New Philharmonic presents 36th Anniversary Concerts in River Forest and Wheaton during McAninch Arts Center renovation

 

GLEN ELLYN, IL – New Philharmonic and Maestro Kirk Muspratt present the orchestra’s2012-2013 season featuring five concerts in an exciting mix of classical and opera music.

 

To accommodate the upcoming renovation of the McAninch Arts Center this season’s concertswill alternate between Dominican University, River Forest and Wheaton College’s Edman Memorial Chapel. Tickets for all 2012-2013 season concerts are on sale now. To order tickets, call (630) 942-4000, or visit: www.AtTheMAC.org

 

New Philharmonic (NP) and Music Director and Conductor Kirk Muspratt open NP’s 36th Anniversary Season with “Brahms-Blissful and Bold” featuring the return of pianist Yeol eum Son, silver medalist of the Van Cliburn and Tchaikovsky competitions, Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. at the Lund Auditorium at Dominican University Performing Arts Center, 7900 W. Division Street in River Forest, Ill. Selections will include Brahms, Piano Concerto no. 2 and Brahms, Symphony no. 4.

 

Oo la la! Champagne corks will pop on Monday, Dec. 31, when the New Philharmonic provides a special way to ring out the old with “Viennese Pops New Year’s Eve with a French Twist” at 7 p.m. at the Lund Auditorium at Dominican University Performing Arts Center, 7900 W. Division Street in River Forest, Ill. The evening will feature traditional Viennese musical selections from Strauss and Stolz as well as ornate French orchestral pieces and arias. Award-winning soprano Kiri Deonarine of the Lyric Opera of Chicago-Ryan Opera Center will join the acclaimed New Philharmonic Orchestra to ring in the new year.

 

On Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, Maestro Kirk Muspratt will lead the New Philharmonic in Gustav Mahler‘s Symphony No 1 in D Major at Wheaton College’s Edman Memorial Chapel, 501 College Avenue in Wheaton, Ill. The concert, beginning at 8 p.m. will feature “Kirk’s Klassical Boot Kamp” using musical excerpts and video clips which will help provide insights and illustrate pivotal ideas on the symphonic structure found in Mahler’s innovative composition and “Titan” orchestration.

 

New Philharmonic extends the spirit of Valentine’s Day to the weekend with its concert staging of Mozart’s masterpiece, “Cosi fan tutte,” Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. at the Lund Auditorium of Dominican University Performing Arts Center, 7900 W. Division Street in River Forest, Ill. Two young lovers wager to see whose fiancé will stay faithful, even when tempted. Only the ladies’ maid Despina knows the outcome of this battle of the sexes…or does she? Asking the age-old question, “are all women alike,” this mix of farce and drama and comedy uses disguises and trickery examining the foibles of love.

 

New Philharmonic rounds out the season with an evening of “Great Russian Classics,” Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m. at Wheaton College’s Edman Chapel, at 501 College Avenue in Wheaton, Ill. The Russian-born Alexander Toradze, a classical concert pianist, internationally acclaimed for his classical Russian repertoire and with a career spanning more three decades, joins NP for Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 1 in D-Flat Major. Toradze’s recordings of all five Prokofiev Concertos with Valery Gergiev is acclaimed by critics as “definitive.” Shostokovich’s Symphony no. 5 completes an evening to remember.

 

Tickets to New Philharmonic’s 2012-2013 season are on sale now. To order tickets, call (630) 942-4000, or visit .AtTheMAC.org.

New Philharmonic is a fully-professional, 80-member orchestra that has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for three decades. Under the direction of Conductor and Music Director Kirk Muspratt, named a 2006 Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, the group gives innovative treatment to both classic compositions and modern works and strives to make the music accessible to new audiences and youth through a variety of educational efforts. New Philharmonic is the resident orchestra of the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., and performs a complete season annually.

 

Dominican University Performing Arts Centerominican University Performing Arts Center, located in the Fine Arts Building at 7900 West Division Street in River Forest, Ill. is an accessible, comfortable home for the creative spirit, located just 10 miles west of Chicago’s Loop. New Philharmonic performances will be held in the Lund Auditorium which has a seating capacity of just under 1,200 seats. This venue offers superb acoustics, ideal sight lines and ample, free parking. For more information call 708-488-5000 or visit Dom.edu/pac.

 

Wheaton College|Edman Memorial Chapel, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton, Ill. is located north of Pierce Chapel, on the northeast corner of Washington and Franklin streets, is a college and community resource and event venue. It features an auditorium that can seat more than 2,400 guests, and hosts concerts, commencements, social events, programs and other community events. For more information call 630-752-5010 or visit Wheaton.edu/Buildings/Edman-Chapel

 

The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, houses three performance spaces, an art gallery and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. This unique facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and last year welcomed more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances.
The MAC will undergo major renovations beginning fall 2012 that will update the major performance spaces, address significant infrastructure needs and improve several academic program areas. Scheduled completion date is Spring 2014. The project will cost $35 million and is funded by the $168 million referendum that voters of District 502 passed in November 2010.

Other projects beginning this year at College of DuPage include include the renovation of the Physical Education Center, Student Resource Center and Seaton Computing Center, and construction of the Campus Maintenance Center.The mission of the McAninch Arts Center is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information visit www.AtTheMAC.org.