In last Thursday’s (9/1) Daily Herald (Elgin, Illinois), Bill Gowen writes, “It’s been a busy couple of months at the Elgin Symphony Orchestra with the season-opening concerts fast approaching and a need to hire a series of guest conductors to fill the void left by longtime music director Robert Hanson’s surprising mid-June retirement. But everything is ready to go, with the ESO’s 62nd season to open Sept. 23-25 at the Hemmens Cultural Center with an all-Russian program under the baton of Ignat Solzhenitsyn, one of five guest conductors engaged for the 2011-12 season. ‘It was a scramble, but fortunately, the Elgin Symphony has such a great reputation as an orchestra—our musicians have such a high profile—that when I, and Mark Mallamo (director of operations and artistic administration) made some phone calls, they said “absolutely, we’d love to come and help out,” ’ said CEO Dale J. Lonis. … The 2011-12 guest conductors have for the most part previously worked with the ESO.” In Wednesday’s (9/7) Courier-News (Elgin, Illinois), Dave Gathman writes, “Four members of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra board, including two of the Elgin area’s most prominent businessmen and philanthropists, have joined longtime Music Director Robert Hanson by submitting their resignations. … But board President Jerry Cain, who also is president of Judson University, says there are several ‘bright lights on the horizon.’ ”
Posted September 8, 2011
