Donate to NOTES 2023 today!

EYSO's Youth Symphony is collecting donations as part of our annual fundraising campaign: NOTES. This campaign runs from January 22 to March 26. This year, we are celebrating our 47th season with the theme Design. Today, EYSO serves nearly 400 students in 4th grade through college from 70 different communities via five orchestras, as well as percussion ensembles, Brass Choir and Flute Choir. 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!

In 2021, EYSO became my sanctuary. Some of you may know that during that time I struggled with many health issues following the long-awaited diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or EDS, which has impacted me since toddlerhood. Playing the violin became harder- because of physical limitations- but at the same time, I learned how to play in a way that hurt less. I pushed through it regardless. Rehearsal was the highlight of my week, a springing community of young musicians reaching out a hand to help me focus on learning and growing instead of on my pain. The EYSO welcomed me from the start when I joined in early 2021, into Philharmonia, with my service dog, Kiko. He was my cardiac alert service dog who would alert when my heart rate became elevated so I could take actions to prevent a syncope. Everyone was so kind and respectful from the beginning. I didn’t really make friends in EYSO until I advanced to Youth Symphony. When I was a wheelchair user in the 2021-2022 EYSO season, everyone would clear a path in the chairs for me to get up to the front (I was seated first stand, so the wheelchair made it difficult). I immediately made wonderful friends with the people around me, who are all incredibly talented musicians that pushed me to improve every day. Not only did I make amazing friends during that time, but we performed incredible music and learned the history behind it as well. It completely changed how I played. Helping to lead the second violins during Shostakovich Symphony no. 5 was one of the greatest accomplishments in my musical career. In the summer of 2022, I played with EYSO for the Arcada Theater movie performance. Around the same time, I auditioned for the Honors Chamber Ensembles and was placed into the Hanson String Quartet. These people and I became very good friends and we play wonderful music together. We have worked with professional musicians and will soon be opening for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. None of these opportunities would be possible without donations from people like you.

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. Donations of any size can make a real impact!

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

• Provide a more diverse repertoire of music.
• Support guest coaches and conductors who are leaders in the field of music education.
• Allows EYSO to have a broader reach by offering innovative community programs and initiatives.

Thank you so much for supporting the students of EYSO and the power of music education!