New Philharmonic rings in the new year with three New Year’s Eve concerts Saturday, Dec. 31

The concerts will take place Dec. 31 at 1:30, 5 and 8:30 p.m. and will feature baritone Mischa Bouvier and members of the pop/rock electric violin ensemble The CoverGirls.

Photo: New Philharmonic. Photo courtesy of the McAninch Arts Center

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the new year to come, whispering, ‘it will be happier’,” said English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. That’s exactly what all of us need – a happier and healthier new year. New Philharmonic prepared three celebratory New Year’s Eve concerts that will create just the right mood for that. The concerts will take place on Saturday, December 31 at 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. at the McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn.

Each year brings new hopes, discoveries, and challenges. For New Philharmonic, a professional orchestra based in DuPage County, 2022 has been a great year. As always, the orchestra presented wonderful concerts full of a diverse selection of orchestral programming from custom musical scores to timeless classics. Now, New Philharmonic is looking forward to another great year and is ready to continue its outstanding 2022-2023 concert season. However, you have to say “goodbye” to the outgoing year, and New Philharmonic has its own unique and festive way to do that.

Under the baton of beloved Maestro Kirk Muspratt, the orchestra will perform a variety of popular music, waltzes, arias, and light classical favorites. New Philharmonic will also be happy to feature guest artists Mischa Bouvier (baritone) and members of the pop/rock violin group The CoverGirls, known for their purple electric violins.

The concert program will start with Johann Strauss II’s “Thunder and Lightning Polka,” Op. 324 that will swirl the audience on the waves of its festive and happy melodies and rhythm. You can even clap to this brilliant piece! After that, the gentle chords and elegant motives of the composer’s “The Blue Danube,” Op. 314 will bring joy and happiness into everyone’s heart.

The concert program will continue with Joseph Hellmesberger’s “Kleiner Anzeiger Galop,” Op. 4. The fast tempo of this piece and its incredible energy will make the audience stamp and smile. Josef Strauss’ “Phoenix March,” Op. 105 will make everyone think that the composer was in a great mood while writing it, and it’s probably true!

The tip-toeing sounds of the Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss II will encourage the audience to pay full attention to the stage and wonder how such a large group of musicians can play pizzicato in such a quiet, careful, and beautiful way. “Hoe-down” from Aaron Copland’s ballet “Rodeo” will impress the audience as this ballet is “a celebration of the American West and reflects an important image we have of ourselves.” Selections from movie scores, including Jerry Goldsmith’s nostalgic and thoughtful “Chinatown” and Ennio Morricone’s magical “Cinema Paradiso,” will add charm and deep emotion to this concert program.

Guest baritone Mischa Bouvier will join the orchestra and perform the colorful song “Te Busco” made popular by salsa singer Celia Cruz and romantic “This Nearly Was Mine” from Richard Rodgers’ “South Pacific.” Bouvier is an American classical singer praised for his outstanding talent as a soloist, recitalist, and vocalist. The New York Times calls Bouvier “a baritone with a rich timbre and a fine sense of line,” while Opera News praises him for his “soothing, cavernous baritone that can soar to heights of lyric beauty.”

The CoverGirls will join New Philharmonic and Bouvier for “Auld Lang Syne,” a song that is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Together with Bouvier and the orchestra, The CoverGirls will also perform a high-octane rendition of “Proud Mary” written by Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty but known by many for Tina Turner’s legendary cover.

Known for their high-energy performances and skillful improvisations, The CoverGirls have performed dynamic, pop/rock covers alongside musical legends across the US since 2009. The group has entertained three US Presidents and has shared the stage with Chicago, Rod Stewart, Kristen Chenoweth, Aretha Franklin, CeeLo Green, Deepak Chopra and The Moody Blues, among others. These violinists are some of the Chicago area’s most accomplished pop and rock string artists, and their appearance at the Belushi Performance Hall located at the MAC will add elegance and spice to this concert program.

Don’t miss your chance to attend the New Philharmonic New Year’s Eve concerts with guest baritone Mischa Bouvier and members of The CoverGirls! Each performance will include party favors and a champagne toast in the lobby following the concert.

Tickets are $67-$77. For more information visit https://www.atthemac.org/ or call the MAC box office at 630.942.4000, Tuesday – Saturday, 12 noon – 6 p.m.

Natalia Dagenhart

12/16/22