The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will showcase the virtuosity of its principal cellist in its concerts on Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26 at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
Matthew Agnew, who has led the ESO’s cello section since 2002, and is known for his passionate performances across Chicagoland, will perform Saint-Saëns’ First Cello Concerto.
“Matthew has such a gift when it comes to not only his music-making skills but the way he thinks and talks about music and getting to collaborate with him for the Saint-Saëns’ cello concerto is going to be special,” said ESO Music Director Chad Goodman, who will lead the ESO in the performances, which also include composer Missy Mazzoli’s “These Worlds in Us” and Tchaikovsky’s final symphony, “Pathétique”.
Agnew shares his musical talent throughout the area, including performing at hospices and hospitals through the Symphony’s Musicians Care Program; sharing his passion for music with local elementary school students through the ESO’s Adopt-A-School program; and in countless solo and community concerts. In addition to his role with the ESO, Agnew plays with several Chicago area orchestras, including Chicago Opera Theater and Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2005, he was awarded the assistant principal position with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, a summer festival orchestra in Lancaster, Ohio.
Tchaikovsky premiered his Symphony No. 6 in St. Petersburg in October 1893. He died nine days later, making this symphony his final work.
The concerts will be held at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin, on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2:30 p.m. A pre-concert chat will take place one-hour prior to each performance and is free to ticketholders.
Tickets start at $20, with $10 student tickets. Youth age 17 and younger are free with an adult ticket purchase. Tickets are available at ElginSymphony.org or by calling the ESO Box Office at 847-888-4000. Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
(Photos courtesy of Carolyn Buhrow.)
