Mariachi Madness headlines Chamber’s Hablamos Español Expo
The Elgin Area Chamber’s 12th Annual Hablamos Español Expo returns to The Centre of Elgin’s Heritage Ballroom, 100 Symphony Way in downtown Elgin, on Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This free, family-friendly event draws hundreds of people annually and is a community celebration of Hispanic heritage, culture and business, according to a release.
This year’s event is highlighted by the inaugural Battle of the Mariachi Bands. Mariachi Universal of Chicago will perform live beginning at 11 a.m. followed at noon by the student Mariachi band from School District U46. The student Mariachis are led by teachers Nereyda Sanchez Tio and Tristan Broeker. The public’s vote at the event will determine the winner of the battle of Mariachi Madness.
The event also features bilingual educational seminars on a variety of topics relevant to the Hispanic community, including a presentation by the Elgin Police Department on community interaction with the police. Additional live entertainment will be provided by Ballet Folklorico Huehuecoyotl and a soccer juggling demonstration by the Elgin Pumas youth soccer program.
The Business Expo consists of more than 25 local organizations promoting products and services to attendees. Participating vendors include: Administer Justice, Advocate Sherman Hospital, BMO Harris Bank, Centro de Informacion, D’Aprile Properties, Elgin 311, Elgin 911 Dispatchers, Elgin Community College, Elgin Parks & Recreation, Elgin Police Department, Elgin Community College, Elgin Dental Associates, Elgin State Bank, Family Service Association, Farmers Insurance – Chantal Ortiz, Fox Valley Pregnancy Center, Greater Elgin Family Care Center, H&R Block Advisors, Landin Chiropractic, Manpower, New York Life, NHS of the Fox Valley, Open Door, PNC Bank, Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Reflejos, Renz Addiction Counseling Center, School District U-46, Singles Roofing & Construction, State Farm Insurance – John Sutton, and Vein Specialists of Illinois.
A variety of food and snacks will be available to visitors courtesy of Sammy’s Mexican Grill and Marcus Cinema Elgin.
The event is presented by Reflejos and sponsored by Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin State Bank, H&R Block Advisors, Reflejos and Vein Specialists of Illinois.
A complete schedule of programming for this year’s Expo is available at www.ElginChamber.com.
Get the Led Out celebrates the music of Led Zeppelin
Get the Led Out (GTLO) will perform the music of Led Zeppelin live in concert at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Thursday, March 3. The performance will be held in the ECC Arts Center’s Blizzard Theatre, located in Building H on ECC’s Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m.
GTLO’s six veteran musicians — Paul Sinclair (lead vocals, harmonica), Paul Hammond (guitar, mandolin, theremin), Jimmy Marchiano (guitar, vocals), Andrew Lipke (keyboards, guitar, vocals, percussion), Adam Ferraioli (drums, percussion), and Phil D’Agostino (bass) — use their multi-instrumental talents to re-create Led Zeppelin’s songs. If there were three guitars on the album, GTLO delivers three guitarists on stage. The Philadelphia-based group focuses on performing a high energy Zeppelin concert with accuracy, honesty, and heart-thumping intensity.
GTLO’s approach to performing Led Zeppelin’s catalog is not unlike a classical performance.
“Led Zeppelin are sort of the classical composers of the rock era,” said lead vocalist Paul Sinclair. “I believe 100 years from now they will be looked at as the Bach or Beethoven of our time. As cliché as it sounds, their music is timeless.”
Tickets to Get the Led Out are $36. Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at http://tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC Arts Center box office. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call 847-622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted
ESO continues season focused on American music
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Charles Ives’ “Symphony No. 2” on March 12 and 13 at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin, will be the first time the orchestra has performed the work, and continues the ESO’s season focus on American music.
Tickets start at $30 and a Musically Speaking pre-concert discussion with Andrew Grams begins one hour before the show. After Saturday night’s performance, ticketholders are invited to the ESO’s Mingle with the Musicians at the Elgin Public House. For concert tickets, contact the Box Office at 847-888-4000 or visit ElginSymphony.org.
The world premiere of Ives’ “Symphony No. 2” by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in 1951 took place 50 years after it was written, according to a release from ESO. By that time, Ives had ventured into far more dissonant works and when he heard the performance on the radio (he was too ill to attend the concert) he “got up, spat in the fireplace and walked into the kitchen without a word,” many say in disgust at what he called one of his “soft” pieces.
Music Director Andrew Grams says he paired this work with the Brahms’ “Piano Concerto No. 2,” featuring pianist Alexander Schimpf, because “Ives took the same symphonic ideas of Brahms, used American popular tunes such as ‘Turkey in the Straw,’ ‘Camptown Races’ and ‘America the Beautiful’ and wove them together to create a Brahms-style symphony.” “Symphony No. 2” is one of Ives’ more accessible works written when he was in his late twenties.
Forest Preserve of Kane County seeks summer interns, seasonal employees
The Forest Preserve District of Kane County seeks applicants for 2016 summer seasonal and internships positions.
Available positions include full and part time positions. Internships and seasonal positions include: natural resources technician intern/seasonal, naturalist intern/seasonal, public relations intern, horticulturist intern, horticulturist/garden seasonal, campground attendant seasonal, maintenance-field operations seasonal, human resources/volunteer services assistant seasonal and trades seasonal.
Applicants who apply for the campground attendant or horticulturist intern must be 21 years of age or older. Applicants for other summer positions must be 18 years of age or older. All candidates must be able to work outdoor in adverse weather, possess a valid driver’s license, and able to maintain an enthusiastic, courteous, positive attitude and team spirit.
For information and full descriptions of each position, go to the “Employment Opportunities” section of the Forest Preserve District’s Web site at www.kaneforet.com.
All candidates must apply online at http://www.kaneforest.com/employment/apply.aspx. For questions, contact Human Resources Specialist Betsy Scaletta at 630-208-8662 or e-mail hrforest@kaneforest.com.
