"If you want to describe the heavens to someone, use words.
If you want to take them there, use music."
- - - Jesús López-Cobos
Inspiring symphonic music performed by outstanding musicians from our community.
Cellist Marianne Roszyk is thrilled to be performing with the Joliet Symphony Orchestra again! Marianne is a local cellist that performs with orchestras and churches located throughout Joliet and the surrounding areas. Currently, she is a member of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Fox Valley Orchestra, where she serves as the principal cellist during the summer seasons. She had the honor of participating as an associate member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for the 2012 – 2013 season.
Marianne’s first opportunity to perform with the JSO was after she was selected to be the winner of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural concerto competition in 2014, where she had the honor of performing Luigi Boccherini's Cello Concerto in B-flat Major with the orchestra! She is a graduate of the master's program at Butler University, where she studied cello with Dr. William Grubb. As the proud winner of the 2011 Butler University Concerto Competition, Marianne performed Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in e minor with the Butler Symphony Orchestra. Marianne attended Butler University for her undergraduate career, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Administration, with an emphasis in music.
During her college tenure, Marianne had the blessing of being selected to perform in upstate New York at multiple events produced by the Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival, including the student summer chamber recitals and outreach concerts, performed at local schools in the Finger Lakes region.
Prior to attending Butler University, Marianne studied cello with Alexandru Dumitrache, Emily Mantell, and Stan Smith. She has attended masterclasses provided by such esteemed cellists as Carter Enyeart of the University of Missouri at Kansas City, Katinka Kleijn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Myles Jordan of the DaPonte String Quartet, Mark Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet, and Simon Fryer of the Canadian Conservatory.
When she isn’t playing her cello, she spends her time reading, trying new recipes, playing with her adorable beagle mix, Mia, or outside, enjoying nature.
2024-2025 Season
The Joliet Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-2025 Season promises to be an exciting and musically fulfilling one for musicians and audiences alike! Performing in Sexton Auditorium on the University of St. Francis campus (500 Wilcox St; Joliet), the Joliet Symphony Orchestra offers family-friendly, quality performances of orchestral music from all eras. Comprised of USF faculty, staff & students as well as community members, the JSO is Joliet’s symphony orchestra.
We encourage everyone to “come as you are” to our performances as attending a concert should be a comfortable and enjoyable experience. We invite you to arrive 45-minutes prior to our performances to hear our Artistic Director & Conductor, Sean Paul Mills, and guest artists chat about the music on each program as well as share their insights into the composers, the compositions, the rehearsal process, and all things musical!
The Joliet Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-2025 Season begins on Saturday, September 28 & Sunday, September 29 with “Precision” featuring Lyon, France-based pianist Haley Morgan Myles performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s magnificent Piano Concerto No. 3 in c minor. Also on the program are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s vivacious Impresario Overture and Robert Schumann’s river-themed Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major “Rhenish.”
A special concert experience awaits on Saturday, November 23 & Sunday, November 24 when the JSO presents “Pictures.” This concert of musical “postcards” and a special opportunity for audience members to be a part of the music will create a new connection to the music and make special memories for everyone in attendance. Jean Sibelius’ ever-popular Finlandia, Sir Edward Elgar’s striking Serenade for Strings, Maurice Ravel’s melancholic Pavane pour une infante defunte, Alexander Borodin’s panoramic In the Steppes of Central Asia, and Franz Liszt's vivacious Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 will guide us to our final piece: Modest Mussorgsky’s tour de force Pictures at an Exhibition. Joining the JSO will be guest visual artist Deanna Gibson.
Saturday, January 18 marks the return of our ever-popular “Family Concert.” Admission is FREE for this event and features not only a family-friend approach to the music but also an opportunity for audience members to interact with the musicians and even try out some instruments!
“Passion” is the theme for our Saturday, February 23 & Sunday, February 24 performances with Cleveland, Ohio-based violin soloist Andrew Sords. Andrew will join the JSO in a performance of Max Bruch's gorgeous Violin Concerto No. 1 in g minor. We will warmly embrace the concerto with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Namensfeier Overture – which has a University of St. Francis connection – and George Whitefield Chadwick’s beautiful, but too infrequently performed, Symphony No. 2 in B-flat Major.
Our season finale “La Crème de la Crème” on Saturday, April 26 & Sunday, April 27 features an all-French program with local cellist Marianne Roszyk as our soloist. Marianne will join the JSO in a performance of Camille Saint-Saens’ virtuosic Cello Concerto No. 1 in a minor. Bookending the concerto will be Gabriel Faure’s exquisite Suite from Pelleas et Melisande and Cesar Franck’s dramatic Symphony in d minor. What an incredible conclusion to a spectacular season of soloists and music!
Don't forget to come 45 minutes early to our performances and enjoy an opportunity to learn more about the music during our "Noteworthy" pre-concert chats with Artistic Director & Conductor Sean Paul Mills and guests!
