Latest news with #ElginSymphonyOrchestra
Chicago Tribune
30-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: Elgin Area Firefighters Memorial Service set for Saturday; Ecker Center's open house part of fundraising campaign
Elgin Area Firefighters Memorial Service set for Saturday The 33rd annual Elgin Area Firefighters Memorial Service will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 3, at the Illinois Firefighters Memorial Plaza outside Elgin Fire Barn #5 Museum, 533 St. Charles St., Elgin. Illinois firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past year will be honored as will active duty or retired members who died in the last 12 months, according to a social media post for the event. Parking is available on the street and in the lot across the street at Garfield Elementary School, 420 May St. The ceremony will be live streamed on the Elgin Fire Department Facebook page and can be viewed after the memorial on Facebook and the city of Elgin's website. For more information, call 847-931-6175. Ecker Center's open house part of fundraising campaign As part of its spring fundraising campaign, Ecker Center for Behavioral Health will hold a family-friendly open house from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. at its Elgin building at 1845 Grandstand Place. The event will feature: Guided tours and personal meet-and-greets with Ecker staff and clients; Interactive program stations; Client-created artwork and a preview of a June 12 art show at Elgin Community College; A community mural concept unveiling and opportunities to get involved; Free food trucks, refreshments, raffles, giveaways and family-friendly activities; Department-specific wish lists that will allow attendees to contribute directly to priority needs. Entitled 'Strength in Community: Celebrating, 70 Years of Impact,' the campaign runs through June 30 and has a goal of $70,000 to fund interior and exterior building improvements. For more information, go to Elgin Symphony Orchestra holding final 75th season concerts The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will hold its final concerts of the 75th season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. During the Saturday concert, ESO CEO Marc Thayer will present School District U-46 Fine Arts Coordinator Jaimie Abney-Giraldo with the symphony's Educator of the Year Award. 'Jaimie has partnered with the Elgin Symphony for many years and assisted music teachers throughout the U-46 district in elevating students' music experiences through student attendance at the ESO's youth education concerts at The Hemmens and hosting ESO musicians in their schools for classes, concerts and Adopt-a-School programs,' Thayer said in a news release. Conductor Chad Goodman will lead performances of Ligeti's 'Lontano,' Mozart's Symphony No. 31, 'Paris,' and Holst's 'The Planets.' The performances will feature sopranos and altos from the Elgin Master Chorale. For tickets, go to For more information, email boxoffice@ or call 847-888-4000. Elgin Police Department begins Walk and Talk season Monday The Elgin Police Department will hold its first Walk and Talk event of the season from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, May 5, starting at the corner of Cimarron Court and Chaparral Circle. Walk and Talks have been held annually for more than 10 years. Police officers go into different neighborhoods weekly in the warmer months to speak with residents and discuss neighborhood concerns. These are the walks planned for this month: Tuesday, May 6, 1 to 2 p.m., starting at the Highland House Apartments, 717-721 Highland Ave.; Thursday, May 8, 1 to 2 p.m., starting on Pioneer Park Place in the Garden Crescent Apartment complex; Thursday, May 8, 8 to 9 p.m., starting at the intersection of Goodfield Landing and Gallant Fox Drive in the Highland Woods subdivision; Tuesday, May 13, 11 a.m. to noon, starting at the corner of Watch Court and Watch Street; Thursday, May 15, 1 to 2 p.m., starting in the 1300 to 1400 block of Creekside Court; Tuesday, May 27, 9 to 10 a.m., starting on Adams Street between Mosely and Gertrude streets. For more information, call 847-289-2700.
