Rockford Symphony Orchestra

This was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. The Rockford Symphony Orchestra was flawless.. I almost forgot the music was live! I hope to see more events like this.. .my husband and daughter both loved it too.

Venue always great & staff helpful. RSO was very good

The orchestra was amazing! This was our first time here, we all loved it. My children were amazed! Awesome show.

Have been to 13 years of Nutcracker and have enjoyed everyone of them....But the dancing was absolutely superb this year. Great show!

This was a great production. I was impressed with both the Dance Company and the RSO. The two leads were Fantastic.

The quartet was wonderful. Could have done without the first number by the wind ensemble

I was disappointed in Five By Design...not as good as anticipated...frequently out of tune and a very Lawrence-Welk-like performance. Would not pay to see them again. However, RSO was fantastic!

The RSO was fantastic and combined with Five by Design provided a fun filled evening of top notch entertainment. It would have been better if the Theater management would not allow groups to be seated during the middle of a performance as it was inconsiderate to those already seated. Additionally allowing people to constantly visit and use their phones throughout the performance was very distracting to all those around! A few rules of consideration for all those attending would improve the overall experience. A 5 star performance gets a 4 star review because a few inconsiderate people can easily ruin an otherwise great performance.

Was so excited to have the opportunity to hear not only the orchestra but the chorale as well, and they did not disappoint! The acoustics are phenomenal in this venue and it's fascinating to watch the musical performers as individuals as well as a group. The soloists were remarkable. Oh, and the hot chocolate there is Fabulous!!!

The Rockford Symphony Orchestra's performance of "Oz with Orchestra" was amazing! Musical director and conductor Maestro Steven Larsen and all of the musicians performed wonderfully with the film. The Coronado Performing Arts Center is a beautiful and historic venue and I loved being in there. A wonderful usher, who also does tours, was nice enough to show me around and give me great information about the history of the theater. A wonderful evening!

It was absolutely amazing!!! This is my all time favorite movie!!!

Such a great performance by the RSO... my daughter & I enjoyed it! We love seeing shows at this theater, it's beautiful and everything from staff to the fabulous scenery is always spot on. Thank you for another great performance Rockford!

This was an opportunity to see the original Wizard of Oz film with live music accompaniment. Adults and children alike appeared rapt for the entire 125 minutes. The performance was a sell-out -- deservedly so. The symphony sponsored an Oz costume contest that brought out witches and Dorothys (didn't see any Totos). A classic film added to a stellar performance in the gorgeous and amazing Coronado Theatre makes is a memorable combination.

Love RSO. Best orchestra in Illinois that is affordable. Will go again and again

My first time seeing/hearing RSO. Was very enjoyable, Will be going to more concerts!!

Worth the price. Coronado is beautiful. RSO was good as always.

The RSO is amazing and add some star Broadway performers and it was a night of magic!

That was one of the most wonderful concerts I have ever attended. Kristin was just so lovable when talking and telling stories. But she also has one of the most magnificent voices I have ever heard in person. Just jaw dropping. When she ended her show with "Smile", she sang without a mic and you could hear it to the top row. If I ever get the opportunity to see her again, I will do so in a heartbeat. What talent!!

Kristen Chenoweth's performance was wonderful. There was a nice variety of music and she was absolutely charming. I would definitely see her again. It was great to have her come to our local theater and perform with our local orchestra. Loved the a capella and without mic encore.

Everything you'd want in a performance like this. Here talent is beyond reproach. But the evening included show biz pizazz... wit... humor... small town charm... and bringing the local audience into the fold. A very entertaining evening!

I saw this show with my teenage daughter. It was amazing. She has such fantastic talent. I could see her time and again. She has such an extended resume that spans all genres of music. We drove 90 minutes each way to see her. Worth every minute. I highly recommend seeing this show. The orchestra also did an amazing job. What a great experience for all involved.

This was an amazing show! I got these tickets as a surprise date night for my wife, who is a huge fan of Kristin Chenoweth. Not only did she display her voice, but her sense of humor and humbleness. I would not only recommend this to my friends but I would also go see her again.

One of THEE most amazing performances I've ever seen

Wonderful performance!! Would recommend it to anyone.

Amazing voice....lots of energy....a sincere and real connection with her audience

I already knew that Kristin Chenoweth had an amazing voice. Most recently I greatly enjoyed her performance in the live action television performance of "Hairspray". The greatest and most pleasant surprise was how charming, natural, and engaged with her audience she is when you see her in person. She sings a wide range of songs, both favorites and standbys. The title of the show describes the nature of the music. She is classy, yet exudes warmth and sincerity. Her version of Moon River was beyond compare, and she personalizes her musical choices in introducing each of them. It's hard to comprehend how that beautiful and powerful voice comes from such a tiny woman. She is a 'must see'.

We saw Kristin in Wicked so long ago. This concert gave a personal insight of how talented she is. Loved her stories of growing up in Broken Arrow, OK and her family ties. An out standing voice for such a little body. Very powerful and we would definitely attend another one of her concerts. We are her groupies.

