DePaul University School of Music will present the music of Brahms and Tchaikovsky as part of the 33rd Annual Joseph and Marie Grant Spring Concert at Symphony Center featuring the DePaul Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Cliff Colnot. This free event will take place at 8 p.m. May 20 in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Tickets are complimentary and can be reserved by visiting music.depaul.edu or by calling (773) 325-4356.

The evening’s program includes Brahms’ "Academic Festival Overture," Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto in D and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4. Ilya Kaler, violin professor at DePaul, will be the featured soloist on Stravinsky’s concerto. Kaler is a Gold Medalist of the Tchaikovsky (1986), Sibelius (1985) and Paganini (1981) international violin competitions. Before coming to DePaul, Kaler served as a concertmaster with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, served on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Ind., and appeared as a guest concertmaster with the San Francisco Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

"The DePaul Symphony Orchestra’s annual spring concert is the culmination of a year’s worth of hard work and preparation," said Don Casey, dean of DePaul School of Music. "It is a wonderful opportunity for the community to witness the tremendous talent of our students."

Conducted by Cliff Colnot, director of DePaul orchestral activities, conductor for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series and resident conductor of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the DePaul Symphony Orchestra comprises of 80 School of Music students who range from freshmen to post-graduate performance certificate students. The ensemble focuses on a thorough and serious study of the core orchestral repertoire.

DePaul's School of Music, founded in 1912, is dedicated to excellence in music performance and teaching. The school offers high-caliber, challenging programs in performance, composition, music education, jazz studies, performing arts management and sound recording technology. The more than 110 faculty members at the School of Music bring a wealth of knowledge and professional music experience to their teaching.  Faculty members perform in many of Chicago’s renowned music organizations, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Chamber Musicians and Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.

Additional information about DePaul School of Music and its concerts is available at music.depaul.edu. For more information, call (773) 325-7260.