(Elgin, Illinois, January 2023) — The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras (EYSO) the Challenge America Grant in support of their Starter Strings program. This grant will allow EYSO to continue to provide excellent music education to communities that may not be able to afford it.     The purpose of this grant is to extend the reach of the arts, particularly by providing equitable […]

(Elgin, Illinois, December 2022) — On Wednesday, December 21, 2022, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) Percussion Ensemble will host an interactive musical experience at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center. Community members of all ages and all musical abilities are invited to roll, tap, and crash in spontaneous musical merriment on a series of gongs positioned along the wooded trail.       “On the darkest day of the year, when most of the creatures of the woods are […]

(Elgin, Illinois, October 2022) —  On Sunday, November 6, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) will host an afternoon of performances by the Chamber Music Institute (CMI) in Spartan Auditorium at Elgin Community College.  For those new to classical music, these short, engaging chamber music performances occurring at 12:45, 2:00, and 4:30 p.m. are a perfect introduction. The November Chamber Music Institute concerts highlight the work of 93 students in 25 small ensembles, including EYSO’s four Honors […]

(Elgin, Illinois, October 2022) — On Sunday, November 13, 2022, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) returns to the stage of the Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College to open their 47th concert season. Tickets for all DESIGN season concerts are now available for purchase at the Elgin Community College Box Office by concert title. The upcoming concert, entitled Blueprints, is the first of four concerts in the DESIGN series that examines the power of design: that small details have an […]