Orchestra

The Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra is comprised of School of Music faculty members, hired professional musicians and students who successfully audition for the School of Music. The Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra generally performs three concerts per semester including Masterworks and Chamber Music series concerts, Labor Day Pops and collaborations with the Millikin Opera Theatre and the School of Theatre and Dance. Membership in the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra places a high demand on students gaining hands-on experience playing alongside School of Music faculty and other professional musicians. For more information, visit https://symphonyguildofdecatur.org/. 

Labor Day Pops

Monday, September 2, 2024 6:00 p.m. | The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater

Henrik Karapetyan, violin

The MDSO returns to the Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater! Invite your friends and family to join us for our annual Labor Day Pops concert. An exciting afternoon with stops at the movies, the theater stage, and your patriotic favorites. Come on out for what is sure to be a fun evening for all.

Masterworks I: One Thousand and One Nights

Saturday, October 5, 2024, 7:30 p.m. | Kirkland Fine Arts Center

Evan Tammen, oboe

Kinga Augustyn, violin

Join us for our season opener “One Thousand and One Nights”! The MDSO will present two fantastic stories of heroes, faith, deception, and fantasy. A story of a fall from grace, forgiveness, and a glorious triumph, Danse Bacchanale by Saint-Saëns is taken from the familiar cautionary tale of Samson and Delilah. We are also pleased to welcome Millikin faculty member and principal oboist Evan Tammen who will join virtuoso concert violinist and recording artist Kinga Augustyn to perform J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor. Ms. Augustyn will also perform the beloved Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saëns with stunning flare. We will then close the evening with the epic Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. The tale of One Thousand and One Nights is full of fantastic characters and stories that has inspired generations.

Masterworks II: American Soundscapes

Saturday, November 9, 2024, 7:30 p.m. | Kirkland Fine Arts Center

Claire Taylor, bassoon

Paul S. Kim, guest conductor

The MDSO will feature principal bassoonist Claire Taylor performing The Five Sacred Trees by John Williams. This iconic composer of movie music from Star Wars to the Harry Potter series is underestimated for his ability for originality and the creation of classical masterpieces. Guest conductor Paul S. Kim, Director of Orchestral Activities at Old Dominion University will lead the MDSO in Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story. “American Soundscapes” will then conclude with Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3. The finale to this symphony includes the famous “Fanfare for the Common Man” used during the Olympics in the 1990s.

Masterworks III: For the Young and Young at Heart!

Saturday, February 22, 2025, 7:30 p.m. | Kirkland Fine Arts Center

Steven Cooler, guest conductor and ICWC Winner

Along with performances by the winners of Millikin University’s annual Concerto/Aria Competition, the MDSO will present an evening of favorites inspired by the young, school settings, and even graduation day! Both the Academic Festival Overture by Brahms and the Pomp and Circumstance March have been used in academic ceremonies including most American high school graduations. The MDSO in partnership with the International Conductors Workshop and Competition is pleased to welcome the 2023 competition winner Steven Cooler to conduct the Academic Festival Overture. We will also present Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra which guides the listener through the instrumental families and the various orchestral sounds and styles available to the ensemble.

SOTAD Main Stage Production: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

April 11–13, 2025 | Kirkland Fine Arts Center

Elizebeth Creighton, music director and conductor

The main stage production moves to the spring of 2025 featuring Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Under the direction of Beth Creighton, the musical is a collaboration between the School of Theater and Dance and the School of Music at Millikin University. We are pleased to include the mainstage production on the MDSO season ticket this year!

Masterworks IV: Season Finale – A Dvořák Celebration

Saturday, May 3, 2025, 7:30 p.m. | Kirkland Fine Arts Center

Igor Kalnin, violin

The MDSO will close its season with a celebration of imminent Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. One of the most recognized composers of orchestral music, Dvořák holds the distinction of one who helped two countries to discover their own heritage and sound in the world of classical music. After establishing an international reputation, Dvořák left the former Czech Republic and immigrated to the United States. He quickly became a major voice in the development of a unique American sound. He was director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City allowing him to mentor new up-and-coming composers. The MDSO will present the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra featuring violinist Igor Kalnin, assistant professor of music at Illinois State University and conclude with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8.

Membership in the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra is open to all students playing string and orchestral woodwind, brass and percussion instruments via audition, regardless of major. Students playing orchestral woodwind, brass and percussion instruments must be recommended by their applied instructor after completing an audition. 

Auditions take place at the start of the Fall semester. Auditions consist of prepared excerpts and sight reading.