"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.
Deanna Gibson is a dedicated creative arts professional with a passion for photography, design, painting, sculpting, sewing and curating exhibitions. Born and raised on a farm in the Midwest, she became a renaissance woman in the visual arts. She pursued a Fine Arts degree at Northern Illinois University and was honored by having her work chosen for the cover of The School of Arts book. She found success in her photography and has been published in countless books, magazines, and newspapers. She has created many album covers, billboards, commercial marketing materials, and advertisements. As an artist she has enjoyed many group exhibitions, two solo shows and has collectors nationally and internationally. She currently holds classes, curates, and creates art for The Curator’s Cafe in Joliet.
A gregarious photographer, curator and artist, Deanna has been published in countless books, magazines, newspapers, marketing materials, and advertisements both on and offline. She has a passion for creating a story with each subject, whether it's food, a person or a building!
As an artist she has enjoyed many group gallery shows as well as solo shows. Her artwork consists of manipulated photography utilizing surreal imagery and fantasy color to explore a reality of layered moments. Focusing on issues surrounding women, body confidence and positive sexuality. In the hopes that her work will help women step into, embrace and be empowered by their own unique identity. The high relief art are mixed media works that let her explore her love of the dazzle of glitter, fabric and the beauty of the female form. They eradicate surface imperfections women obsess over and shift the focus to the grace and beauty each woman’s shape, representing a modern-day statue of Venus or Aphrodite.
As a curator she has created many exhibitions at various locations with renowned artists hanging next to emerging artists. She wants to bridge the gap between the collectors looking or a $10,000 piece or a $120 piece. Gibson said, "The best fashion ensemble is one consisting of high and low pieces. You're home is no different!"
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!
