Music Director Steven Larsen and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra welcome piano virtuoso Olga Kern to play two of the most popular works in the piano repertoire.  The concert is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center.  The performance is part of the ComEd Classics Series and is graciously sponsored by Seward Screw.

Russian born Olga Kern, raised in a musical family with ties to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, will join the RSO to perform two of the most difficult and popular works written for piano, Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the finale from Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.  The RSO closes the concert with Tchaikovsky's glorious Symphony No. 5—not performed by the RSO since Maestro Larsen’s first concert with the orchestra seventeen years ago.  Olga Kern’s appearance is made possible through a generous gift from Focus Financial Advisors, Inc., Greg and Laurel Franchini, Tom and Darlene Furst.

Tickets for this concert are available at www.rockfordsymphony.com or by calling the RSO Box Office at 815-965-0049. Ticket prices range from $15 to $46 ($18 - $49 on the day of the concert at the Coronado Box office).

To enhance the concert experience, the program notes are available on-line.  Patrons are also invited to attend the pre-concert lecture by Steven Larsen at 6 p.m. the night of the concert in the theatre.  Concert-goers are also invited to attend Sound Bites from noon until 1 p.m. Friday, February 8, at Brio located at 515 E. State St.  The Sound Bites on February 8 features Olga Kern in conversation with Steven Larsen.

This season, the RSO welcomes over 600 new subscribers, and boasts record renewal rates, bringing our total subscriber family to more than 2,400.  "We are thrilled to have more and more members of our community experiencing live orchestral music," Executive Director Brian Ritter said.  "This is a true testament to the talent of Steven Larsen and the musicians of the RSO."

Under the artistic leadership of Music Director Steven Larsen, the Rockford Symphony Orchestra is a leading arts organization in the Rockford Region and the third largest symphony orchestra in the state of Illinois.  The RSO is made up of 85 professional musicians who perform 17 concerts per year--including classics, pops, ballet, and opera--for an estimated annual audience of 30,000.  The RSO was named the 2007 Orchestra of the Year for Illinois.

In Brief:
Rockford Symphony Orchestra Classics Concert
Olga Kern Plays Rachmaninov
Saturday, February 9, 2008
7 p.m. - Coronado Theatre

Program:
Rachmaninov:  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Tchaikovsky:  Finale of Concerto No. 1
Olga Kern, piano
Tchaikovsky:  Symphony No. 5
Tickets are $15 - $46 in advance
Visit www.rockfordsymphony.com or call 815-965-0049