The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra announces its new subscription season, “Pure Emotion,” beginning Saturday, Oct. 18, with “Festa Italiana,” showcasing music by Italian composers and soprano Nancy Gustafson singing arias by Verdi and Rossini.

Music Director Stephen Alltop has programmed a season of music designed to appeal to a wide variety of tastes, from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Comcast anchor Lisa Aprati narrating and a Celebrity Night featuring music dedicated to Jackie, Elvis, Liberace and Julia Child, to Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Trumpets, Symphony No. 4 in E flat by Bruckner, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4.

In addition to the five-concert season, the ESO again has expanded its offerings to music lovers throughout the western suburbs. For the first time, the Elmhurst Symphony will perform three concerts at Biester Auditorium in Lombard in addition to five concerts at Hammerschmidt Chapel in Elmhurst. Concertgoers now can choose from a five-concert series in Elmhurst, a six-concert series in Elmhurst and Lombard, or a three-concert series in Lombard.

Tickets are limited, and early subscriptions are recommended. For information and to purchase tickets, call the ESO box office at (630) 941-0202 or visit www.elmhurstsymphony.org.