Chicago Tribune
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: ESO, bandura ensemble performing at Elgin church; Hall of Famer Frank Thomas to sign autographs in Elgin
ESO, bandura ensemble to perform Sunday at Elgin church Elgin Symphony Orchestra's 'Melodies of Resilience: A Concert Honoring Ukraine and Its Culture,' featuring The Chicago Bandura Ensemble, will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Journey of Hope United Methodist Church in Elgin. The bandura is a traditional Ukrainian stringed instrument that blends elements of the zither and the lute, according to the ESO website. All ensemble members sing and play the bandura. The concert is in support of Ukraine and its ongoing war with Russia. The church is located at 37W040 W. Highland Ave. For tickets and more information, go to Elgin library program to focus on ESO's 75th anniversary Retired educator Ann Chipman will speak about the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's first 75 years in a program to be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. Chipman will present archival photos and video interviews during the event, which will cover the history of the symphony from its beginning in the 1950s as a community orchestra to its current status as an award-winning professional orchestra, according to the library's website. To register to attend, go to Hall of Famer Frank Thomas to sign autographs in Elgin Former Chicago White Sox player Frank Thomas, a member of the MLB Hall of Fame, will sign autographs from 5 to 7 p.m Saturday, Feb. 22, at Top Shelf Sports Cards, 359 S. Randall Road, Elgin. Tickets for the event range from $10 to $559, depending on options chosen, according to the Top Shelf Sports Cards website. Those options include authentication, photo ops, autographs and VIP packages. Thomas, whose nickname was 'The Big Hurt,' spent most of his major league career in the 1990s and early 2000s with the White Sox. During his career, he hit 521 home runs, drove in 1,704 runs, had 2,468 hits and achieved a .301 batting average, according to For more information, go to Historian to talk about slavery in Illinois at Elgin museum Historian and educator Caroline Kisiel will present, 'Did Black Lives Matter in Early Illinois?: Voices from the Brink of Slavery and Freedom,' at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Elgin History Museum, 360 Park St. Combining historical readings, visuals and audience engagement, the program will look at the legacy of slavery and freedom in Illinois, according to the museum's website.
Chicago Tribune
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
With Hemmens addition nearly finished, lineup of new shows booked for first time since 2012
The $14.4 million addition to The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin is nearly complete, with its first series of shows in more than a decade scheduled and a grand opening event being planned for May. 'The construction phase of the project is substantially complete, with only finish work remaining,' said Amanda Harris, Elgin's director of cultural arts and special events. The ambitious project includes a new north side entrance, reception/bar area, first-floor restrooms, expanded elevator and external box office. A second-floor outdoor balcony should be finished by mid-April. Construction on the 15,000-square-foot expansion, meant to revitalize the aging building, began in July 2023, funded with money from the city of Elgin and the city's Central Area TIF district. The new wing was designed by Cordogan, Clark & Associates, which also oversaw its construction. The Hemmens dates back 1969 when it was built as part of Elgin's Civic Center Plaza, Harris said. Its mid-century modern, glass-and-steel style look was the product of famed architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which was also responsible for Chicago's John Hancock Center in 1967 and the Sears Tower in 1971. Initially construction was to be finished by January but work was delayed by underground infrastructure problems, which added to the price tag. The project remained on budget after that, despite some supply chain disruptions, Harris said. Even as work progressed, Hemmens' 1,200-seat theater and other parts of the building were still being used for events and performances, chiefly by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. However, the last true performance season scheduled at the entertainment venue was in 2012. The last show: Dennis DeYoung, former lead singer of Styx. In anticipation of restarting the entertainment season lineups, the city hired Anthony Lentino as its cultural arts and special events programming manager in July. He came to Elgin after eight years with the now-closed Laugh Out Loud Theater in Schaumburg. Lentino helped book this spring's initial season, featuring such shows as The Miracles, '512: The Selena Experience' and comedian Michael Palascak. Lentino said he has been reconnecting with agents who previously worked with the center as they work to set up the fall season, which will run through spring 2026. 'We really want to bring a variety of entertainment,' Lentino said. 'I'm looking at a whole lot of acts. I'm trying to cover the whole spectrum of performances here.' The Elgin Symphony Orchestra's 2024-25 season has not been affected by the construction other than for changes to the artist's entrance area, according to orchestra CEO Marc Thayer. 'The minor inconvenience of our musicians having to enter and exit through the same front entrance that the audience uses has meant more interaction with the audience, especially after performances, something we hope that we can continue,' Thayer said. 'The audience and the musicians have enjoyed increased interaction and the musicians enjoy getting to know their patrons.' One boon of the renovation has been restrooms now being available on all levels and an elevator that goes to the balcony, he said. The new amenities will greatly improve the customer experience, he said. Those improvements should, in turn, help increase ticket sales, encourage repeat visits and draw new customers, he said. The new space also means there will be more options for holding receptions, parties, donor events and educational programs. 'This growth in patrons will increase donor generosity and support for the orchestra,' Thayer said. Symphony patron Linda Poppen Knight said she's appreciating the work that's being done. 'It's looking a lot better,' she said. 'The architecture from the outside, with the slanted windows, is looking more modern and snazzy.'
