Classical music may conjure up thoughts of Europe or other far-off places but Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra strives to highlight not only well-known pieces but also those by U.S. composers.
The Park Forest-based performing arts organization’s opening night for its 2024-25 season features Three Great American Symphonies on Sept. 21 at Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Chapel in Palos Heights.
“We are an American orchestra and there is a lot of artistry to celebrate in our country,” Gibb music director Stilian Kirov said.
“More and more orchestras in the United States are discovering a lot of works from the past that haven’t been performed so much. It is part of our mission to do that as well,” he said.
Three Great American Symphonies is a collaboration with American Music Project, a nonprofit marking its 10th anniversary season after being founded by Lawrence A. Johnson.
“We share a lot of common goals and a lot of common admiration for American music. The mission of bringing distinguished American composers to the stage is definitely something we strongly believe in,” said Kirov.
“All three pieces in the program are outstanding. They are rewarding. They are beautifully written.”
The program includes the Midwest premiere of David Diamond’s Symphony No. 2.
“It’s always exciting to present something to a new region or new demographic,” said Kirov, who is also music director of Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra in California and interim artistic adviser and principal conductor for Southwest Florida Symphony.
“It’s one of the great American symphonies to ever be written. It’s not performed often, which we would like to correct so hopefully more orchestras will take interest in this,” he said.
The concert also features William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 3 (“The Sunday Symphony”).
“It’s lively. It’s exciting. It’s light so it creates a nice balance in the program to bring this kind of easygoing music,” he said. “It’s a little gem. I haven’t done either of these pieces before. They’re personal premieres for me.”
John Vincent’s Symphony in D is also in the mix.
“(Vincent) thought that having a one-movement symphony creates much better coherence and organic form for the work,” Kirov said.
“This was written, as he says it himself, during happy times for him so it’s a symphony that has this upbeat feel to it and also is pleasant to experience,” he said.
The 47th season also includes traveling to Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts, 1 University Parkway, University Park, for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” presented in partnership with Kokandy Productions on Oct. 19.
“Our orchestra is usually performing mainly in a concert setting so this will be something a little bit new to us but also a very exciting collaboration with musicians, actors and singers from all over Chicago,” said Kirov.
Carmon DeLeone Returns for Rachmaninoff on Nov. 16 at Ozinga Chapel will feature the namesake conductor laureate, who takes the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra baton for the first time since 2011.
“He is a legend among our orchestra. He led Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra for so many years. He is someone who has contributed so much to the orchestra. We’re happy to have him back,” Kirov said.
That performance will include internationally acclaimed pianist Fei-Fei.
Upcoming shows also include a concert of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” on Dec. 14, and Star Wars and More: A Celebration of John Williams on Feb. 22, featuring the return of University Park native Matthew Lipman as guest violist.
Other 2025 shows include Ride the Winds on March 22, featuring an American Composers Orchestra’s world premiere by Sepehr Pirasteh, and Organ Spectacular on May 17, with a 46-rank pipe organ and a world premiere by 2023-24 Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra composer-in-residence Oswald Huỳnh.
Three Great American Symphonies
When: 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21
Where: Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Chapel, 6601 W. College Drive, Palos Heights
Tickets: $20-$86
Information: 708-481-7774; ipomusic.org
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
