Arts, Community, Live Music, Local, Park Forest

IPO’s 44th Season Kicks Off October 16


The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, IPO kicks off 44h season
The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Stilian Kirov, Music Director.

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), under the direction of Maestro Stilian Kirov, kicks off its 44th season on Saturday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m. with an All-American Opening Night. The performance will be held at the Ozinga Chapel at Trinity Lutheran Christian College in Palos Heights and marks the IPO’s return to the stage after a year of virtual performances.

The performance begins with a piece by Florence Price, String Quartet in G Major. Price is the first African American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and who, in 1933, was the first to have a symphony performed by a major US orchestra.

The orchestra will then perform a piece by Eric Ewazen, Down a River of Time, an oboe concerto, featuring IPO Principal Naomi Bensdorf Frisch.

Concluding the evening will be a dance piece set to Aaron Copland’s American classic Appalachian Spring. Joffrey Ballet Company Artist Yoshihisa Arai choreographed the performance, which will be performed by 12 Trainees and Studio Company Members from the Joffrey Academy of Dance.

For the safety of audience members, the IPO is requiring proof of COVID vaccinations for all its indoor performances this year, as well as incorporating spacing between the audience and musicians, and between patron seating.

The IPO was named the 2020 “Illinois Professional Orchestra of the Year” by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. From its community orchestra roots in Park Forest, the 69-member orchestra has grown into a critically acclaimed professional regional orchestra.

Tickets (starting at $27) and other information on this year’s IPO schedule can be found at ipomusic.org or by calling (708) 481-7774.

The Ozinga Chapel is located at 6601 W. College Drive in Palos Heights.


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