After a decade away, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) is thrilled to return to the Lincolnway area, bringing its mainstage concerts back to Lincoln-Way North High School. While the orchestra has presented most of its concerts in Palos Heights over the past 10 years, a significant portion of its audience has continued to travel from the Lincolnway area to attend.
For IPO Executive Director Christina Salerno, the most exciting part of returning to Lincoln-Way North and performing at the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University is simple: “The people!”
Both venues are rooted in vibrant communities filled with “thoughtful, caring, and energetic people,” Salerno says. For IPO, returning to Lincolnway is about more than bringing performances to a new stage. It’s about becoming part of the communities that make these spaces special. “Bringing live orchestral music to these spaces is just fun.”
That connection extends to young musicians, too. At each concert, an area youth organization has the opportunity to perform in the lobby as a Pre-Concert Opening Act, giving young musicians valuable performance experience and exposure.
For Marketing & Communications Director Ken Churilla, the goal is ultimately to give people “a few meaningful hours to just listen. To sit. To be.” In a world of goal-setting, list-making, working and planning, live orchestral music offers a chance to slow down, feel the vibrations of the music and share an experience with fellow humans in the same space.