‘THE JOY OF MAKING MUSIC'

By Melissa Rubalcaba Riske | Photos provided by Elgin Symphony Orchestra

Andrew Lewis has been surrounded by music since an early age. His mother was an excellent pianist, and her mother was a member of an all-women barbershop quartet that recorded albums. Lewis began playing piano at age 4, spent some time playing trumpet and cello and was a gifted singer, but says it is conducting that he loves most of all. The love of music is one he shares with his family — his wife is also a conductor and through the years, he has sung in a church choir with his sons. Among his many titles, he is the music director for the Elgin Master Chorale and artistic director of Bella Voce and the Bella Voce Sinfonia.

Tickets for the show are available online at www.ElginSymphony.org and at the box office, 20 DuPage Court in Elgin.

He will be front and center in early December, guest conducting as the Elgin Master Chorale and Elgin Symphony Orchestra collaborate on their “Holiday Spectacular,” scheduled for Dec. 10 at Raue Center for the Arts and Dec. 11-12 at Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. Kane County Magazine spoke with him ahead of these performances about music and holiday traditions. This interview has been edited slightly for length.  KANE COUNTY MAGAZINE: What does the return of live music mean to you? ANDREW LEWIS: Getting back to the joy of making music with other people and sharing that with an appreciative audience that has missed it. The audience is part of the performance. Without the audience, there is not as much energy in the room. We love the audience and their reaction.

 KC: What can one expect from the holiday concert?

AL: Everything we do will be familiar to everyone. There are a lot of great arrangements of Christmas carols and other popular pieces of classic repertoire that are related to Christmas. It’s going to feel like coming home for Christmas.  KC: How did you find your way to the podium for conducting? AL: I love doing it and I’ve always wanted to do it since I was a kid. I knew from a young age I wanted to be a musician. I love the combination of all the sounds of the orchestra and choir. I’ve been doing it almost 25 years. It is such a privilege to be up there and working with these musicians and talented performers. I am very grateful for the role I get to play. The members of the Elgin Symphony are top-notch musicians, and the Elgin Master Chorale is dedicated singers.  KC: What are some of your holiday traditions? AL: We do have a number of family traditions. We cut down our Christmas tree from a farm in northern Illinois. We listen to carols and the live broadcast from King’s College in Cambridge on Christmas Eve day. We do make a big Christmas Eve day feast including these wonderful Danish pancake balls called aebleskivers that require a special pan.