A Note from the Music Director

October 23, 2021 Welcome to the first show of the muchanticipated, long-delayed “Steve Larsen Farewell Concert Tour!” T-shirts, bobbleheads and souvenir merch will be available at intermission in the lobby (or not). Tonight’s program is a rather ungainly hybrid: the first half is a parade of some of my favorite finales (for my own finale: get it?) followed by an attempt to relive the fun of our 2019 “Last Night of the Proms” concert. It’s a perfect example of what happens when one tries to cram too much into too little time — for which I have regrets but no apologies. We’ll play some great music, take a short intermission and then have a lot of fun with some sing-alongs and assorted British silliness and traditions. After tonight’s extravaganza, we’ll join the Rockford Dance Company for “The Nutcracker” in December, followed by a final Holiday Pops concert with the Nielsen Chorale — twenty-eight years after the RSO’s first Pops concert — after which I will exit stage right for the last time. Whether your tastes lean towards the traditional concert or the pops format, I think you’ll enjoy this concert. But I think I speak for many of you when I say that the greatest thrill tonight will come from being in the Coronado with a full audience and an orchestra and chorus on stage. It’s been a while: our last performance was March 7, 2020, just before everything shut down. Technology makes it possible for us to enjoy music in the privacy of our own homes, our cars, or through our phones or portable screens, but it can’t compare to that joyful feeling of experiencing it live with others. Welcome back, everyone: audience, ushers, orchestra, chorus, stage hands, box office personnel! And enjoy!

Steven Larsen