• Our Next Concert

    Rhapsodies in Red, White and Blue

    Sun., April 19, 2026, 2:30 p.m.

    Coleridge-Taylor

    Gershwin

    Boyer
    with Jeffrey Biegel, piano

    Bernstein

    Gershwin
    with Jeffrey Biegel, piano

    Albert Cano Smit, piano
  • Support Your
    Symphony Orchestra

    The ESO Community is made up of Orchestra Members and Supporters. Join us!

  • Musical Insights

    Free Pre-Concert Preview Series!

    April 17, Friday, at 1:00 pm (Note different time!)

    Enhance your concert experience with a sneak preview — Composers come alive and their passions take center stage when ESO Maestro Lawrence Eckerling takes you on an insider’s tour of the history and highlights behind the music.

    MI

    Meet our soloist, Jeffrey Biegel, piano, at Musical Insights. He and our Maestro Lawrence Eckerling will explore the April concert program in depth.

    Friday, April 17
    at 1:00 pm
    Merion’s Crystal Ballroom at
    529 Davis St, Evanston.
    FREE and open to the public.

2025-2026 SERIES: The POWER of Music

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Musical Insights

Free Pre-Concert Preview Series!

April 17, Friday, at 1:00 pm (Note different time!)

Enhance your concert experience with a sneak preview — Composers come alive and their passions take center stage when ESO Maestro Lawrence Eckerling takes you on an insider’s tour of the history and highlights behind the music.

Meet our soloist, Jeffrey Biegel, piano, at Musical Insights. He and our Maestro Lawrence Eckerling will explore the April concert program in depth.

Friday, April 17 at 1:00 pm (Note different time!),
Merion’s Crystal Ballroom at
529 Davis St, Evanston.
FREE and open to the public.
Please RSVP to 847-570-7815.

The Merion
Light refreshments will be served and casual tours of apartments will be available after the program.

Give the gift of music

Treat a friend or relative to the ESO

Give the gift of music by ordering directly from our website and purchasing a custom gift certificate in any denomination of your choice! Certificates may be redeemed for single ticket or season subscriptions for any of our concerts.

You will receive an electronic gift certificate or we can mail the certificate to you or directly to the recipient.

One-Hit Wonder

French composer Paul Dukas (1865-1935) is best known for a single orchestral work, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Based on a 1797 poem by Wolfgang von Goethe, the piece was written in 1897 and premiered later that same year in Paris with Dukas himself conducting the performance. The piece was an instant hit.

Learn More!

Timeless Beauty and Vibrant Energy

Samuel Barber's (1910-1981) Adagio for Strings is a musical gem that has resonated with audiences for decades. Known for its emotional depth and hauntingly beautiful melody, this piece transports listeners to a realm where every note carries the weight of human experience. Originally part of the second movement of his String Quartet, the Adagio has found its way into the hearts of many through its transcendent orchestral arrangement.

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The Romance of a Bygone Era

John Williams was born in New York City in 1932, the son of a jazz drummer, Johnny Williams. The Williams family moved to Los Angeles in 1948, where John attended North Hollywood High School. He studied composition privately and for a short time at UCLA before being drafted into the U.S. Air Force. During his service, he arranged band music and began conducting.
 

Learn More!

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