JSO 20th Season Opening Concerts Set for Sept. 28-29

Joliet Symphony Orchestra

Joliet, Ill. – The Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is pleased to announce the opening concert set of its 2024-2025 Season with Artistic Director & Conductor, Dr. Sean Paul Mills, leading a program of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Robert Schumann, and featuring Lyon, France-based piano soloist Haley Myles.

Titled “Precision”, the JSO will be performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s vivacious overture to “The Impresario”, Ludwig van Beethoven’s magnificent “Piano Concerto No. 3 in c minor”, and Robert Schumann’s river-themed “Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major – ‘Rhenish’.” Performances will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 4 p.m. Both performances will take place in Sexton Auditorium which is located in the Harold & Margaret Moser Performing Arts Center on the University of St. Francis campus at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet.

Haley Myles

Living in Lyon, France, our guest artist, pianist Haley Myles is a Steinway Artist who maintains an international performance schedule with appearances in the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. She has participated extensively in various high-profile international music festivals and is a laureate of seven international competitions. Haley holds diplomas and degrees from distinguished institutions including the Mozarteum (Austria), Imola Piano Academy (Italy), and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK).  In addition to performing core repertoire, she regularly collaborates with contemporary composers, having worked with over 50 composers to-date.

Continuing this season is a series of FREE pre-concert discussions titled “Noteworthy.” These discussions will take place 45 minutes prior to each performance and provide audience members with an opportunity to learn more about the composers, selections, orchestra, and soloists as well as ask questions and interact with our conductor and guests.

Tickets for JSO concerts are available through the JSO website at www.jolietsymphonyorchestra.org, the Music at Moser website at www.stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser/, and at the door beginning one (1) hour before each performance. Adults are $10; Seniors, Alumni & Non-USF Students are $5; USF Students, Music Educators, and Youth (18 & under) are FREE with a current ID.

Please join us as we begin our 20th Season with exciting guest artists, moving musical performances, and new opportunities for you to engage with your local symphony.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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Joliet Symphony Orchestra Announces Final Concert of 2023-2024 Season

Rejoice!

Joliet, Ill. – The Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is pleased to announce the final concert set of its 2023-2024 Season with Artistic Director & Conductor, Dr. Sean Paul Mills, leading a program of works by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Antonin Dvorak, and featuring trumpet soloist Gilmar Cavalcante.

Titled “Rejoice!”, the JSO will be performing Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold’s “Zampa Overture”, Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s “Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major” with trumpet soloist Gilmar Cavalcante, and Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8 in G Major” on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 4 p.m. Both performances will take place in Sexton Auditorium, which is located in the Harold & Margaret Moser Performing Arts Center on the University of St. Francis (USF) campus at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet.

A native of Brazil, Gilmar Cavalcante is an active performer, teacher, and music entrepreneur who currently resides in East Central Indiana. Cavalcante earned his Doctor of Arts degree from Ball State University (Muncie, Ind.) as well as a Master of Music Performance from Valdosta State University (Valdosta, Ga.) and a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB – João Pessoa Campus, Brazil). With experience in both classical and popular styles, he performs with the Manchester Symphony Orchestra (North Manchester, Ind.) and Anderson Symphony Orchestra (Anderson, Ind.), and teaches at both Manchester University and Anderson University.

New to the JSO this season is a series of free pre-concert discussions titled “Noteworthy.” These discussions will take place 45 minutes prior to each performance and provide audience members with an opportunity to learn more about the composers, selections, orchestra, and soloists as well as ask questions and interact with the conductor and guests.

Tickets for JSO concerts are available through the JSO website at jolietsymphonyorchestra.org, the USF Music at Moser website at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser/, and at the door beginning one (1) hour before each performance. Ticket prices are as follows: adults, $10 each; seniors, alumni & non-USF students, $5 each; USF students (with a current ID), music educators (with a current ID), and youth (18 & under) are admitted free of charge.

Please join the JSO as it concludes this season of exploration and discovery featuring both familiar and new works for symphony orchestra.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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Joliet Symphony Orchestra Presents “Remember” on February 24 and 25

Joliet, Ill. – The Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is pleased to announce the third concert series of its 2023-2024 Season with Artistic Director & Conductor, Dr. Sean Paul Mills, leading a program featuring works by Aaron Copland, Florence Price, Leonard Bernstein, and John Knowles Paine.

