New Philharmonic, under the baton of Maestro Kirk Muspratt, opens its 2024-2025 Season with “Ravel & Mahler,” at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) with performances 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6. In the first half of the program, award-winning pianist Winston Choi joins Maestro Muspratt and New Philharmonic for Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major. Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major comprises the second half of the program. A free MAC chat precedes both performances beginning one hour prior to performance. WDCB 90.9FM Chicago’s Home for Jazz, is the Media Sponsor for these performances.
These “Ravel & Mahler” performances mark Maestro Muspratt’s 20th year as Conductor and Music Director of the award-winning New Philharmonic. Muspratt’s contract with New Philharmonic was recently extended through the 2025-2026 season. “It’s been an honor and a thrill to be able to conduct the world class musicians of New Philharmonic and share the joys of classical music with MAC audiences over two decades. I can’t wait to see what exciting things lie in store for all of us as we continue down this classical music road together,” says Muspratt.
Muspratt wanted to begin his 20th anniversary season with a big powerful piece and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 fits the bill perfectly. Mahler’s (1860-1911) Symphony No. 1 in D Major (sometimes referred to as “Titan: a symphonic poem in the form of a symphony” or “Symphony Number One in Four Movements for Large Orchestra”) was composed between late 1887 and March 1888. Mahler revised and reworked his first symphony over a span of 15 years. It is unique in that it incorporates auxiliary instruments not previously used by symphony composers. It also includes layering of instruments – multiple timpani, piccolos and horns, Bb, A, Eb clarinets, and bass and bassoons with regular and contra resulting in rich sonic color and sound. In order to perform the work, New Philharmonic will be expanding the size of its orchestra sections by nearly 15% for these concerts to accommodate the demands of this monumental work.
Maurice Ravel’s (1875-1937) Piano Concerto in G Major is considered a colorful tour-de-force composed with the influences of spirituals and jazz. Ravel began composing the piece in 1929 and finished in 1931. The work’s aim was not to be profound but to entertain with its complex, unblended relationship between the piano and orchestra. Guest pianist Choi, last seen at the MAC in 2019 for Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 in E Minor, will be showcased in this concert. “There doesn’t appear to be anything Choi can’t play – and with virtuosic panache, to boot,” says the Chicago Tribune. The MAC’s piano cam will give the audience the opportunity to get an up-close view of Choi’s hands as he performs.
Tickets
New Philharmonic presents “Ravel & Mahler” with guest pianist Winston Choi at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5 and 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6 at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., on the campus of College of DuPage. Tickets are $57. For tickets visit www.AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000. The McAninch Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 6 p.m. and two hours prior to performance.
A free MAC chat precedes both performances beginning one hour prior to performance.
Related Special Event: There will be an exclusive celebration and fundraising dinner celebrating New Philharmonic and Maestro Kirk Muspratt’s 20 years as music director and conductor Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Abbington Banquets, 3S002 Route 53, Glen Ellyn, Ill. beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 including a donation to the orchestra. For more information visit www.AtTheMAC.org.
About New Philharmonic
New Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra based in DuPage County, Ill., has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for more than four decades. New Philharmonic was recently honored with the Illinois Council of Orchestras’ 2020 ICO Award in the category Programming of the Year. It continues to thrive with the goal to give innovative treatment to both classic compositions and modern works while striving to make the music accessible to new audiences and youth through a variety of educational efforts. Today, under the direction of Music Director/Conductor Kirk Muspratt, named 2018 Conductor of the Year (Professional Orchestra) by Illinois Council of Orchestras, New Philharmonic consists of more than 60 professional musicians and typically performs more than a dozen concerts a year, reaching more than 7,500 from the greater Chicago area annually.
Season support for New Philharmonic is provided in part by the DuPage Foundation, a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Brookdale Glen Ellyn; Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, Frank Modruson and Lynne Shigley, Anonymous, 90.9 FM WDCB Public Radio and the College of DuPage Foundation.
About the MAC
McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit www.AtTheMAC.org or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn; the DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville; Anonymous; Sullivan Taylor Family Trust; The DuPage Foundation; Ball Horticultural; Enjoy Illinois; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; DuPage Foundation, WDCB 90.9 FM and College of DuPage Foundation.
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit www.foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.
BIOGRAHPHIES
20th Century French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was familiar with music from a young age due to his mother who would sing him Spanish folk songs. Evidently, he began piano lessons at the age of 6 and was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire at age 14. He studied piano but failed to meet all the Conservatoire’s difficult requirements. Determined to continue his passion for music and piano, he continued to compose with a different group of artists called “The Apaches” and achieved remarkable success. His mother's Spanish folk singing turned out to be of incredible inspiration as Ravel went on to compose one of his most famous works, “Bolero,” based on the Spanish dance musical form.
Austrian composer Gustov Mahler (1860-1911) served as director of the Vienna Court Opera from 1897 to 1907 and later led the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera. Mahler is best known for his 10 symphonies, nine of which he completed. Each is long and filled with great emotion. His fascination with mortality inspired most of his works, and his unique aim was largely autobiographical. The final two and a half share a somber and elegiac nature, likely influenced by the discovery of his heart condition soon after the tragic death of his daughter.
Canadian pianist and composer Winston Choi launched his professional career when he was named Laureate of the 2003 Honens Piano Competition and winner of France’s Concours International de Piano 20e Siècle d’Orléans in 2002. Choi is known for his creative, diverse, and engaging approach to programming and his insightful commentary on stage and recently made his debut at Ravinia. The pianist maintains a dynamic international performing schedule as he is a dedicated concert soloist and chamber musician. He’s notably premiered and commissioned more than 100 works by young composers and established masters, and being involved in the creative process is an integral part of his artistry. Choi is currently Head of the Piano Program at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.
New Philharmonic Conductor and Music Director Kirk Muspratt began his studies as a pianist. After completing graduate studies, he was accepted into the conducting program at the Konservatorium in Vienna, Austria. From 1987-1990, he served as assistant conductor to Leonard Slatkin at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. From 1990-1992 he was associate conductor at the Utah Symphony Orchestra. From 1991-1996 he served as resident conductor at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
In July 2004, Muspratt was named both music director of New Philharmonic and artistic director/music director of DuPage Opera Theatre (now New Philharmonic Opera). In this position his honors have included being named “Chicagoan of the Year” in classical music by John von Rhein and the staff of the Chicago Tribune and recipient of the 2018 Conductor of the Year award from the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
During Muspratt's tenure, New Philharmonic has been awarded Professional Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras (2009, 2017) and Illinois Council of Orchestras’ Programming of the Year award (garnered in 2019 and bestowed in 2020). In his first months at New Philharmonic, Muspratt instituted a Side-by-Side program for local high school students. Six years ago, Muspratt initiated a popular Solo Competition for Children that results in a child performing at every New Philharmonic concert consistent with his belief that “Classical music is for everyone.”