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.

Every Sunday, from 3:15 to 9:15, I make music with the EYSO, and it has opened my eyes to possibilities of music. From the varied portraits of Elgar’s Enigma Variations to the pines of Rome in, well, Respighi’s Pines of Rome to the blistering cold (and deceptive) comedy of Prokoviev’s Lieutenant Kijé, I have been exploring the world and what it means to be human through the lens of music. I am in the top group at EYSO, Youth Symphony, as well as one of two honors string quartets, the Hanson String Quartet. We get to play some of the world’s greatest (and hardest) music and really explore what the composer meant by each piece.

This has in turn inspired me to write my own music, and most of it doesn’t really sound too bad; in fact, my advanced school orchestra actually played one of my pieces for a composition competition. I have the EYSO to thank for my love of composing, and for my love of music in general, as I now see that music is the only possible and probable path for my future, which is why this campaign is so important. Many EYSO students will go on to make a career in music, especially those of us with me in Youth Symphony, and we need the EYSO to gain experience and to learn lifelong lessons. It provides a sense of community to me that I just don't get anywhere else.

The Hanson String Quartet has really proven to be a game-changer for me. I have gotten to work with some of the greatest musicians in the country, including a violist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra who I have idolized for years. I have even attended a lecture he has given. These new musicians have brought musical ideas and styles of interpretation that are revolutionary to me, and I am soaking it all in like a sponge for when I continue my musical career.

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!

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!