NOTES 2024: Sinfonia

Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra is holding its annual fundraising campaign, NOTES 2024, from March 24 to May 5, 2024.

Tuition covers only one-third of the total cost of each member’s participation in EYSO. NOTES program helps pay off the rest. But, before I request you to contribute, I'm sharing my experience with EYSO and how it helped me grow.

Throughout this season, I have progressed so much as a musician in many ways I did not think was possible. When I first saw the music that we were supposed to perform in the fall concert, I thought, “There is no way I can play this, it is way too hard”, what I did not know then was, with the help of an awesome mentor/conductor and by being around these people who were so committed to this orchestra would inspire me to work even harder. Eventually, it helped me improve my skills quickly and perform the music at their concerts. EYSO did not just help me with my skills. It showed me how to perceive music. Since the theme for this year was Gaia(how sound reflects the natural and built worlds around us—and how the two are united through music), they taught me how to look for the hidden messages and meanings in the music. In this case, I looked for the relations the music had to nature. For me, this opened up an entirely new way to look at music and also had a profound impact on the way I play my instrument. Outside of music, this program has given me the self-confidence to face the challenges that high school and life shall throw at me and helped me notice and appreciate the finer things around me.

I wish more kids experienced this and realized the benefits like I did. Now in our 48th season, 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, and a thriving Chamber Music Institute. 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!