Fifty of the Chicago area’s finest musicians gather every summer to present free concerts at Hodges Park in Park Ridge. They are members of the acclaimed Park Ridge Fine Arts Symphony, led by Music Director and Conductor Barbara Schubert. The concerts are presented by the Park Ridge Fine Arts Society.
This year’s concerts, which are performed on the steps of City Hall, are “Park Ridge Favorites” on July 19 and “The History of Stage and Screen” on July 26.
Schubert reported that there are three main pieces on the July 19 concert.
“We’re going to do first the ‘Meistersinger Overture,’” she said. “Wagner’s ‘Meistersinger Opera’ is about master singers and here we have a masterful orchestra presenting it. It’s a joyous triumphant march-like overture.”
For the second piece, Schubert chose a favorite of Frank York, who founded the orchestra in 1961, the “Carmen Suite” from Bizet’s Opera, “Carmen.” “It’s a very appealing piece with a little bit of Spanish flavor and a very familiar tune,” the conductor said.
The third main piece will be Dvorák’s “Symphony No. 8 in G Major.” “It’s a very, very tuneful beautiful piece,” Schubert noted. “It’s lots of fun to play, too. It has a lot of vitality. Every time we’ve done it at Park Ridge, it’s caused quite a stir.”
The July 26 concert will focus on Broadway music and film music. Schubert said it will include some traditional Broadway music from such shows as “West Side Story” and “Man of La Mancha,” and film music by John Williams and other composers.
“It will be a blend of the really familiar and the appealing, but maybe not as familiar,” Schubert said.
Schubert noted that the orchestra is limited to around 50 musicians because that’s how many players and instruments will fit on the City Hall steps. “Because they’re such strong players and we have a good sound system that we have to hire every time, it sounds like a full orchestra,” she said.
Schubert reported, “We’re very generously supported by the Chicago Federation of Musicians.”
Many of the members of the orchestra have a long history with the orchestra.
“My first concert was July 3, 1976,” said Christine Due. She has been performing with the Park Ridge Fine Arts Symphony ever since.
“Within a few years, I was principal viola,” Due said. “What I loved at the beginning, was that there were a lot of retired Chicago Symphony players and retired Lyric Opera players — they were kind of legends. I learned so much from them.”
Due has always had private students in addition to performing. She particularly enjoys the Park Ridge Fine Arts Symphony performances.
“The venue is so wonderful,” she said. “It’s a wonderful audience. They’re so knowledgeable and appreciative.”
Due is looking forward to the July 19 concert. “I’m so excited to do the overture to ‘Meistersinger.’ It’s one of my favorite overtures,” she said. “It is so uplifting.”
In addition, Due revealed, “I really pushed for the Dvorák 8.”
Ross Beacraft of Park Ridge is the orchestra’s principal trumpet player. He played with the orchestra early in his career, he said, then left to pursue other musical opportunities. He returned after Barbara Schubert began conducting the orchestra around 20 years ago.
In addition, he is a professional freelance trumpet player in Chicago, serving as principal trumpet with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and principal trumpet with the Chicago Opera Theater, and playing with the Chicago Brass Quintet.
In terms of the July 19 concert, Beacraft said, “Everything that we’re playing is a favorite.”
“Musicians love to share their love of music with audiences,” Schubert said. “And having such big audiences and such appreciative audiences really makes it special for the players. They get a great sense of satisfaction and joy from presenting the concerts.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Park Ridge Fine Arts Symphony
When: 8 p.m. July 19 and 26
Where: Hodges Park, 101 S. Courtland Ave., Park Ridge
Tickets: Free
Information: prfas.org
