New Philharmonic to Stream 2020 Concerts

New Philharmonic, under the baton of Maestro Kirk Muspratt, has announced exciting updates for the orchestra’s 2020 programming. “The Music of John Williams” and “New Year’s Eve Concert” will be broadcast from the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), where the professional orchestra is in residence. In addition, New Philharmonic is adding a special “Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony” concert that will also be streamed. All are paid ticketed events. Tickets are now on sale for all concerts AtTheMAC.org.

“College of DuPage has decided that public events will not take place on campus in 2020 in response to COVID-19. We know now, more than ever, our fans are waiting with great anticipation for our new season to begin. Since the audience cannot come to the performances, we will bring the performances to the audience,” said Muspratt. “These will be full-scale, multi-camera productions. There will even be MAC Chat discussions, and downloadable program copy.”

New Philharmonic opens its season Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. with “The Music of John Williams.” With a cinematic career spanning more than six decades and honors including 24 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest American composers of his time. This thrilling concert will include selections of his music from popular films ranging from “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial;” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind;” “Jaws;” plus music from the Harry Potter, Superman and Star Wars series. This concert is sponsored by the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation.

Just added for the holidays, New Philharmonic audiences will have the opportunity to participate in the new program, “Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony” 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. This Holiday concert will feature a festive selection of holiday favorites filled with everyone’s holiday favorites including a Hanukkah medley. To make sure no one skips a beat, ticket purchasers will be an emailed a song sheet of lyrics. New Philharmonic wraps up 2020 with a celebratory New Year’s Eve Concert Thursday, Dec. 31 at 2, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. featuring guest artist Alisa Jordheim (soprano). This concert is sponsored by Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C.

A special three-show $99-per-household subscription package is currently available. The package includes “The Music of John Williams,” New Year’s Eve Concert and “Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony” streamed concerts, plus a free subscription to West Suburban Living magazine. Anyone wishing to subscribe, may email themac@cod.edu, call 630.942.3008 to leave a message for the MAC box office staff who will call them back to take their order, or order online at AtTheMAC.org. For more information visit AtTheMAC.org.

At this time, New Philharmonic looks to resume in-person concerts in 2021 with the following previously announced programming.

• “An Intimate Night of Opera and Broadway” featuring four guest vocalists to be announced in a program of some of the best loved and most popular opera and Broadway musical works ever composed (Jan. 23-24).
• “Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos,” featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos No. 1, No. 2 and 3 and Egyptian-born guest pianist Wael Farouk (March 13-14).
• “West Side Story in Concert” features guest vocalists performing Leonard Bernstein unforgettable score and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics (April 17-18).
• “A Salute to Frida” (May 15-16). This concert is in anticipation of the summer 2021 “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” exhibition.

“We will keep everyone informed of any adjustments to our 2021 programming as COVID-19 protocols develop. In the mean time we can’t thank our audiences enough as it is they that make it possible for the music to keep playing,” says New Philharmonic Manager Paula Cebula.

New Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra based in DuPage County, Ill., has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for more than 40 years. It continues to thrive with the goal to give innovative treatment to both classic compositions and modern works while striving to make the music accessible to new audiences and youth through a variety of educational efforts. Today, under the direction of Kirk Muspratt, named 2018 Conductor of the Year (Professional Orchestra) by Illinois Council of Orchestras, New Philharmonic consists of more than 60 professional musicians and performs more than a dozen concerts a year, reaching more than 7,500 from the greater Chicago area annually. New Philharmonic was recently honored with the Illinois Council of Orchestras’ 2020 ICO Award in the category Programming of the Year.

For the most up-to-date performance information and performance updates, visit AtTheMAC.org