concert.
Concert tickets, which can be purchased on the ESO web site or by calling the Box Office at 630-941-0202, are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors, and $12 for students. Group and family rates are also available. Save on ticket costs by purchasing a three- or four-concert 2017-18 season subscription on the ESO web site, by calling the Box Office, or at the concert. Subscriber benefits include purchase of additional single tickets for $25, free exchange of tickets (conditions apply), and subscriber-only special gatherings. For more information call the Box Office.
The 57th season of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra is made possible in part by grants from the City of Elmhurst, the Illinois Arts Council (a state agency), the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, and 90.9FM WDCB, Chicago’s Home for Jazz.