The Elgin Symphony Orchestra (ESO) will perform “Mozart Requiem” at the Hemmens Cultural Center Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 6, at 3 p.m., will feature multiple notable artists with Chicago roots.
The concerts will begin with four acclaimed vocalists, soprano Amanda Forsythe, mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, tenor James Reese, and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody, –performing Thomas Tallis’ historic hymn “Why fum’th in fight.”
Reese is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. A noted interpreter of baroque music, Reese is an advocate for new music, and was a founding member of Philadelphia vocal sextet Variant 6.
A richly-scored, double string ESO production of Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Theme by Thomas Tallis,” will follow. Finally, the soloists and the ESO will be joined by The Adrian Dunn Singers for the complex and emotional Mozart’s “Requiem.”
Dunn, an accomplished singer, songwriter and producer holds a bachelor of music and master of music degree in Voice from The Music Conservatory at Roosevelt University in Chicago with additional musical studies in opera at The Sibelius Academy of Music in Finland. He has toured throughout the US, South Africa, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Scandinavia. His work as a producer and music director have won him numerous awards, including Album Producer of the Year for AME Live featuring the AME International Mass Choir from the Rhythm of Gospel Awards, and best music director from the Black Theater Alliance Awards for his work Hopera: A Hip Hop Opera.
As music director for The Adrian Dunn Singers, he leads 12 professional singers of diverse musical backgrounds based in Chicago. The group has performed across the country, including at the Thomas Dorsey National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, and recently made their National Cathedral Debut.
Leading the award-winning ESO is guest conductor Matthew Halls, an Oxford University alum, who has been welcomed to orchestras across Europe, and has made several appearances with orchestras across the U.S..
Tickets are available at the ESO Box Office, 20 DuPage Court, Elgin, or by phone at 847-888-4000, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at ElginSymphony.org. Ticket prices are $10 for students and youth under 18 years old. Adult prices range between $35 to 65. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.
Masks and proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination are required for all attendees.
—Elgin Symphony Orchestra