Discover Symphony, Clarinet Times Two, on Sunday August 28 at Schram Memorial Chapel in Glenview at 3 p.m.

Discover Symphony, the next generation of the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra, announced that after 28 years, it will perform its final concert, Clarinet Times Two, on Sunday August 28 at Schram Memorial Chapel in Glenview at 3 p.m. The performance features Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, the first known work written for clarinet and string quartet, followed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Clarinet Quintet, a work that was written as a challenge to Brahms’s quintet, a piece that had become the new gold standard for this wonderful combination of instruments. Tickets may be purchased at www.discoversymphony.org/.

Please join the Symphony following the performance for a reception to commemorate a 28-year history of critically acclaimed performances, such as Holst’s The Planets, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue, and Mahler’s 5th Symphony, as well as community initiatives that included family Halloween concerts, annual music scholarships and continuing music workshops at Lutheran General Hospital’s Adult Down Syndrome Center.

In October 2020, the award-winning Park Ridge Civic Orchestra (PRCO) wanted to expand its geographic reach and make classical music more accessible to a greater number of patrons and communities. After performing solely in Park Ridge for 26 years, the PRCO rebranded as Discover Symphony with a mission of accessibility, inclusion and education.

Displaced from its concert home, the Pickwick Theatre in 2017 and then sidelined by COVID and the sudden loss of its main donor, the organization was never able to find a new suitable concert venue nor recoup new major sponsors and donors. Therefore, the Discover Symphony board of directors have made the difficult decision to shutter the organization.

Highlights over many PRCO’s seasons featured performances by a broad array of famous guest artists, including Violin Virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine; the late Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Principal Trumpeter Adolph Herseth; Pianist Ralph Votapek; former CSO Principal Cellist John Sharp; Baritone William Warfield; former CSO Concertmasters Samuel Magad and Robert Chen; Twin Pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton; Blackhawks National Anthem Singer Jim Cornelison; Pianist Leah Dominy; Famed Harmonica Virtuoso Howard Levy; Clarinetist Kinan Azmeh; former CSO Concertmaster David Taylor; Composer and WFMT Host William McGlaughlin; and the late CSO First Lady Valerie Solti.

Founded in 1994 by CSO first violinist Edgar Muenzer, his wife Nancy and a cadre of dedicated supporters, this organization was acknowledged as one of the finest professional symphonies in Illinois, with numerous awards including the Governor’s Hometown Award; 10 awards from the Illinois Council of Orchestras, including “Orchestra of the Year”; the Illinois Humanities Council Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award (to Edgar and Nancy Muenzer); Pickwick Arts Award; and several Mayoral Proclamations from the City of Park Ridge.

About Discover Symphony
Discover Symphony believes classical music should reach everyone, everywhere. Our professional symphonic performances promote access to and appreciation for classical music, pairing modern premieres with traditional favorites to connect with communities and audiences through the musical arts. Our commitment to education and community involvement begins with school music workshops, masterclasses, student scholarships, Down Syndrome music workshops and more. Please help support Discover Symphony’s efforts to inspire, uplift and unite communities through music. We invite you to join us as we build this sound future for Discover Symphony and our audiences of today and tomorrow. We are a 501(c) 3 organization. Donations are fully tax deductible. More information can be found at www.discoversymphony.org. You can also follow Discover Symphony on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DiscoverSymphony.

Media Contact:
Pam Benitez
Director of Development
[email protected]

For More Information Contact:
Effective Corporate Communications
312.898.3072