Titled “Remember: A Celebration of Music ‘Made in America’”, the JSO will be performing Aaron Copland’s “An Outdoor Overture”, Florence Price’s “Andante moderato”, Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story (selections)”, and John Knowles Paine’s “Symphony No. 1 in c minor” on Saturday, February 24, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 25, at 4 p.m. Both performances will take place in Sexton Auditorium, which is located in the Harold & Margaret Moser Performing Arts Center on the University of St. Francis campus at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet.

New to the JSO this season is a series of free pre-concert discussions titled “Noteworthy.” These discussions will take place 45 minutes prior to each performance and provide audience members with an opportunity to learn more about the composers, selections, orchestra, and soloists as well as ask questions and interact with the conductor and guests.

Tickets for JSO concerts are available through the JSO website at jolietsymphonyorchestra.org, the Music at Moser website at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser, and at the door beginning one (1) hour before each performance. Ticket pricing is  $10 per adult; $5 per senior, USF alumni & non-USF student; and USF students, music educators, and youth (18 and under) are admitted free of charge with a current ID.

Please join us as we continue a season of exploration and discovery featuring both familiar and new works for symphony orchestra. The JSO 2023-2024 Season Finale in April will feature trumpeter Gilmar Cavalcante as soloist in Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s trumpet concerto along with works by Ferdinand Herold and Antonin Dvorak.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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JSO “Revitalize” Concerts Set for December 9 and 10

Joliet, Ill. – The Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is pleased to announce the second concert series of its 2023-2024 Season with newly appointed Artistic Director & Conductor, Dr. Sean Paul Mills, leading a program featuring works by Edward Elgar, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. French horn soloist Emily Whittaker is the featured guest artist on this concert set.

Titled “Revitalize”, the JSO will be performing Edward Elgar’s “Froissart Overture”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “French horn Concerto No. 3”, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)” on Saturday, December 9, 2023 @ 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 10, 2023 @ 4:00 p.m. Both performances will take place in Sexton Auditorium which is located in the Harold & Margaret Moser Performing Arts Center on the University of St. Francis campus at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet.

New to the JSO this season is a series of FREE pre-concert discussions titled “Noteworthy.” These discussions will take place 45 minutes prior to each performance and provide audience members with an opportunity to learn more about the composers, selections, orchestra, and soloists as well as ask questions and interact with the conductor and guests.

Tickets for JSO concerts are available through the JSO website at www.jolietsymphonyorchestra.org, the Music at Moser website at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser/, and at the door beginning one (1) hour before each performance. Adults are $10; seniors, alumni & non-USF students are $5; USF students, music dducators, and youth (18 & under) are FREE with a current ID.

Please join us as we continue a season of exploration and discovery featuring both familiar and new works for symphony orchestra. We will present our annual Family Concert on January 20. This will be followed, in February, by our next concert set which will feature a celebration of American music with works by Aaron Copland, Florence Price, Leonard Bernstein, and John Knowles Paine. Our Season Finale in April will feature trumpeter Gilmar Cavalcante as soloist in Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s trumpet concerto along with works by Ferdinand Herold and Antonin Dvorak.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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Joliet Symphony Orchestra Concert Set for October 7-8 at USF

JSO - October 7-8, 2023

Joliet, Ill. – The Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is pleased to announce the opening concert series of its 2023-2024 Season with newly appointed Artistic Director & Conductor, Dr. Sean Paul Mills, leading an all-orchestra program featuring music by Verdi, Dvorak, Mussorgsky, and Mendelssohn.

Titled “Renewal”, the JSO will be performing Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino Overture”, Antonin Dvorak’s “American Suite”, Modest Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain”, and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Reformation Symphony” on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 8, 2023, at 4 p.m. Both performances will take place in Sexton Auditorium which is located in the Harold & Margaret Moser Performing Arts Center on the University of St. Francis campus at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet.

New to the JSO this season is a series of FREE pre-concert discussions titled “Noteworthy.” These discussions will take place 45 minutes prior to each performance and provide audience members with an opportunity to learn more about the composers, selections, orchestra, and soloists as well as ask questions and interact with the conductor and guests.

Tickets for JSO concerts are available through the JSO website at www.jolietsymphonyorchestra.org, the Music at Moser website at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser/, and at the door beginning one (1) hour before each performance. Adults are $10; Seniors, USF Alumni & Non-USF Students are $5; USF Students and Music Educators are FREE with a current ID.