Kristin provided a performance that was second to none. Her song selection was varied and delightful showcasing her vocal talents. Her audience interactions were funny and engaging. Her costumes were great as well.

This was one of the best nights I've had out in a while. Kristin was incredible. Kristin's singing was outstanding and she was funny. I enjoyed laughing. I would love to see her again if she is ever in the area. Outstanding job Rockford Symphony and Kristin Chenoweth.

great show...Kristen Chenoweth was superb and the Rockford Symphony never disappoints. As Ms Chenoweth said Rockford is so lucky to have them.

This was an beautiful concert. I always new she could sing but I never realized how wonderful a voice she had. Every song she sang had meaning to her personally and you could feel that when she sang. Not can she sing she is great story teller and funny too I would see her again and again.

She is a true talent & great entertainer who rules & fills the stage. Quite a presence - all 4'11" of her. So proud of our local orchestra backing her! The only reason for one less star was a sour note with her use of a youth singing group. She extolled using local talent, brought them out and said "these are yours" but brought a group from the Chicago north shore area. Great kids - but absolutely not "ours". We have great talent here - sad to not see them on stage.

What a voice! And so very funny! Totally enjoyable!

A close friend had the opportunity to assist Kristin during a movie shoot in Alexandria, La. Kristin invited this college student to sing a duet in Las Vegas. It was a very special moment for my friend. I had to see Kristin when she came to Rkfd. She is funny, talented, entertaining, beautiful and kind. I loved every song and her stories too. The RSO was equally wonderful. Rkfd has a lot of talented people. Kristin showed again how special she is by bringing seven young people from our community on stage to perform two songs together for their special moment with Kristin. What a kind heart. I also enjoyed being at the Coronado. Such a gem!

always love going to the RSO. it's a great time with beautiful music

The Holiday Pops concert was thoroughly enjoyable. Steven Larsen's musical selections provided variety as well as familiarity. The program included a nice mix of instrumental, vocal and oratory pieces in addition to audience participation.

RSO was amazing but we sat in the upper balcony where it was excruciatingly hot!

"A Night of Symphonic Rock" was a great mixture of the 80's rock 'n roll with the symphony orchestra providing the background music. It was an interesting blend of musical talent, and it worked. Neither one overshadowed the other. The Coronado Theatre is an architectural treat in itself, and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Everyone got into the music, and it was as if the adults were having their own rock concert. The evening was worth the price of the ticket. I would recommend it.

The evening was enjoyable and entertaining. The combination of the Symphony with the rock band was great. The vocals from John Elefante & Mickey Thomas were excellent!

I loved the rock band highlighted against the symphony. I loved the varied color spot lights swirling around the stage. I loved the guitar rifts, the violin solos, the drumming and more that appeared in the rock band foreground as I attempted to determine what the corresponding portions of the orchestra were doing to complement. The orchestra added tremendous "fullness" to the sound but somehow, it still seemed like a rock concert. Really enjoyable.

Even if your not into classical music, you must take your family to Rockford Symphony Orchestra! Amazing!!!!!! A hidden gem in rockford!

An extraordinary performance. I will be attending more in this theatre.

The performance was delightful. Emily was superb and such an amazing young talent.

Emily is a truly amazing talent and at age 14 I can't even imagine what she will be in future years. Her own composition was terrific and the Grieg Concerto was breathtaking. I can't say enough about her. We have been attending concerts in Rockford for many years and this was the best one yet. The RSO was wonderful and the pieces were two of my favorites.

Fine orchestra but the brass, as excellent as the players are, need to listen more to the soloist. I've attended concerts featuring piano concertos and always hear the bras above everything then look down and see that the piano soloist is pounding away and cannot be heard.

This was my first experience at a RSO event and I will definitely be attending more. The added imagery of the movie clips was genius. Please do more of these specials. Was very well attended as it was music that everyone knows.

I took my six year old granddaughter and she had a wonderful time and a great introduction to symphony music. They had video to go along with the music they were playing which kept the kids' attention. She got to see the instruments and put the sound with the instrument. She wore her Elsa dress (from Frozen) which made the evening even more festive for her. She already wants to go again.

I truly enjoyed the concert and thought that the music was top notch and a great variety. The one disappointment was on the program they listed a Mary Poppins section about half way through the first act. They skipped right over it and didn't plan the Mary Poppins mix, and instead just had about 30 seconds worth in the opening number. That was very disappointing especially since it was advertised on the commercials as well. But everything else was amazing and I had goosebumps for most of the performance.

