Music of the Night - April 29, 2025 - LaGrange Symphony Orchestra

News Review/Comments May 6, 2025

A Triumphant Season Finale

Expectations were high as LaGrange Symphony Orchestra (LSO) Patrons gathered Tuesday, April 29 for the last concert of the 2024/2025 season. Throughout this series, each concert held strong programs, featured guests, and proved to be high-quality performances. Tonight the same would come true.

Another beautiful night with near perfect conditions gave no excuse for missing, what would later be described as an “evocative and captivating concert”.

Here are a few images of guests as they arrived. It’s clear that a concert with the LSO is a happy occasion–cherished and celebrated by attendees.

A Night of Musical Brilliance

The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra closed its season with a triumphant crescendo, delivering a grand finale concert that shimmered with passion, artistry, and sheer musical excellence.

Ludwig van Beethoven

First on the program was Ludwig van Beethoven’s Overture to Fidelio, a piece that radiates courage and hope. Under the baton of Maestro Richard Prior, the LSO breathed vibrant life into Beethoven’s only opera overture. From the tense, shimmering strings of the introduction to the bold, radiant brass that heralded the overture’s triumphant conclusion, the performance was an exhilarating prelude to a concert that would grow in impact.

Dr. Sinisa Ciric, acting guest concertmaster

LaGrange Symphony Orchestra Maestro Richard Prior

Recognition of Students

Maestro Prior took a moment to acknowledge and thank student members of the orchestra who were now graduating from The Joyce and Henry Schwob School of Music. The graduates were invited to stand as the audience and their fellow orchestra members gave their heartfelt thanks and recognition. The moment was one of warmth, pride, and quiet celebration. They were celebrated for their musical achievements and the bond they’ve formed over the last few years with everyone on the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra stage and in the audience.

Recognition of graduating student musicians from The Joyce and Henry Schwob School of Music

Sir Edward Elgar

The program then turned to the soul-stirring depths of Edward Elgar’s Sea Pictures, featuring the luminous mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas. In a performance of rare beauty and sensitivity, Ms. Karanas navigated Elgar’s evocative seascapes with both commanding power and haunting tenderness. Her velvety tone and deep emotional connection to the text captivated the audience. The precise and liquid-mercury dynamics from the LSO tenderly supported every phrase. The orchestra proved an equal partner for her, offering a responsive backdrop that enhanced the natural ebb and flow of the music. At the conclusion of the final song the last notes gently faded and Ms. Karanas was met with a wave of on-going enthusiastic applause and a beautiful bouquet of flowers—an elegant gesture marking a truly stunning performance.

Andrew Lloyd Webber

The evening’s momentum did not end there. The orchestra returned, after intermission, with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Symphonic Suites, featuring themes from Evita and The Phantom of the Opera—a thrilling contrast to the evening’s earlier works. Both pieces were performed with cinematic flair and infectious energy. The familiar and moving strains of Evita stirred shouts of approval from the audience at its conclusion. The haunting motifs and robust orchestration of both Evita and Phantom really underscored their storylines–such is the genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber! This proved once again the LSO’s remarkable versatility.

As the final triumphant chords rang out in Phantom of the Opera, the audience jumped to their feet in a rousing standing ovation. The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra had not merely performed—they had transported their listeners through centuries and genres, uniting classical grandeur with theatrical storytelling in a season finale worthy of its name.

Brava to Daveda Karanas, and bravo to the LSO for a season-ending concert that will surely resonate in the hearts of its audience for a long time to come.

Wrap Gathering

In celebration of the successful 2024/2025 LSO season plus a graduation send-off of several Schwob students and a gesture of thanks to the musicians, a wrap gathering was held at Del’avant. Here are a few photos from the extended evening.

Looking Forward

The excitement about what lies ahead this fall for the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra has already begun. We are all looking forward to what the 2025/2026 LSO season “Breaking Sound Barriers” may bring!