On Thursday, April 7, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra announced the retirement of long-time pre-concert lecturer Ted Hatmaker. Hatmaker is slated to present his final pre-concert lecture immediately preceding ESO’s season finale, Beethoven 9, on Saturday, May 6. His lecture, as with all his lectures, is designed to enrich the concert-goers’ listening experience and will focus on the evening’s lineup of musical selections.
Hatmaker has been a patron of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra for more than 30 years, during which time he served in various roles including as a board member, program annotator, and, most notably, pre-concert lecturer. When asked how he feels about retirement, Hatmaker acknowledged that it was a difficult decision but added that, “there is so much to know about the music we listen to, and mine is only one point of view.”
The Elmhurst Symphony community, including music director and conductor Stephen Alltop, the ESO Board and concert-goers alike developed a musical kinship with Hatmaker over the years, appreciating the musicologist’s depth of knowledge, natural ability to teach, and contagious exuberance and good humor.
“Whenever I’ve been able, I’ll sneak up to Ted’s lectures before the concert. I enjoy them so much,” Dr. Alltop said. “I always appreciate his musical insights and hearing about the music to come that evening.”
Hatmaker holds a B.A. in Music from Elmhurst University and M.A. and Ph.D. in Music Theory from the University of Iowa. He taught music theory, aural skills and composition at Northern Illinois University for 24 years and at several other local colleges and universities. Ted’s daughter Jean is the cellist for the Kontras Quartet and principal cello for the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ElmhurstSymphony.org.
