Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra honored by Illinois Council of Orchestras

By Southland Savvy

The Frankfort-based Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Music Director Carmon DeLeone, has been named the 2010 Professional Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

The Illinois Council of Orchestras announced the IPO as winner of this prestigious award on March 18.

“I am thrilled that the Illinois Philharmonic has received this award for excellence in the field of music performance. Because it is the second time our dedicated staff and gifted musicians have received this honor during my tenure as Music Director, I feel even more humbly proud and grateful,” said Music Director Carmon DeLeone.

The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra last received the Professional Orchestra of the Year award from the Illinois Council of Orchestras in 1992, and DeLeone was named Conductor of the Year in 1995.

Now in its 32nd season, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra is in residence at Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center in Frankfort. Its nine concert season and numerous education programs serve the Greater Chicago Southland spanning from Joliet to northwest Indiana and Chicago to Kankakee. Musicians of the orchestra come from a four-state region including Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin.

“This award acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and artistry of our musicians, our music director, and our guest conductors,” said IPO Board President Charles Amenta. “Our musicians are here to serve the audience, and all the better when they can receive recognition in the process. We at the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra are hopeful that this well deserved honor and celebrity will inspire all the music lovers of the Southland to experience the beauty of an Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra concert as audience members.”

Executive Director Edmund Feingold said, “This is a welcome reminder that we are on the right track. Our musicians’ efforts are apparent at every concert, but this accolade also validates the dedication of our board of directors, staff, donors and patrons. We all work tirelessly to engage the community—planning, fundraising, volunteering for, and advocating on behalf of the orchestra when it is not on stage. This community engagement is often most clear in special events like the Friends of the IPO’s Rising Star Showcase which highlights aspiring young musicians and raises money for the professional orchestra. Thank you to the Illinois Council of Orchestras for recognizing that we are about community building through music. Bravo to all!”

Representatives from the Illinois Council of Orchestras are expected to join the IPO for its May 22 Season Finale Concert, Two Worlds: Old and New, where they will confer the award. To celebrate, the orchestra will host a pre-concert dinner party.

The orchestra’s next concert, Fateful Pairs, on April 10 and 11 at Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center, features a pair of soloists from the Orchestra’s own ranks, John and Laura Fairfield, who will perform the Chicago-area premiere of a movement from Stephen Gerber’s Concerto for Two Horns. The concert also includes Beethoven’s oft-neglected Symphony No. 2, and two beloved homages to
Romeo and Juliet: Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
www.ipomusic.org