NOTES 2024: Youth Symphony

Hi, my name is Connie Chen and I am currently in my final year as a violinist for the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras (EYSO)!

Having performed my way through each orchestra in my nearly decade long experience with EYSO (9 years to be exact-I started in 4th grade!), I cannot be more grateful for the experiences and memories EYSO has granted me. I would truly be a completely different person if not for the things EYSO has taught me in both music and education, but also life.

Musically, my experience could not be more rich. From playing the entirety of Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Respigi’s Pines of Rome, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, to the more contemporary pieces of William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 4-“Autochthonous'' and Hailstork’s “Celebration”, each piece has challenged me in new ways. Wacky rhythms, a jazzy swing, super high runs, or simply being a challenging piece to line up together, my time in Youth Symphony has pushed me as a musician to become so much more than when I started. This is where I learned to truly open my ears and learn to give love and care to every note and rest.

But with all this music, we’ve also explored the realities of a composer repressed by the Soviet regime, forbidden, doomed love, and most recently, the connections between man and the sea among many more. This is what I believe makes EYSO so special. We don’t just play fantastic repertoire. We learn about them too. We learn about its historical context, its hidden intricacies. With these ideas in mind, the music becomes much more meaningful and the entire sound, vibe, and color of the piece changes to place these meanings upon them.

With our “Expert Noticer” tagline, we use this approach in both making music and to examine the wider world around us. Using our music and season theme as lenses, we’re all encouraged to deepen the understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our roles in them. It’s this constant discussion, thinking critically, and finding the meaning that I believe has made me so much stronger as a person and in my growth as a learner. Music has taught me about discipline, grit, creativity, collaboration, hard work, and much more. EYSO’s discussion of music now goes far beyond just “music” but into everything else–my abilities as an improved collaborator, scientist, and writer in all aspects of my life.

And of course, I couldn’t talk about EYSO without mentioning one of my favorite aspects that keeps me driving nearly two hours to Elgin and back every Sunday night—the people and the connections found at EYSO.

EYSO is a melting pot for meeting new friends from all over Illinois and from all different walks of life. However, what connects us all is a love and passion for music. The people I’ve met and the relationships I’ve created are some of the ones I look back most fondly on. Memories made every week—during rehearsals, during breaks, and during concerts—come to life in this family of student musicians. Singing together and cracking silly jokes, experiencing the absolute highs and lows of our pieces–everyone has a place in EYSO.

As I head into the next chapter of my life in college, I know my experiences in EYSO will guide me through whatever challenges may lie ahead. Just as EYSO has changed me, I hope others will similarly be able to experience the impacts of this wonderful organization. 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. Through donating, you can help EYSO keep doing what it does. Our spectacular pieces, guest clinicians, and unique opportunities. To keep serving the nearly 400 students, 5 orchestras, and thriving Chamber Music Institute.

Any donation, even $5, makes an impact. Thank you so much for supporting me, the current students of EYSO, and all the future EYSO students.