Donate to NOTES 2022 today!

Hello! I hope that you are staying healthy and enjoying your “new normal” life in 2022. During these unpredictable times, I know that I’ve been clinging to the few activities that I can always count on to fill me up. Playing the oboe in the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) is one of those things! EYSO has truly been a blessing for me and I’m writing this because EYSO is collecting donations as part of our annual fundraising campaign: NOTES. This campaign helps keep tuition affordable for EYSO members by encouraging EYSO families to collect donations from friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors--meaning you! All contributions to the EYSO are tax deductible, as allowable by law. Would you, or someone you know, be willing to donate?

When I joined EYSO 2 years ago as a Junior in high school, I had no idea how much it would impact me. I joined the Youth Symphony during COVID when I was constantly witnessing everything I was looking forward too get canceled. Except for EYSO. Every single week, I got to leave my house and participate in a live rehearsal with real people and real music and I cannot express how much it meant to me. Since then, I’ve delved into music that I could never have dreamed of playing at my age, made memories I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and built strong relationships with other passionate musicians. It has truly been a remarkable experience. From day one of rehearsals, I felt pushed to practice and work as hard as I could so that I could not only play all the notes correctly, but truly understand the music. Since joining EYSO, my love for oboe and music has only grown. This year I joined one of the Honors Chambers Ensembles and became best friends with 4 of the most amazing musicians and people I have ever met. We get to perform live local concerts all the time and spread our love of music with others. This orchestra is such a positive place that there is a friendship to be made with everyone in every section. This past concert cycle, we played Shostakovich’s 5th symphony which was my first real symphony and I am so blessed to get to play such a high caliber of music. Shostakovich truly makes my heart sing, and I feel honored to be a part of bringing it to life. Every rehearsal we have is a fulfilling experience, and I look forward to it all week long. EYSO means so much to me and I’m so grateful to be a part of it which is why I’m reaching out to you to ask if you would be willing to help support it.

This year, we are celebrating our 46th season with the theme FLIPPED! We have five orchestras, a brass choir, two percussion ensembles, a flute choir and a chamber music program with nearly 300 students from fourth grade through college. The mission of EYSO is to create a community of young musicians, enriching their lives and the lives of their families, schools, communities, and beyond, through the study and performance of excellent music. By supporting the NOTES campaign, you are impacting the lives of so many, including myself. You can learn more about us at EYSO.org.

Tuition covers only one-third of the total cost of each member’s participation in EYSO. Our NOTES campaign helps keep tuition reasonable and offsets program costs.

In addition to offsetting the cost of tuition, the generosity of people like you also helps to:

• Provide a more diverse repertoire of music.
• Purchase necessary resources including sheet music and instruments.
• Allows EYSO to have a broader reach by offering innovative community programs.

You can donate online by credit card via my campaign page or mail a check to me directly. Once the NOTES campaign is completed, you will receive a donation acknowledgement from EYSO for tax purposes.

Thanks very much for your support!

Linnea Diersen

P.S. Watch us perform! Check out our schedule at EYSO.org or view video clips on our YouTube channel (search “Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra on YouTube)