History of the Evanston Symphony Orchestra
One of the oldest community orchestras in the Chicago area, the ESO was founded in 1945 by a handful of veterans and amateur musicians who were passionate about making music together. The leading force was Jack Ryan, who recruited Elwyn Owen, a radio station organist, as the first conductor. Rehearsals for the Evanston Civic Orchestra, as it was first called, were begun in the fall. On the program for the first concert, June 14, 1946, was the overture to Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven’s 7th symphony, Three Nocturnes by Debussy (assisted by the ladies of the Evanston Music Club) and Strauss’s Emperor Waltz.
Early performance and rehearsal venues included Nichols School, Cahn Auditorium, National College of Education, the Northwestern University tech building and the Evanston Township High School auditorium. After 43 seasons at the high school, the orchestra moved to Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Owen’s successor as conductor and music director was Hans Heniot, a Chicago piano teacher, who conducted the Grant Park Orchestra as well as engagements in Vienna. He was succeeded by Irwin Fischer, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s organ-ist, who served until 1958, then Herman Clebanoff for two seasons. In 1960, the Chicago Symphony’s concertmaster, Sidney Harth, took over and served for two more years.
Frank Miller, the CSO’s esteemed principal cellist, came to Chicago after a long stint heading the NBC Symphony Orchestra cello section under the legendary Arturo Toscanini. Having also served as principal cellist in the Casals orchestra in Puerto Rico under the master, Maestro Miller thus brought to Chicago some of the finest traditions of European and American musicianship. Shortly after arriving in 1962 he took over as ESO music director, and served 23 seasons.
Musical highlights of the Miller years included performances by such internationally renowned vocalists as Eleanor Steber, Blanche Thebom, William Warfield, Rosalind Elias and Judith Raskin. The Maestro’s cousin, cellist Leonard Rose, and equally famed cellist Janos Starker also appeared with the ESO. In 1979, Miller himself performed Bloch’s Scholemo with the orchestra under the baton of Chicago Symphony associate conductor Henry Mazer. Maestro Miller also directed the ESO in fully staged operatic collaborations with the Northwestern University Opera Workshop, the Lyric Opera School and the Savoy-Aires. A concert with famed soprano Elizabeth Schwartzkopf scheduled for Nov. 22, 1963, part of a weekend-long celebration of the City of Evanston’s centennial, was canceled following the assassination of President Kennedy.
Frank Miller retired from the ESO in 1984, and after a one-year search, the orchestra selected Dr. Lynn Schornick as his successor. Dr. Schornick led the ESO in collaborations with Maria Tallchief’s Chicago City Ballet as well as the North Shore Choral Society, a highlight of which was the Verdi Requiem performed at the opening concert of the 2000-2001 season.
The orchestra’s golden anniversary season, 1995-1996, opened with a memorable performance of Beethoven’s 9th symphony featuring a chorus of 150. The 51st season saw the inauguration of Kidnotes, an innovative concert program for children who attend ESO concerts. Another innovation has been the Play Me a Picture, Paint Me a Tune program, in which Evanston public school art teachers help students draw their impressions of music featured at our winter concerts. The program was featured on the WTTW television program Artbeat Chicago.
In March 2003, the ESO was named Community Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. This annual award recognizes one orchestra in the state for innovative marketing and community outreach.
For the 2002-2003 season, the orchestra made some significant but exciting changes. After 43 seasons of Friday night performances at Evanston High School, the ESO moved to Sunday afternoons at Pick-Staiger on the Northwestern University campus. Another change was the music director search. Four finalists got the chance to audition with the orchestra, and the orchestra selected Lawrence Eckerling to be its new music director in June 2003.