Elgin Symphony Orchestra

10/01/2026

Listen closely when the "Saturday Night Waltz" begins. The strings start by sliding into open fifths, imitating a barn full of fiddlers tuning up before the dancing starts. It is one of those small moments that tells you exactly where you are standing. Copland's Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo opens the ESO's season October 10 and 11.

🎟️ elginsymphony.org/tickets

09/30/2026

See you tomorrow! Join the musicians of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for happy hour at SUR Barrels & Boards, Thursday at 5:00 PM. Stop by after work, grab a drink, and meet the people who make the music.

09/29/2026

Get the inside story before the season opens. Next week, Assistant Principal Second Violin Robbie Herbst leads two free Listener's Club sessions on our opening program of Copland, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky, sharing the history behind the music and what to listen for from your seat.

📍 Tuesday, October 6 at 1:00 PM at Barrington Area Library
📍 Wednesday, October 7 at 12:00 PM Noon at Gail Borden Public Library

🔗 https://www.elginsymphony.org/en/community-events

09/29/2026

Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto opens with one of the biggest melodies ever written, and then he never uses it again. Not once in the remaining thirty minutes. It arrives, fills the hall, and disappears for good. Drew Petersen performs it with the ESO October 10 and 11.

🎟️ elginsymphony.org/tickets

09/28/2026

The piano appears twice on our opening program, doing completely different work each time. In the Stravinsky, it sits inside the orchestra as one voice among many. In the Tchaikovsky, it steps out front as the soloist and takes on the entire ensemble. Same instrument, two entirely different relationships with the orchestra, one afternoon or evening. October 10 and 11 at the Hemmens.

🎟️ elginsymphony.org/tickets

09/27/2026

Ever wondered what the musicians of the ESO are like offstage? Come find out over drinks at SUR Barrels & Boards on Thursday, October 1 at 5:00 PM. It's a relaxed evening to meet members of the orchestra, ask questions, and kick off the season together.

09/26/2026

09/24/2026

The first musician Tchaikovsky showed his First Piano Concerto to called it worthless and unplayable, and told him to rewrite it. Tchaikovsky refused to change a single note. The concerto premiered in Boston in October 1875, and the audience loved it so much they made the pianist play the finale again on the spot. Drew Petersen performs it with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra October 10 and 11.

🎟️ elginsymphony.org/tickets

09/23/2026

Join us for happy hour with the musicians of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra! Grab a drink, say hello, and get to know the people behind the music on Thursday, October 1 at 5:00 PM at SUR Barrels & Boards. We'd love to see you there.

09/21/2026

Here is something you may not expect from a program of Copland, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky. All three of these works were heard for the first time in the United States. Rodeo premiered in New York in 1942. Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1946 with the composer conducting. And Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, the most Russian-sounding of the three, had its world premiere in Boston in 1875. October 10 and 11.

🎟️ elginsymphony.org/tickets