“I’ve been very fortunate to wear two hats” is what Maestro Bruce Polay said. Polay was referring to being on the faculty at Knox College and working with students, and to being the conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. Tonight will be Polay’s last concert as conductor for the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. While talking with WGIL about his last concert, Polay reminisced about when he first started. “This would have been 36 years ago, one of the things that was shown (to me) was the dilapidated Orpheum Theatre,” Polay said. “At that point it had been converted into a movie house. It was all dusty and dank and it wasn’t lit. Once they did renovate it, we actually did the premier performance in there with Henry Mancini and members of our orchestra. That was the opening of the Orpheum Theatre. It’s not only a gem for our community, it’s a regional treasure.” The theme of tonight’s concert for the final Masterworks performance – the concert looks ahead to the future of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. The group is preparing to search for its next director. The show will reflect on the memory and success under the leadership of Polay. Saturday’s 7:30 performance will feature Alexander Liadov’s “The Enchanted Lake”, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor”, and Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8 in G Major. Tickets are available at the Orpheum’s website.
