Illinois Council of Orchestras 2008 Orchestra of the Year
Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce that the Illinois Council of Orchestras has named Ars Viva as Orchestra of the Year 2008.
The Illinois Council of Orchestras is an organization dedicated to encouraging, promoting and assisting orchestras throughout the state of Illinois. The ICO board of directors makes their Orchestra of the Year selection based on quality of performance, innovative programming, community involvement, audience development and fiscal responsibility. In all these areas Ars Viva showed exemplary achievement.
Founded in 1995 with a mission of performing classical music concerts characterized by excellence and variety with a specific outreach to the elderly and the physically challenged, Maestro Heatherington’s wish was to form an orchestra that would not only provide the highest quality musical experience but would reach out to underserved groups in the community. Twelve years later, Ars Viva is truly a world-class orchestra with core musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a vibrant outreach program. CSO players hold nearly all principal chairs in the orchestra, raising the standard of performance to the highest level. Ars Viva concertmaster David Taylor (Associate Concertmaster CSO) recently wrote, “For years now I have looked forward to every concert I have ever played with Alan, and outside of the CSO consider Ars Viva to be the most rewarding thing I do in Chicago.”
The Illinois Council of Orchestras presented Heatherington the Conductor of the Year award at a reception held at Roosevelt University on Friday, February 29. A representative of the ICO was also on hand at the Ars Viva concert in May, where he presented the award in front of the local symphony audience.