What better way to brighten a January afternoon than to hear the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and four outstanding musicians perform a concert of well-loved Baroque gems. Music lovers will have that opportunity on two different dates and in two different locations as the ESO continues its 55th season of outstanding musical offerings. The first concert, on Saturday, January 16 at 2:30 p.m., takes place in the intimate space of Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook. The second concert will be in the ESO’s home at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church (ECRC) in Elmhurst at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 24. In either venue you will find yourself transported to the concert halls of Europe by music of Telemann, Vivaldi and other Baroque composers when featured soloists Claudia Cryer and Jodi Taylor (flutists) and Laura Perkett and Andrew Nogal (oboeists) join ESO Music Director and Conductor Stephen Alltop and the ESO Baroque ensemble for an afternoon of unforgettable music. Featured on both programs are Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Oboes in C major, Telemann’s Concerto for Two Flutes in A minor and Biber’s incomparable Battalia.  You will also hear Rameau’s heroic ballet music Les Indes gallants and Lully’s Overture to Roland, exemplifying the regal majesty of Baroque music at its highest, complete with trumpets and drums. Mouret’s well-known Rondeau and music by Charpentier and Desmarets round out the program.

The Mayslake concert is underwritten by an anonymous donor, and the ECRC concert is made possible in part by a gift from Jane and Richard Kiep, who have underwritten the cost of the music being performed.

Special events are being featured throughout this 55th season of the ESO that celebrates the 20th anniversaries with the ESO of Maestro Alltop and Concertmaster Rika Seko. To benefit the youth outreach programs of the ESO, a bake sale will be held at the January 24 ECRC concert. Proceeds support the ESO’s annual visits to area schools, where ESO members perform for elementary and junior high students, reaching several thousand students each year. Bake sale proceeds also help support the annual Stanger Young Artists Auditions.

Mayslake Peabody Estate is located at 1717 West 31st St. in Oak Brook. Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church is located at 149 W. Brush Hill Rd. in Elmhurst; parking is free and the church is accessible. The concert experience at ECRC is enhanced by the informative and lively discussion, Behind the Music Stand, led by audience favorite Dr.Ted Hatmaker, which takes place at 1:45 p.m., prior to the concert. 

Tickets for both concerts can be purchased on the ESO web site at www.elmhurstsymphony.org or by calling the ESO Box Office at 630-941-0202.  Mayslake tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors, and $7 for students. Tickets for the concert at ECRC are $32 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $9 for students. There is an additional $5 per ticket charge for tickets purchased at the door. Group and family rates are also available. Three-concert subscriptions for the remainder of the season are still available for purchase. For information visit the web site or call the ESO Box Office.

The 55th season of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra is made possible in part by grants from the City of Elmhurst, the Illinois Arts Council (a state agency), the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, and 90.9FM WDCB, Chicago’s Home for Jazz.