In 2013 I took my daughter to the Nutcracker at the Coronado and was very impressed. I had seen the show at a couple of larger venues (Chicago and NY), so my expectation was not high, but we absolutely loved the show. In 2014 we returned, but were disappointed. Story changes and deletions, small cast, and lesser dance quality. This year, 2015, the downward trend continued. Costumes were half-hazzard, there were scarcely any sets or even backgrounds, the group dances were hardly synchronized, and liberties were taken with the story. In essence, many of the things most interesting and compelling for children were missing, making it a less immersive experience overall. Minimalism has no place in this production, kids want to feel the story. My daughter was disappointed, said so, and went to sleep, (note she is almost seven and stayed awake for the whole thing at age four, and had been looking forward to going for months). I'm not sure what changed since our first show in Rockford, but we will not be back next year sadly, and will most likely make the drive to Milwaukee or Chicago if we want to continue the tradition.

We attend this event yearly and the Dance Company dancers were terrific, as was the Rockford Symphony.. Let me first state that I have no one involved in this production. But, it seems very unusual to me that one would have to have a guest artist for the role of Clara. I am sure there were multiple dancers in the company who could have danced this role and I am sure dreamed of dancing this role. The guest artist, Paunika Jones was terrific, but I really felt this role should have been danced by one of the local dancers. Wayland Anderson, who I believe is the artistic director of the company also danced a principal role as a guest artist. Again, I found this very confusing--why would someone who is hired to lead and inspire dance such a prominent role? The third guest artist is also a faculty member of the Dance Company--again confusing, although he was very good as Drosselmeyer. The lighting was pretty awful and again confusing. There was never enough light to see the faces of the dancers. And the sets were strange. I am reluctant to attend another production if the purpose is to showcase dancers who are not a part of the company. I know many productions have guest artists for the prince and the snow queen, which is fine. I just am confused by this production

Having seen this over 10 times, I must say this was one of the better presentations. The cast was well excellent in their positions. Dance skills from the lead down to the very youngest was well trained. I take a new person every time I go, this was one of the most impressive shows my guest had seen.

The Coronado Staff is wonderful. When asked, they produced a hearing aid device so my wife, who is very hard of hearing, could better enjoy the show's introduction. However, while the orchestration was brilliant and the dancing divine, the problem was that the Coronado Theatre's hearing aids for hearing patrons simply do not work. This was the second performance we attended at the Coronado and the second time we asked for a hearing aid for her, and the second time one was provided, and the second time it did not work. Last time, we tried to exchange one for another -- it did not work either. So while she was able to hear, feel, and enjoy the music from the pit orchestra (we were almost on top of the pit), and watch the dancers on stage, she was unable to understand anything spoken prior to the performance.

Enjoyed the symphony very much! Will most likely attend other productions there.

Awesome performance by everyone involved! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Musical performance of The Planets was wonderful. Enjoyed the slides from the Hubble Space Telescope, but found the more detailed slides (Galileo's charts, etc) distracted too much from the music. Ji's performance of Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand was amazing. Stole the show.

Excellent music by talented musicians, great visuals and the Coronado Theater was beautiful! There was a significant line at the bar during intermission.... not sure how to improve that....

Music was nostalgic and fantastic, and the soloist was personable and a sensational musician!

We don't get out much. I took my wife to see RSO for the first time ever and we were very impressed. We were especially impressed by Amy Conn and her beautiful voice. Thank you for an amazing experience.

Conductor a little long winded between each song. Overall it was good, star wars character was kinda cheesey but the kids enjoyed it.

Great musicianship par usual. Kudos to our noble artists! The selections left me a bit disappointed however. Sorry, but where was the gorgeous work from Schindlers List? Instead we got Lincoln? No comprendo. Loved Harry Potter and Star Wars though. But the "light show" was cheesy and having the costumed characters stand by the stage seemed random and pointless. And people in the audience, please lay off the beans and cabbage before you go to the theater. Your seat does NOT absorb your stench and it's not funny for those of us over the age of 8.

This was a fantastic concert. I would love to have more of these "movie" themed concerts! There are so many wonderful film scores that are impressive to hear in concert! I would absolutley go to another concert where there is a "movie" theme. WONDERFUL

Wonderful concert devoted to works of John Williams. All were on their feet at the end.

This was a great concert - the program was well thought out and I really did enjoy every selection. My kids enjoyed it as well. This is an annual event for my daughters and myself.

Last year (2013) was the first year I attended the Nutcracker here in Rockford, and I was impressed. I normally go to Chicago for this show, but it was my daughter's first year going and at age 4 I was unsure if the long drive to the city was a good idea. That show was very well done, so much so that we went again this year. Unfortunately, the 2014 performance was not as strong. The cast seemed smaller, costumes weaker, there were changes to key story elements, and Mother Ginger was completely omitted. If this had been my first viewing I would not have returned, and I hope that next year's show returns to many of the elements that made 2013 so good.

I attended last year with my mother. This year I took my mother, husband, son & sister in-law. They all loved it. We will be attending every year! It is fantastic.

I live in CA now, but return to IL for Christmas each year. I decided I wanted to see the Coronado Theater in its restored state so I looked for a show happening while I was in town. I found the Holiday Pops concert, and it was perfect! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who loves Christmas music. The beautiful theater is an added bonus.