A recording session for a series of virtual concerts brought a northern Illinois symphony back to its home venue Friday, for the first time in over a year.
The last time the Rockford Symphony Orchestra played at the Coronado Performing Arts Center was March of 2020. This break in the schedule was due to the pandemic.
Julie Thomas, the executive director of the symphony, said the musicians were excited to perform together again.
“It's wonderful to be back and performing live -- you cannot substitute the opportunity to play with other people and make music together," she said. "And so, we have found a way that we can very safely having musicians on stage.”
She also said the RSO anticipates performing in front of spectators soon.
“Our hope is that we can come back with our July 3 Independence Day concert," she said. "That will be an outdoor concert at the Starlight Theatre. And then next fall, if all goes well, we want to be back here at the Coronado Theater with an audience.”
The recordings will showcase a variety of music from classical to jazz. The free showings will become available on the symphony’s ComEd Digital Stage website over the next few weeks. Thomas said one of 11 concerts will air each week through the middle of summer.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
