OTTAWA – The Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra (IVSO) continues its year-long diamond anniversary celebration with a festive concert titled The Sparkle of the Season at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14th, at the Ottawa High School auditorium.

The program opens with the stirring Glory Overture by Michael W. Smith, arranged by David Hamilton, followed by Dan Goeller’s enchanting Christmas Fantasy and more holiday classics. Audiences can also look forward to a lively holiday sing-along to cap off the afternoon.

This concert is a collaboration with three choirs, creating a 90-member chorus composed of Ottawa High School’s two top choirs, under the direction of Ali Stachowicz, and the Illinois Valley Community College Collegiate Choir, led by Jenilyn Roether.

Together with Roether as the soloist, the ensembles will perform selections from Handel’s Messiah and Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett’s The Many Moods of Christmas. The Collegiate Choir will also present standalone pieces, including Long Ago and This Little Babe.

After the concert, attendees are invited to join the IVSO at Lone Buffalo in Ottawa to celebrate the unveiling of “The Maestro” lager, a special 75th-anniversary commemorative brew by Tangled Roots Brewing Company.

Tickets are available at ivso.org. Adult general admission is $20, college students are $5 with ID, and students through 12th grade are free. 

The 2024-25 IVSO season is sponsored by Miller Group Charitable Trust and this program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. All IVSO venues are accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For questions about accommodations, please contact accessibility@ivso.org.