From crowd-pleasing Pops concerts to world-class artists including violinist Braimeh Kanneh-Mason, 2022 Van Cliburn Medal Winner Anna Geniushene and rising star Aristo Sham, the artistry of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra will shine. We are excited to welcome back former Music Directors Alastair Willis and Ken Lam as we continue to celebrate the excellence of the ISO!
Each concert provides a different perspective to the questions, what can an evening with your ISO sound like; what can it feel like? Become a season ticket holder and enjoy 30%* OFF the full price ticket value with our first time season ticket offer so you can experience the passion, the surprise, and the fun of live music.
Order & save today! Now is the time to order your season tickets. We offer a wide variety of season ticket packages to fit your interests, schedule, and lifestyle. Season tickets may be purchased by phone or in-person in Springfield through the UIS Ticket Office at (217) 206-6160 or in Bloomington-Normal through ISU Center for the Performing Arts Ticket Office at (309) 438-2535. Season ticket pricing for FIRST TIME season ticket holders range from $322 (Full Price $414) for ALL EIGHT performances in premium level seating to $70 (Full Price $95) for Popular Pops in Price Level 2 seating.
* Special promotional pricing NOT valid for those who purchased season tickets during the 2023-2024 season. Price Level 3, student priced, and Flexi tickets do not qualify for the first time season ticket offer.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-2025 season is sponsored by season sponsors The Landmark Automotive Group and Debra & Daniel Brownstone, M.D.
2024-2025 Season Schedule
Festive Fanfare, Symphony Orchestra
Taichi Fukumura, Music Director | Braimah Kanneh-Mason, Violin
Walton Spitfire Prelude and Fugue – Coleridge-Taylor Violin Concerto – Dvořák Symphony No. 8
Friday, October 18, 2024 @ 7:30 PM | UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Saturday, October 19, 2024 @ 7:30 PM | ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Normal, IL
Join us 1 hour prior to the concert for Concert Comments.
Paris Impressions, Symphony Orchestra
Alastair Willis, Conductor | Robert Mangialardi, Actor
Selections from Franck Symphony in D minor – Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – Stravinsky Firebird – Petrushka – Rite of Spring – Poulenc Les Biches – Ravel La Valse and more
Friday, November 8, 2024 @ 7:30 PM | UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Saturday, November 9, 2024 @ 7:30 PM | ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Normal, IL
Join us 1 hour prior to the concert for Concert Comments.
Holiday Pops in the Heartland, Pops Concert
Taichi Fukumura, Music Director | Vanessa Bercerra, Soprano
With the Bloomington-Normal Youth Symphony, Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestras, Springfield Choral Society, and Springfield Youth Performance Group
Friday, December 13, 2024 @ 7:30 PM | UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Saturday, December 14, 2024 @ 7:30 PM | ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Normal, IL
Spectacle of Light, Chamber Orchestra
Taichi Fukumura, Music Director
Garrop Spectacle of Light – Haydn Symphony No. 6 “The Morning” – Mozart Symphony No. 39
Friday, January 17, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, IL
Saturday, January 18, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | Second Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, IL
Coda Conversations will immediately follow.
Romantic Reflections, Symphony Orchestra
Ken Lam, Conductor | Aristo Sham, Piano
Tian Gift – Brahms Symphony No. 3 – Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 – Liszt Les Preludes
Friday, February 7, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Saturday, February 8, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Normal, IL
Join us 1 hour prior to the concert for Concert Comments.
Magical Music of Harry Potter, Pops
Taichi Fukumura, Music Director
Friday, March 7, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Saturday, March 8, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Normal, IL
Serenade of Strings, Chamber Orchestra
Taichi Fukumura, Music Director
Akutagawa Tryptique for Strings – Still Danzes de Panama – Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings
Friday, April 4, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, IL
Saturday, April 5, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | Second Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, IL
Coda Conversations will immediately follow.
Passion & Pulse, Symphony Orchestra
Taichi Fukumura, Music Director | Anna Geniushene, Piano
Nabors Pulse – Ravel Piano Concerto in G – Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
Friday, May 2, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Saturday, May 3, 2025 @ 7:30 PM | ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Normal, IL
Join us 1 hour prior to the concert for Concert Comments.
[ Dates & programs subject to change ]
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO), led by Music Director Taichi Fukumura, is central Illinois’ largest professional orchestra serving over 35,000 patrons in the communities of Bloomington-Normal, Springfield and the surrounding region with symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, and Concerts for Kids series in each community. In addition to concert performances, the Orchestra’s music education and outreach programs serve pre-K and elementary schools through the Itsy Arts and Music Matters education programs and reach middle schools, high schools, universities, community organizations and senior centers through guest artist residencies and musician and ensemble performances. The ISO also has an active Sips & Sounds Summer Concert Series, Around the Town Chamber Music Series and the Beyond the Stage concert experience. The Illinois Symphony Orchestra has a budget of approximately $1.4 million.
In July 2020, the ISO acquired the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony (SVYS) started in the early 1970s by parents, music teachers and musicians to keep string instrument education and a youth orchestra in Springfield and surrounding communities following the elimination of all school orchestra programs. Now, the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestras (ISYO) programs consist of Starter and Junior Strings, Preparatory Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra serving over 300 students. The ISO also has a partnership in education and community engagement (PEACE) with the UIS-School of Music and Illinois State University’s Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts and School of Music.
Additional information about the Illinois Symphony Orchestra is available at www.ilsymphony.org.
The ISO is partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
