A Night Of Fine Music In Crystal Lake

Raue Center will celebrate two incredible people thru the music of Broadway and Hollywood on September 29 at 7pm. Join the acclaimed conductor Kurt Bestor as he leads the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and veterans of stage and screen in a remarkable night of uplifting music.

They'll be joined by Broadway-sensation and former Rockette Kim Shriver and Williams Street Repertory’s very own Dana Parker and Mathias Austin! It’s sure to be an amazing night of entertainment.

"We are so thrilled the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and also Voices in Harmony will be at the Raue for an evening of wonderful music and to celebrate my Mom and Bill's love for the Raue and the community,” explains Joyce’s son Thomas O’Connor. “It will be a great event!"

This special event features the Elgin Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kurt Bestor. Voices in Harmony choir will also lend their pipes to a few songs making this concert truly a community event. Barbara Paul of Piano Trends Music Company serves as the Artistic Director.

Bill was the organization’s first Board President and Joyce spent many hours volunteering. She was a part of the cookbook committee that recently raised enough money for the outdoor sign now illuminated across the fly tower.

Tickets range from $30 to $40. They can be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake.

About Elgin Symphony Orchestra: 
Named “Orchestra of the Year” an unprecedented three times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras and winner of a 2010 Elgin Image Award, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, now approaching its 64th season, remains Illinois’ premier regional orchestra. The ESO is respected for exceptional performance, innovative education programs, and community outreach initiatives. Founded in 1950 by Douglas Steensland at Elgin Community College, the Orchestra has benefited from the contributions of many talented conductors and musicians during its sixty-three year history. With the appointment of Grammy Award-winning conductor Margaret Hillis as Music Director in 1971, the Orchestra’s artistic growth advanced significantly. The Orchestra became fully professional in 1985 under the direction of conductor/composer Robert Hanson, who was named Music Director earlier that year. Maestro Hanson held the position until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 concert season.

In 2013, after a two year international search in which over 250 applicants were reviewed, Andrew Grams was selected as the new Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of the Juliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, Grams is one of America’s most promising and talented young conductors, as well as an accomplished violinist. In addition to working with the ESO to plan upcoming seasons, Maestro Grams, an audience favorite, will conduct several concerts throughout the 2013-2014 season, beginning with the opening night concerts on October 5th and 6th, 2013.

Believing music and the arts have the power to inspire individuals, support communities, and enrich society, the ESO launched Elgin: Home for the Holidays, and has partnered on other events with Rotary International, Feeding Greater Elgin, Sherman Hospital, Downtown Neighborhood Association, and local Chamber of Commerce. In 1987, the ESO began Kidz Konzertz, a children’s program which now draws nearly 8,000 youth from nearly 60 communities. The ESO Musicians Care Program, which began in 2010, takes musicians out of the concert hall and into the public and patient spaces of Sherman Hospital in Elgin, twice each week. In 2014, the ESO will partner with the City of Elgin and neighboring communities providing a free concert as part of their 4th of July festival.

About Kurt Bestor:
Kurt Bestor is an Emmy-award-winning composer, who for over 30 years has composed an incredible variety of music in a myriad of styles and genres. From over 40 feature-length films, 16 popular CDs, numerous television themes, and mix of live shows, he has established himself as one of America's most prolific and versatile composers.

As a gifted performer, Bestor has performed his popular holiday shows for over 24 years to sold-out audiences throughout the western United States. People from Seattle to Dallas have enjoyed his easy-going manner and rapport with the audience. Bestor has also performed internationally, conducting and performing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, the Estonian National Orchestra, among others.

About Voices in Harmony:

Voices In Harmony is a 501(c)3 registered not-for-profit organization and began as a part of the first Crystal Lake Fourth of July Gala in 1987. Joyce Dwyer approached Steven Szalaj about forming a community choir from area church choirs for a concert on Tuesday of Gala week, and to sing on the Fireworks concert with the Crystal Lake Community Band. Helen Bird was a significant help in forming the festival choir. It was a “magical” beginning. The choir has given this free, out-of-doors concert at Main Beach on the last Tuesday of June every year since 1987.

Enthusiasm from that event propelled the creation of the community choir, then called the Crystal Lake Community Choir (CLCC). The first concert was a shared holiday concert in December 1987 with the Crystal Lake Community Band given in the CL South High School auditorium. The first CLCC-only concert was given April 30, 1988.

Voices In Harmony is very happy to have a performance home at the Raue Center. Their annual event Sing-Along Messiah will take place on December 15. For more information about the choir and their events please visit voices-in-harmony.org.