Elgin Symphony Orchestra presents Faure's Requiem

Description

Elgin Symphony Orchestra and Elgin Master Chorale Perform Fauré’s “Requiem” and More, March 7 and 8
Featuring Guest Vocalists Laura Strickling, Soprano, and Jesse Blumberg, Baritone
 
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra continues its 76th Season Classics Series with a program of powerful choral music and theatrical drama on Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 8, at 2:30 p.m., at The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Led by ESO Music Director Chad Goodman, the orchestra is joined by the Elgin Master Chorale and guest vocalists Laura Strickling, soprano, and Jesse Blumberg, baritone, for a moving and multifaceted program featuring works by Valerie Coleman, Edvard Grieg, and Gabriel Fauré. It is Strickling’s second performance with the ESO, her first being in May 2024 when she joined the orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth.
 
The concert opens with Coleman’s invigorating “Seven O’Clock Shout,” written during the COVID-19 pandemic as a tribute to frontline workers and the power of community. It continues with a special performance of handpicked selections from Edvard Grieg’s evocative music from “Peer Gynt”. The centerpiece of the evening is Gabriel Fauré’s “Requiem,” a serene and transcendent setting of the mass that offers comfort and peace in its vision of eternal rest.
 
The Elgin Master Chorale, long-time collaborators with the ESO, brings its signature blend of clarity, power, and expressivity to this deeply spiritual program.
A Pre-Concert Talk by ESO Music Director Chad Goodman will take place one-hour prior to each concert.  
 
Tickets are available at ElginSymphony.org. Tickets start at $20. Continuing its commitment to making performances affordable and accessible to the community, the ESO offers discounted student tickets for $10 for those with a valid student ID, and free youth tickets for children age 17 and under with a paid adult ticket. Call the ESO Box Office at 847-888-4000 for more information and to include free youth tickets in your order. The ESO Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra was named Professional Orchestra of the Year in 2025 by the Illinois Council of Orchestras, which also awarded Goodman the Professional Conductor of the Year award.
 
The ESO’s 76^th Season is made possible through the generous support of donors, including Season Sponsors Otto® and Willow Springs Charitable Trust; Concert Sponsors Illinois Arts Council Agency, The Pepper Family Foundation, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., and the S.E. (Stu) Ainsworth Family; Contributing Sponsors: Elgin Symphony League, The Driskill Foundation, Barrington Area Community Foundation, Florence B. and Cornelia A. Palmer Foundation, Seigle Foundation, and the Francis J. and Patricia A. Houlihan Foundation; and Community Sponsors the City of Elgin, W.R. Meadows, ARK Technologies, Inc., and Epic Real Estate Group.