ESO Music Director Andrew Grams To Conduct Cleveland Orchestra March 29
Elgin Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andrew Grams will conduct the The Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 29, at CIM’s Kulas Hall.
Student pianist Sara Daneshpour will solo in Prokofiev’s Second Concerto, bracketed by Margaret Brouwer’s Remembrances and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony. The concert is free, and will also be broadcast live on WCLV, 104.9 FM or wclv.com.
With a unique combination of intensity, enthusiasm and technical clarity, Grams has steadily built a reputation for his dynamic concerts, ability to connect with audiences, and long-term orchestra building.
He’s the winner of 2015 Conductor of the Year from the Illinois Council of Orchestras and has led orchestras throughout the United States including the Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, and the Houston Symphony.
Now in his 6th ESO season, Grams became music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra after an international search. His charismatic conducting and easy accessibility have made him a favorite of Elgin Symphony audiences. He has extended his contract with the ESO through 2021.
A frequent traveler, Grams has worked extensively with orchestras abroad, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, BBC Symphony Orchestra London, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Last season, he conducted Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, the Tulsa, Santa Rosa, Kalamazoo, and Omaha Symphony Orchestras, Sewanee Symphony Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague, Netherlands and New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.
This season, Grams will conduct the Sacramento Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Detroit Symphony, Amsterdam Conservatory of Music, National Orchestral Institute, Colorado Music Festival and Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest.
Born in Severn, MD, Grams began studying the violin when he was eight years old. In 1999 he received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School, and in 2003 he received a conducting degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Otto-Werner Mueller.
He was selected to spend the summer of 2003 studying with David Zinman, Murry Sidlin and Michael Stern at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen and returned to that program again in 2004. Mr. Grams served as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra from 2004-2007 where he worked under the guidance of Franz Welser-Möst, and has since returned for several engagements.
As an accomplished violinist, Grams was a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra from 1998-2004, serving as acting associate principal second violin in 2002 and 2004. Additionally, he has performed with ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Symphony.
To learn more about Grams, visit andrewgrams.com, @andrewhilarygrams on Facebook and andrewhgrams on Instagram.
About The ESO
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra offers programming unmatched for an entertaining, informative and relaxing cultural experience.
The ESO has won Illinois Professional Orchestra of the Year an unprecedented four times — in 1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016 — and works to create an enjoyable entertainment experience that goes beyond the magnificent music performed by some of the best musicians in the region.
There is accessible, free parking around the Hemmens Cultural Center and valet service available.
Area student musicians often perform in the lobby before concerts and patrons can purchase unique, music-themed gifts at the Elgin Symphony League Boutique. Pre-concert chats are given by Music Director Andrew Grams, guest artists and others one hour before Classics Series performances and Saturday night patrons are invited after concerts to Mingle with the Musicians at area restaurants.
In addition, free Listeners Club lecture/discussions presented by music historian Jim Kendros are offered before ESO Classics Series concert weekends, at 11 a.m. Wednesdays at GreenFields of Geneva and at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the Gail Borden Public Library.
Patrons can curate their own series with a Build your Own Series. If a patron can’t make a concert, the ESO offers free exchanges to subscribers and to single ticket buyers for a small fee.
The ESO is a world-class orchestra providing quality musical explorations that are entertaining, hassle-free and conveniently located close to home in the western suburbs. The ESO-Transforming the Symphony Experience.
For more information, visit ElginSymphony.Org.
