Waukegan, Illinois (October 4, 2024) – The Waukegan Symphony Orchestra presents Forgotten Gems on Sunday, October 6, 2024 from 4pm to 6pm at the Orlin Trapp Auditorium, located at 2325 Brookside Avenue on Waukegan High School’s Brookside Campus. The concert will feature Uli Widmaier on the viola and Howard Green on the clarinet.
Established in 1974, the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. Led by Music Director Alexander Platt, the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra provides a unique performance opportunity for more than 50 devoted musicians of varying ages and levels of musical experience. Concerts will feature guest soloists from around the country.
Uli Widmaier has been principal violist for the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, the Salt Creek Chamber Orchestra, and the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, and often performs as a soloist and chamber musician. Mr. Widmaier also operates a music school where he teaches violin, viola, cello, piano, theory, and ear training. This concert will be Mr. Widmaier’s first performance on a new viola that was custom-made for him in 2023 by Joseph Curtis, a luthier in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Howard Green has played clarinet since 1964 and has been the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinet since 2004. Mr. Green has been principal clarinet and concertmaster in numerous ensembles, including the Arlington Heights Community Band, the Chicago Symphonic Concert Band, the Mount Prospect Community Band, the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, and the North Shore Symphony. Now in his twentieth season with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Green offers more than 60 years of professional music experience to the ensemble.
A ticket is required to attend the concert. The following ticket options are available:
- Students and Children (18 years and younger): FreeÂ
- General Admission: $20
The concert is supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Season tickets are available at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. A special rate of $50 is available for season tickets for the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, in celebration of their 50th anniversary. More information, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, is available at waukeganparks.org/wsocc.
About the Waukegan Park District
Established on December 26, 1916, the Waukegan Park District (WPD) has 53 properties and more than 742 acres of land, including the 18-hole Bonnie Brook and 9-hole Greenshire Golf Courses. Properties are managed to the highest environmental and conservation standards. Facilities operated by the WPD include the Field House Sports, Fitness and Aquatics Center, Waukegan’s Greg Petry SportsPark, Waukegan Skate Park, BMX Track, SplashZone, Percussion Playground, recreational centers, disc golf course, dog exercise area and agility course, outdoor sports fields, picnic areas, playgrounds, splash pads, and sports courts including basketball, tennis and pickleball. A full range of programs and services are offered year-round for all ages, from infants to seniors, as well as special need populations. Healthy lifestyles, wellness initiatives, and a connection with the outdoors and nature are integrated throughout programs, services, and special events. Arts and cultural activities are provided by the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, Waukegan Symphony Orchestra and Concert Chorus, and the Waukegan History Museum. We offer something for everyone!
A member of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD), Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA), and the Park District Risk Management Agency (PDRMA), the WPD employs 73 full-time and 219 part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees and is recognized by the IPRA as an Exceptional Workplace.
Nationally accredited by the NRPA Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and State accredited through the IAPD Distinguished Agency Accreditation, the WPD has received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Triple Crown Award for receiving the GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The WPD was awarded the NRPA National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management in 2013, and was named a Gold Medal Finalist in 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Media Contact
Josue Pasillas, MPA
Communications Supervisor
Waukegan Park District
(847) 360-4789
jpasillas@waukeganparks.org
waukeganparks.org