Elgin Courier-News |

‘Burritos & Bach’ pairing features Mexican food with Elgin Symphony quartet music

A combo platter of Mexican food and classical music will be served up Sept. 27 with Burritos & Bach at the Sears Centre Arena.

Held by the Hoffman Estates Arts Commission in the arena’s club lounge, the Elgin Symphony Chamber Ensemble will perform classics from the German composer in the latest pair of music and food.

The event started three years ago with an evening of Tacos-N-Tchaikovsky, followed by Meatballs-N-Mozart in 2016 and Beers, Brats & Beethoven in 2017.

“The original idea was to come up with a way to pair classical music and food in a fun and unexpected way, and we are excited to continue that with this year’s Burritos & Bach,” said Craig Kuehne, Sears Centre director of marketing.

Attendance is capped at 120 to ensure enough room for everyone to comfortably enjoy the gathering, which begins at 6:30 p.m..

Mark Mallamo, the symphony’s director of operations and artistic administration, said the shows have been fun to do.

“The musicians enjoy performing there, and the audience is appreciative,” Mallamo said. “There always seems to be a lot of unfamiliar faces in the audience at these events, and we’re really hoping to use the event as an opportunity to create awareness about the ESO.”

The Sears Centre performance is an example of a dozen or shows that symphony-member ensembles do each year, he said.

“Part of our mission is to engage the community by bringing music in non-traditional formats to new audiences. Our partnership with the Sears Centre provides us a wonderful opportunity to achieve this,” Mallamo said.

The night will feature a string quartet performing works by Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers. A video playing throughout the event matches the Mexican-German theme.

Admission is $24.50 and includes a burrito bowl/wrap, churro sundae and two beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), with a cash bar available.

Mallamo said his favorite pairing so far has been the Tacos & Tchaikovsky night, and he has thought of other possible food and music combinations.

“Maybe we’ll see a hot dogs & Haydn or a vino & Vivaldi theme in the future,” he said.

While unique, Mallamo said the shows are not the most unusual event at which an ESO ensemble has performed.

“Back in 2013, we sent a string trio to a bodybuilding convention in Itasca,” he said.

For more information on Burritos & Bach, go to www.searscentre.com/events/burritos-bach.