Joseph and Marie Grant Spring Concert Will Feature Works by Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Ran

Thanks to the generosity of a DePaul alumnus who never forgot the gift of education offered by his alma mater, hundreds of highly talented student musicians in the DePaul Symphony Orchestra have had an opportunity to perform spring concerts at Orchestra Hall for the past three decades. This year’s eagerly awaited 30th anniversary Joseph and Marie Grant Spring Concert will be presented at 8 p.m. May 23 in Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Conducted by Cliff Colnot, the program features music by Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz and Shulamit Ran.

Joseph Grant, a 1933 graduate of the DePaul College of Law and music lover, founded the concert series with his wife, Marie, as an expression of gratitude to DePaul. This institution provided him with much-needed financial and emotional support during the dark days of the Depression when the young Grant struggled to pay tuition to obtain his law degree. With that degree, he became a successful attorney, real estate developer and philanthropist. Visionary and pragmatic, Joseph and Marie Grant immediately warmed to the idea of presenting an annual spring concert by the DePaul Symphony Orchestra when the couple was first approached about sponsoring the event more than 30 years ago. The concert was continued through an estate gift after Marie and Joseph died.

“My parents began a wonderful tradition and would be very pleased with the popularity of this event, and, more importantly, with the orchestra’s central role in the music school’s curriculum,” said their son, Michael Grant, a member of the DePaul School of Music Advisory Board. “Today, the quality of the ensemble is, in my opinion, second to none for a student orchestra. My sister Adrienne and I are very appreciative of what our parents have accomplished.”

With its superb academic and performance programs, coupled with a distinguished faculty roster, DePaul’s School of Music continues to attract an increasingly gifted student population. That standard of excellence, in turn, is reflected in the quality of the DePaul Symphony Orchestra. Under conductor Cliff Colnot’s stewardship—his tenure began in 1997—the orchestra has steadily gained reputation and stature. Colnot, who is principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary MusicNOW series and resident conductor of the Civic Orchestra, brings high musical standards to the podium at DePaul.

This year’s concert program opens with Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, followed by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Shulamit Ran’s “Voices,” and Berlioz’ “Symphonie Fantastique.” Flutist Mary Stolper is the featured soloist in Ran’s score, penned as a commission for the National Flute Association convention in 2000. Principal Flute of the Grant Park Orchestra, Concertante di Chicago and Chicago Opera Theater, Stolper joined the DePaul music faculty in 1986. Her first critically acclaimed recording on the Erato label includes music by Ran.

When it debuted, Berlioz’s first symphony sounded like no other music written. In an amazingly inventive use of the orchestra, the composer created entirely new sounds, daring harmonies and melodies – and changed forever the definition of symphonic music. The “Symphonie Fantastique” is in five programmatic movements and inspired by the composer’s obsession with a young English actress he would eventually marry.

Mendelssohn’s first symphony, written by the composer when he was just 15, was actually preceded by 12 symphonies for strings. Charming and filled with promise, these pieces show an admiration for Mozart and a careful study of Bach. The last of these completed works, No. 12, will be performed on this program.

The Joseph and Marie Grant Spring Concert is free and open to the public. For tickets, contact the Orchestra Hall Box Office at (312) 294-3000.