It’s one thing to have the command of a symphony orchestra at your fingertips, it’s quite another to have a violin in your hands at the same time.
But that’ll be the case this weekend for Andrew Grams, conductor and music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, who also happens to be pretty darn good with a violin.
The ESO’s concert “Andrew Grams Plays Violin” takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg as well as 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
“This is the first time I’ve ever played/conducted, so I’m not sure how difficult this will be compared to what I normally do,” Grams said. “I can say that executing my own solo part in addition to my leading the group will require a different usage of mental resources, so I expect the experience to feel very different.”
It’ll be an interesting blend of baton and bow for Grams, a former concert violinist, who loves conducting but said he has missed making music with his own instrument.
The concert will feature Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major; Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in D Major, Opus 6, No. 1; Christopher Theofanidis’ “Muse”; and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183.
“The selections I chose to play with the orchestra are not works that I am the only soloist for,” Grams said. “The two Corelli Concerti Grossi have solo parts for myself, Isabella Lippi (violin) and Matthew Agnew (cello), and we will be able to trade musical ideas around and have them also be incorporated into what the larger orchestra plays.”
The concert connects classical masters Bach, Corelli and Mozart and presents a modern take on Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto.
“The Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is for 11 players, each of whom has their own individual part that functions within their instrument group as well as with the whole ensemble,” said Grams, who was selected as the ESO’s music director in 2013 and was named the 2015 Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
Principal cellist Agnew said he enjoys the ESO’s tradition of showcasing music from the Baroque period during January’s concert.
“Getting in touch with ‘Period Performance Practice’ — modifying our playing in small ways to better fit the style of the music from the 17th and 18th centuries — is rewarding,” Agnew said. “The music itself is wonderful, full of energy and pulse, with a grace that enchants musicians and audiences even now, hundreds of years later.”
Tickets for the Friday concert at the Schaumburg Prairie Arts Center, 201 Schaumburg Court, range from $30 to $45, while tickets for the Saturday and Sunday concerts at the Hemmens Cultural Center range from $30 to $65. Call 847-888-4000 or visit www.elginsymphony.org/concert/andrew-grams-plays-violin/.
Jen Banowetz is a freelance writer.
Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s Andrew Grams Plays Violin Concert
When: Friday-Sunday
Where: Schaumburg Prairie Arts Center and Hemmens Cultural Center
Tickets: $30-$65
Information: 847-888-4000 or visit www.elginsymphony.org/concert/andrew-grams-plays-violin/
