ILLINOIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Welcome to the Illinois Symphony Orchestra's 20th Anniversary Season. Now is the time to Celebrate! exciting live music with our new Music Director Alastair Willis! Exciting and energetic guest artists from around the world will perform alongside our talented orchestra musicians for this celebratory season. From Elgar to Copland, Mozart to Gershwin, Beethoven to Debussy - the repertoire cannot be beat. And the season opens with a world premiere commission to celebrate Alastair's arrival!
Kenneth Kiesler, music director from 1980 to 1993 of the former Springfield Symphony, served as its first music director until 2000. Under his artistic direction, the orchestra performed for both communities, appeared at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and won numerous national awards.
Over the past eleven seasons under the leadership of former music director Karen Lynne Deal, the artistic level of the orchestra developed significantly. The orchestra performed statewide at the Ravinia Festival, Millennium Park in Chicago, and in smaller communities throughout central Illinois. The ISO also expanded its commitment to community service, adding educational concerts for K-3 students, free public parks concerts, and the award-winning Step-by-Step in-school program for K-6 students. In 2002 the Illinois Symphony Orchestra won the Illinois Council of Orchestras' award for Meritorious Service in Outstanding Programming, in 2004 won its award for Community Service in recognition of the orchestra's overall service to the citizens of central Illinois, and in 2009 for the Community Event of the Year for its Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration involving over 1,000 performers.
Each season, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra performs at multiple venues including Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield, and St. Agnes Catholic Church in Springfield; and at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts and Second Presbyterian Church in Bloomington. Outdoor performances take place at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the Old State Capitol in Springfield, and at the Corn Crib in Normal. Having numerous performance locations enables the orchestra to bring diverse repertoire and live musical experiences to audiences of all ages and backgrounds in both urban and rural settings.
Recognizing that live music has the potential to transform and rejuvenate, to encourage and inspire, the Illinois Symphony proudly serves as a vital cultural resource, an educational partner, and an invaluable enhancement to the quality of life in Bloomington-Normal and Springfield continuing to fulfill its mission of enriching lives through excellent orchestra performances which inspire and educate. The ISO has a budget of approximately $1.1 million.
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