Please join the JSO as it embarks on a new season of exploration and discovery featuring both familiar and new works for symphony orchestra. Upcoming performances will feature guest artists Emily Whittaker, French horn, performing Mozart’s “French horn Concerto No. 3”; mezzo-soprano Amanda Court performing Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915”. Additionally, the JSO will be performing orchestral works by Max Bruch, Aaron Copland, Edward Elgar, John Knowles Paine, and more!

For more information, please feel free to contact Michelle Mathena, JSO Social Media & Marketing, at jolietsymphonymarketing@gmail.com or Sean Paul Mills, JSO Artistic Director & Conductor, at jolietsymphonyconductor@gmail.com.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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University of St. Francis Introduces New Directors in Performing Arts 

Joliet, Ill. – With the start of the fall 2023 semester underway, the University of St. Francis (USF) welcomes three new leaders for its performing arts areas of choral, band and orchestral activities.

“The College of Arts and Sciences’ mission includes educating the whole person and integrating the liberal arts with cutting-edge career skills. I’m really excited we have three new music ensemble directors whose experience and expertise supports our college mission and contributes to the cultivation of Joliet’s artistic community with what promises to be a showcase of tremendous musical talents,” said Elizabeth McDermott, Ph.D., dean of the USF College of Arts and Sciences.

Youngham Lee

Youngham Lee is the new director of choral activities at USF. Lee, who is also the Artistic Director of the Chicago Christian Chorale in Chicago and the Music Director of Northfield Presbyterian Church in Wheeling, will direct the Claritas Master Chorale, which is a university-community choir that rehearses in the USF choir room and performs at university-sponsored events, including the annual Christmas at the Motherhouse concert.

“I am very happy and excited to be directing the Claritas Master Chorale. Since I started my musical journey with majoring in music composition, I have had experience directing various choirs, including children’s choirs, church choirs, community choirs, as well as university-level choirs. In particular, during my master’s program, I conducted treble choir, male choir, and the school’s flagship choir. Also, I have been an artistic director of a community choir for a long time, which is why I believe my diverse choir experiences make me well-suited to lead the university-community choir, the Claritas Master Chorale, and why I find it even more exciting. The most common phrase I use during rehearsals is “listen to each other, listen to your neighbor.” I believe that in order to listen to each other’s voices, we need to lower our own voices and be humble. It is in that way that a choir can produce one voice. My goal is to lead a choir that creates one voice, and furthermore, I hope to create one harmony with everyone who encounters the music of the Claritas Master Chorale,” Lee said.

USF invites community members to audition for our Claritas Master Chorale. Contact the College of Arts and Sciences at 815-740-3819 or emcdermott@stfrancis.edu for more information or to arrange an audition.

John Donovan is the new director of the USF pep band and is looking forward to bringing musical energy to USF athletic contests and special events.

“I am thrilled and humbled to join the USF family, and I’m excited to embark on this musical journey as part of that family. With a background of working with a wide variety of bands and drum corps for the last twenty-five years, I’m thrilled to bring fresh energy to the USF Pep Band and look forward to focusing on growth of both size and quality for the program, as well as exploring additional performance opportunities for the ensemble,” Donovan said.

The USF pep band will perform at USF home football games this fall, including the homecoming tailgate party and game on Saturday, September 30, at Joliet Memorial Stadium.

Sean Paul Mills

photo credit: Amanda Kishel of Kishel Photography

Sean Paul Mills is the new director of orchestral activities at USF, and will also serve as the artistic director and conductor of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to serve in the dual roles as Director of Orchestral Activities at USF and as Artistic Director & Conductor of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO). Working with a campus-community ensemble such as the JSO takes me back to my roots as a 12-year-old cellist who joined a similar orchestra in northern California. That orchestra was the first of many in which I was privileged to either participate as a cellist or serve as artistic director and conductor. Throughout my career, I have found ensembles such as the JSO to be vibrant, engaging, and vigorous, and I am both humbled and honored to be a part of the continued growth and development of the JSO in the coming seasons,” he said.

The JSO is open to community members. Information regarding auditions, rehearsals, etc. can be found at jolietsymphonyorchestra.org. The JSO will be performing concerts on Saturday, October 7, at 7 p.m.; Sunday, October 8, at 4 p.m.; Saturday, December 9, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 10, at 4 p.m. The concerts will take place in Sexton Auditorium (located in the Moser Performing Arts Center on USF’s main campus in Joliet). Ticket information is available at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser and at jolietsymphonyorchestra.org.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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