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Audiences can expect a symphony of harmony and delight when three musical entities unite their talents on stage Monday, Oct. 26 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 

Arts & Issues will present SIUE and Southern Illinois University Carbondale Combined Orchestra, featuring Sara Sant’Ambrogio at 7:30 p.m. at Dunham Hall Theater. This concert is sponsored by the Scott Credit Union.

Michael Mishra, SIUE professor of music and director of orchestral studies at SIUE, and Edward Benyas, music director of the SIUC Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the concert.

The combined orchestras will perform "Sibelius Symphony No. 1" and Dvorak’s much-loved “Cello Concerto".

The featured artist, Sant’Ambrogio, is a Grammy Award-winning cellist. She is best known as a member of the Eroica Trio. She began her studies with her father, John Sant’Ambrogio, principal cellist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Sara Sant’Ambrogio gained international attention when she won the Eighth International Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow, Russia. As a result of her medal, Carnegie Hall invited Sant’Ambrogio to perform a recital that was filmed by CBS News as part of a profile about her, which was televised nationally. 

“This is the third time the SIUE Department of Music and Arts & Issues have collaborated by combining these two orchestras,” said Grant Andree, director of Arts & Issues. “It’s turned out to be one of our most popular concerts and we’re thrilled this year to have the Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio as our guest artist.”

For tickets, visit the Morris University Center Welcome Desk, visit artsandissues.com or call 1-866-698-4253.

The Arts & Issues series brings artistic excellence to the SIUE campus through an eclectic blend of speakers and performers. For more than 30 years, SIUE’s Arts & Issues series has showcased some of the world's finest artists. Each season, thought-provoking speakers inspire people of all ages and backgrounds. Thanks to the underwriting of SIUE, corporations, foundations and individual donors, tickets are often discounted as much as 50 percent.  

Arts & Issues is tied to the academic mission of the University and offers unique opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community, to engage with performers and speakers through master classes and special sessions.   

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Photo:  Sara Sant’Ambrogio.