News Items Press Kit Tour Programs Media "In its all-Beethoven concert Sunday under music director Alan Heatherington, the orchestra’s crisp, clean transparent playing made three 200-year old works sound like today’s news." Dan Tucker, Chicago Tribune "This amounted to a refreshing, clear-eyed re-examination of an old favorite. How good to hear this music without the ponderous heaviness big symphony orchestras almost invariably bring to it. With such able conducting and resilient playing, Schubert’s ‘heavenly length’ did not seem at all protracted." John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune "Without leaning unduly on the score’s operatic gestures, Heatherington conveyed much of the spiritual questioning at the heart of the work. Heatherington drew nuances from his capable orchestra - composed of Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera players - that sometimes elude bigger-name conductors." John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune "Heatherington is a gifted conductor who has built a reputation for presenting outstanding concerts, often with unusual repertory and always with some of the city’s best musicians." Wynne Delecoma, Chicago Sun-Times "Heatherington can be counted on for two things: performances of high technical quality and evenings that combine the familiar and the unfamiliar effectively." Chicago Sun Times "One admired the skill with which Heatherington brought off this risky undertaking as much as the accuracy and dedication of his hard-working personnel." John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune "Rarely has Bach been played so buoyantly... rich, resonant sound and vibrant rhythms... every piece had a suitable sweep and drive." Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times Press Kit Biography Media   return to top Alan Heatherington, conductor Recently named Chicagoan of the Year (by the Chicago Tribune) and 2005 Conductor of the Year (by The Illinois Council of Orchestras), Alan Heatherington is founder and Music Director of the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra; he was appointed Music Director of the Lake Forest Symphony in 2000; and he is Music Director and Conductor of the Chicago Master Singers, a 140-voice chorus and that organization’s Chicago Master Singers Chorale of 40-voices. Alan Heatherington has built his career in the Chicago metropolitan area as an orchestral and choral conductor, a violinist/concertmaster and an educator. Few conductors are as accomplished at both orchestral and choral conducting. Through Ars Viva and the Lake Forest Symphony, Heatherington offers audiences a fresh concert experience. In addition to programs of a broad repertoire, Maestro Heatherington frequently speaks to the audience from the stage about the music. These engaging and somewhat informal "verbal program notes" have been extremely well received. Critic Lawrence Johnson of the Chicago Tribune comments, "Heatherington could also have success in stand-up comedy judging by his wryly witty extemporized introduction to Smetana’s Moldau." This rapport also exists between the conductor and the orchestra itself. Again the Chicago Tribune reports: "The opening concert once again demonstrated the easy camaraderie and close musical rapport between Alan Heatherington and his all-star chamber orchestra." Heatherington has been Music Director of the Chicago Master Singers (formerly The New Oratorio Singers) since 1989. This auditioned chorus has performed numerous major choral/orchestral works as well as a cappella repertoire. Recent performances have included the Bach St. John and St. Matthew Passions and works of Mendelssohn, Kodály, Poulenc, Beethoven, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff. The Chicago master Singers tour extensively in Europe. It has issued four CDs: Masters in this Hall; Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs; The ‘Wearin’ of the Green (English and Irish folk songs) and A Christmas Collection http://www.chicagomastersingers.org. Heatherington was the founder and, for 18 years, Music Director of the Chicago String ensemble (1977-1995). John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune wrote: "The Chicago String Ensemble is the city’s only professional string orchestra and one of the finest groups of its kind in the nation." The String ensemble can be heard in the highly acclaimed Centaur CD, "Israeli Melodies". He was the Artistic Director and conductor of the annual Innsbruck International Choral Festival for four years. He was the director of Music Ministries at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest (1995-2003) as well as Director of Anshe Emet Synagogue professional choir (1992-2000) which can be heard on a collection of compact discs being issued of Jewish High Holy Days music with Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi. He has conducted or played with virtually all the major orchestras in Chicago for over three decades, has taught at various colleges and universities for more than twenty years, and has conducted choral concerts in many of the major cultural capitals of Europe, including London, Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, Rome, Prague and Budapest. He continues his commitment to education through regular engagements as guest conductor/clinician with area university and community orchestras. Currently Music Director of the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra, Alan Heatherington has conducted the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Missouri Symphony, the Mozart Orchester Salzburg, and the Marianske Lazne Symphony Orchestra (Czech Republic) among others. He is also Music Director of the Chicago Master Singers which has made six European tours, including performances in England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary. CMS has issued four CDs of the Chicago Master Singers: Masters in this Hall,Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, and The Wearin’ of the Green, (English and Irish folk songs), and A Christmas Collection. Heatherington has served as Artistic Director of the Innsbruck International Choral Festival and is also a violinist who performed at Carnegie Hall with the Delft Trio.