New Philharmonic, the professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), and Music Director/Conductor Kirk Muspratt present a New Year’s Eve program filled with works from classical to opera to pops, a champagne toast, secret surprises and more at 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Acclaimed Mexican-American bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba, who wowed audiences last New Year’s Eve, returns by popular demand.
The skilled musicians of New Philharmonic will be showcased in Johann Strauss Jr.’s spritely “Furioso Polka“ and “Roses from the South Waltz, op. 388,” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s processional “Polonaise” from the lyric opera “Eugene Onegin,” Jules Massenet’s “Navarraise” from “Le Cid,” Elmer Bernstein’s stirring “The Magnificent Seven Suite,” Johann Strauss Sr.’s celebratory “Radetzky March” and more.
Maestro Kirk Muspratt and New Philharmonic
Ollarsaba will be featured in “Le tambour major” from Thomas Savage’s comedic opera “Le Caïd,” and John Kander’s “Maybe This Time” from the Tony Award-winning musical “Cabaret” before leading the audience in a rousing sing-along of the traditional “Auld Lang Syne.”
A critically hailed and versatile vocalist, Ollarsaba represented the U.S. in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, one of the most prestigious international vocal competitions. He also was a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for three seasons, and a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ollarsaba won the American Opera Society of Chicago 2015 Best Vocalist Award. Recent credits include singing title role in “Don Giovanni” with Opera Hong Kong, Opera Grand Rapids and Opera Carolina; and the role of Figaro in “Le nozze di Figaro” with New Zealand Opera and Minnesota Opera.
Tickets
New Philharmonic presents three New Year’s Eve Concerts at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., on the campus of College of DuPage, Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 1:30, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $70-$80. The 1:30 p.m. performance is sold out, but tickets remain for the 5 and 8:30 p.m. performances. 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. Holiday hours may vary.
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.
The New Year’s Eve concerts are sponsored by the Sullivan Taylor Family Trust. Media Sponsor is 90.9 FM WDCB Public Radio.
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 AtTheMAC.org or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn, Anonymous, College of DuPage Foundation, Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, DuPage Foundation, Ball Horticultural, Frank Modruson & Lynne Shigley, Enjoy Illinois, Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Media Sponsor is WDCB 90.9 FM, Hotel Sponsor is DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville.
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