Northern Illinois Community Calendar

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Chad Goodman, brings its treasured Holiday Spectacular concerts to the Hemmens Cultural Center on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.

Special guests include the Elgin Master Chorale, Integrity School of Dance, and Santa himself, as the ESO performs holiday favorites.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Chad Goodman, brings its treasured Holiday Spectacular concerts to the Hemmens Cultural Center on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.

Special guests include the Elgin Master Chorale, Integrity School of Dance, and Santa himself, as the ESO performs holiday favorites.

Celebrate the holidays with Rockford’s most joyful musical tradition. Gather with family and friends for unforgettable festive favorites, dazzling lights, and joyful surprises. Joined by the Nielsen Chorale and Kantorei Youth Choir, the RSO brings together nearly 200 musicians and guests to fill the Coronado with the sounds of the season. Share in the music and magic of the most wonderful time of the year.

Celebrate the holidays with Rockford’s most joyful musical tradition. Gather with family and friends for unforgettable festive favorites, dazzling lights, and joyful surprises. Joined by the Nielsen Chorale and Kantorei Youth Choir, the RSO brings together nearly 200 musicians and guests to fill the Coronado with the sounds of the season. Share in the music and magic of the most wonderful time of the year.

Join Chad Goodman and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for music from some of Hollywood’s most iconic films.

Featuring scores by John Williams – including Star Wars: A New Hope in honor of its 50th anniversary – Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Danny Elfman, and Ennio Morricone.

Join Chad Goodman and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for music from some of Hollywood’s most iconic films.

Featuring scores by John Williams – including Star Wars: A New Hope in honor of its 50th anniversary – Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Danny Elfman, and Ennio Morricone.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra welcomes violinist Kerson Leong to perform at its February 6 and 7 concerts. Leong, who has created a buzz for his performances with orchestras around the world, will perform Bruch’s lush “Scottish Fantasy” with the ESO in a program that includes Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6 and Florence Price’s “Dances in the Canebrakes”.

“We are excited for Kerson’s debut with the ESO,” said Eric Gaston-Falk, ESO vice president and general manager. “Kerson’s maturity and depth of playing is making waves in the orchestral world. We enthusiastically look forward to sharing his mastery with our community.”

Music Director Chad Goodman and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra explore the rich Romantic sound world of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6, a work that blends lyrical warmth with the lively rhythms of Czech folk traditions, in concerts on Feb. 6 and 7, 2027. The program begins with Florence Price’s “Dances in the Canebrakes” and features violinist Kerson Leong on Bruch’s lush “Scottish Fantasy” for a concert filled with melodic beauty and rhythmic vitality.

Performances take place Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027, at 2:30 p.m., at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets start at $20. Visit ElginSymphony.org for more information.

The piano takes center stage for one of the most beloved works ever written for piano and orchestra, featuring award-winning Young Concert Artist Chaeyoung Park. Paired with the contrasting energy of Kurt Weill’s “Fantasy” Symphony, the concert brings together two towering composers whose lives were deeply shaped by exile and whose final chapters unfolded in America.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Chad Goodman, brings together the enduring strength of Ludwig van Beethoven and the emotional intensity of Dmitri Shostakovich in a program of powerful contrasts. The concert explores two distinct musical voices that together create a compelling and deeply expressive experience. This concert recognizes the far-reaching dramatic influence Beethoven had a century later on Shostakovich’s music, and on audiences today, now 200 years after Beethoven’s death.

Emerging Pianist Tony Siqi Yun is featured on Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in a program that also features Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Missy Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)” begins the program.

Performances take place Saturday, April 10, 2027, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 11, 2027, at 2:30 p.m., at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets start at $20. Visit ElginSymphony.org for more information.

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Chad Goodman, brings together the enduring strength of Ludwig van Beethoven and the emotional intensity of Dmitri Shostakovich in a program of powerful contrasts. The concert explores two distinct musical voices that together create a compelling and deeply expressive experience. This concert recognizes the far-reaching dramatic influence Beethoven had a century later on Shostakovich’s music, and on audiences today, now 200 years after Beethoven’s death.

Emerging Pianist Tony Siqi Yun is featured on Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in a program that also features Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Missy Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)” begins the program.

Performances take place Saturday, April 10, 2027, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 11, 2027, at 2:30 p.m., at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets start at $20. Visit ElginSymphony.org for more information.