New Philharmonic presents its legendary New Year’s Eve concerts

These celebratory concerts will take place at 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and will feature acclaimed Mexican-American bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba.

Photo: Maestro Kirk Muspratt and New Philharmonic. Courtesy of the MAC.

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello,” said Brazilian novelist Paulo Coehlo. The best way for Chicagoland residents to say hello to the New Year is to attend the fabulous New Year’s Eve concerts organized by New Philharmonic.

Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Kirk Muspratt, New Philharmonic will present spectacular New Year’s Eve concerts at 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31 at the McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn. Acclaimed Mexican-American bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba, who wowed audiences at the last New Year’s Eve concerts, returns by popular demand.

The concerts, sponsored by the Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, will feature a celebratory program full of works from classical music and opera arias to pop songs. It will also be followed by a champagne toast and other interesting moments, such as an opportunity to talk and take pictures with Maestro Muspratt and Ollarsaba. The media sponsor of this concert program is 90.9 FM WDCB Public Radio.

Maestro Muspratt and the musicians of New Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra based in DuPage County, prepared a wonderful set of musical jams that will please everyone in the audience.

An acclaimed and versatile vocalist, Ollarsaba will join the orchestra in this festive concert program and will add to it his charisma and talent. He 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.”

Photo: Richard Ollarsaba. Photo by Kristin Hoebermann.

Richard Ollarsaba is praised by The Washington Post for his “meltingly smooth bass-baritone” and for “evoking a young Ruggero Raimondi in looks and manner.” He represented the USA in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, one of the most prestigious international vocal competitions. Ollarsaba was a member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for three seasons. Richard became a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He also won the American Opera Society of Chicago 2015 Best Vocalist Award. His recent credits include singing the 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.

The program will feature a playful and intriguing “Furioso Polka” by Johann Strauss Jr., which will swirl everyone with its fast rhythm and festive melodies. His elegant and delightful piece “Roses from the South Waltz,” op. 388 will raise great expectations for the New Year in everyone’s soul. The notes of that beautiful waltz will remind the audience of the moves of fabulous dancers in their nice gowns and suits.

The sounds of the next piece are admired by people from all over the world. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s processional “Polonaise” from his lyric opera “Eugene Onegin” will please everyone’s heart and bring warm feelings and joy. The scene with an elegant ballroom full of distinguished guests dancing the Polonaise opens the final act of Tchaikovsky’s three-act opera, “Eugene Onegin.”

Although his music is a cornerstone of French Romantic opera, not everyone is familiar with French composer Jules Massenet. However, many will recognize the sounds of Navarraise from Act 2 of his opera called Le Cid. This flourishing piece will impress the audience with its energy and enthusiastic dance motives.

Elmer Bernstein's iconic score to the 1960 classic Western film “The Magnificent Seven” will bring a happy mood and warm fuzzies. And, certainly, it’s impossible to imagine the New Philharmonic New Year’s Eve concerts without fabulous Johann Strauss Sr. and his celebratory Radetzky March. Maestro Muspratt knows the best way of presenting this masterpiece!

Don’t miss this beautiful celebration of the New Year! The tickets are $70-$80. For tickets, please visit https://atthemac.org/events/new-years-eve-concert/ or call 630-942-4000. The McAninch Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 6 p.m. and two hours prior to performance.

Natalia Dagenhart