HR0431 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0431 LRB097 12137 GRL 56397 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Carmon DeLeone on the occasion of his retirement as music director and conductor of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra after 25 years of dedicated service; and

WHEREAS, Carmon DeLeone earned his bachelor of music, bachelor of science, and master of music degrees from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music; he has also served at the Conservatory as an adjunct assistant professor of opera and music theatre; and

WHEREAS, Under Carmon DeLeone's leadership, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra has expanded the scope and content of its musical programming; during his tenure, the IPO was named the 2010 "Professional Orchestra of the Year", an honor also awarded to the orchestra in 1992; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his work with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Carmon DeLeone has been music director of the Cincinnati Ballet for 42 years; during his 12-year tenure as Assistant, and later Resident Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, he served on the orchestra's staff with Music Directors Max Rudolf, Thomas Schippers, Walter Susskind, and Erich Kunzel; he has served as music director of the Middletown Symphony in Ohio for 29 years; he has served as conductor and host of the "Family Concert" Series at New York's Carnegie Hall and has conducted frequent performances with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra in Europe; he made his New York conducting debut with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York's City Center; and

WHEREAS, Carmon DeLeone has composed many original scores for the ballet, most recently the work entitled Princess and the Pea; his best known work, the full-length ballet Peter Pan, is enjoying continued praise in major cities from coast to coast and abroad; he conducted the debut of Peter Pan in London during a 28-performance run with the Atlanta Ballet at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall; his list of ballet score creations also includes Frevo, Guernica, With Timbrel and Dance Praise His Name, and Ruth Page's Billy Sunday, which was nationally televised in 1983, featured in a WTTW-PBS documentary in 2007, and remounted by the IPO that same year; he most recently premiered Fanfare, Funk, and Fandango (An American Dance Set); and

WHEREAS, As a pops conductor, Carmon DeLeone has performed in concert with many famous artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, George Burns, Jerry Lewis, and Bill Cosby; he has been a French horn soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, playing both the classics and jazz; he hosted the very popular "Sunday Morning Music Hall" on Cincinnati Radio Station WRRM (98.5 FM) for 16 years; he has also been featured in concert broadcasts on Chicago's WFMT (98.7 FM); and

WHEREAS, In 1995, Carmon DeLeone was named the "Illinois Music Director of the Year" by the Illinois Council of Orchestras; he is also the recipient of the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music's Distinguished Alumni Award and the Post-Corbett Award for excellence in the arts; and

WHEREAS, Carmon DeLeone and his wife, Kathy, have played integral roles in the development of the south suburban region in the perspective of art and culture; and

WHEREAS, Despite his retirement, Carmon DeLeone will continue to serve the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra as director laureate; as director laureate, he will make occasional guest appearances at the annual Holiday Concert and direct the Young People's Concert series; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Carmon DeLeone on the occasion of his retirement and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Carmon DeLeone as a symbol of our esteem and respect.