EYSO Impact

Sparking Transformation through Music

2025-2026 Impact

EYSO's 50th anniversary season invited students and audiences to explore the theme of Time—past, present, and future. Through three concerts—It’s All Relative, In a Single Moment, and Infinite Possibilities—we journeyed into the philosophy and experience of time itself.

From reflections on history and relationships, to the urgency of the present, to bold visions of the future, the 2025-2026 season celebrated EYSO’s timeline while imagining what lies ahead. Blending artistic, cultural, and scientific influences, TIME asked us to consider not just how we measure time, but how we live it.

409

4th-13th Students Served

Cities

$36.1k

Tuition Assistance Awarded

~28k

Total Served

"There is nothing I love more than to see what happens when young people are set free enough to really show what they can do.  Thank you for fostering an environment in which this can happen.  The world needs our young people to thrive, it is an honor to witness when that happens.”

Marty, EYSO parent

30 Ensembles

5 Orchestras

4 Sectional Ensembles (Brass Choir, Flute Choir, and two Percussion Ensembles)

16 CMI Ensembles

4 Honors Chamber Ensembles

2 Starter Strings programs

18 Concerts

10 Orchestra Concerts

8 Chamber Concerts

>100 Total performances this season

Across 18 concerts, 44 community performances, and the Summer Chamber Music Camp, EYSO musicians engaged 4,050 audience members in-person at the Elgin Community College Arts Center and 5,928 online.