The Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 76th season with the full-bodied sound that a horn-driven rock band made famous.
Chicago will be saluted at the 7:30 p.m. concert in Merrillville’s Star Plaza Theatre on Saturday.
Based in Canada, Brass Transit is set to play “If You Leave Me Now,” “Saturday in the Park,” “You’re the Inspiration” and other pop hits that were notched by the group associated with the Windy City.
“The songs were extremely well-written; the melodies were memorable to me,” said Tony Carlucci, trumpeter and bandleader for Brass Transit.
With the exception of a couple of songs that Brass Transit will play on its own, the orchestra will accompany the band when it performs a full slate of hits from the Chicago catalog that began to form with 1970’s “Make Me Smile,” according to Kirk Muspratt, conductor of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.
Carlucci, 59, pointed to the “very lyrical horns” that add “another depth to it that I find missing a lot in today’s music.”
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Hailing from Toronto, Carlucci said his band has fashioned a following after starting out with humble aspirations.
“We’re basically in our ninth year of being together,” Carlucci said recently. “It was really meant to be just something, like, local when I put it together — to have some fun in bars and stuff like that. But it ended up going North American-wide. I can’t explain it, but for some reason we’ve become very popular. I guess a lot of people liked it and the word got around.”
Brass Transit touts its “note for note” approach to Chicago’s songs, without the use of recordings during performances.
“It’s eight musicians actually playing the music,” Carlucci said. “Everything you hear comes right off the stage.”
He noted that his Toronto band — which utilizes trombone and saxophone — also enlists several singers.
Chicago was “sort of jazzy, and they had a completely different sound,” Muspratt said.
Muspratt, who also is the orchestra’s music director, feels Chicago — which is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — appeals to a wide age spectrum.
“I think people of all generations love the music of Chicago,” Muspratt, a Chicago resident, said.
Brass Transit is scheduled to serve up a big helping of Chicago’s Top 10 singles from the 1970s, including “25 or 6 to 4,” “Old Days,” “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” and “Beginnings.”
Carlucci noted that the symphonic backing gives those works another layer: “The orchestra just adds more depth to the songs.”
Known for using an eight-man lineup, Brass Transit prides itself in staying true to playing Chicago tunes as the public remembers them.
“You’ll hear the band playing the songs as they were recorded by Chicago,” Carlucci said.
With group discounts available, “The Music of Chicago” kicks off the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season.
The lineup includes comic-operetta fare by Gilbert and Sullivan, a Christmas concert and Tchaikovsky classics.
In putting together the season’s offerings, Muspratt considers various factors.
“I’m listening to the public,” the maestro said. “I’m looking at the sales records. I’m looking at what people have responded to. We want to keep things fresh.”
Following the Saturday performance, the remainder of the indoor season offers six 7:30 p.m. concerts.
On Oct. 27, “The Mikado” is set for the Auditorium at Bethel Church, 10202 Broadway, Crown Point.
Next up is “Holiday Pops” at the Star Plaza Theatre on Dec. 7, followed by three concerts in the Auditorium at Bethel Church: “Valentine’s Piano” Feb. 9, “Ballets by Tchaikovsky” March 16 and “Show Boat & Show Tunes” May 11.
“Show Boat & Show Tunes” also will be presented May 12 in Monbeck Auditorium at Highland High School, 9135 Erie St.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
‘The Music of Chicago’
Where: Star Plaza Theatre, 8001 Delaware Place, Merrillville
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
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Tickets: $10-$69