Young Musicians Offer Free Chamber Music Concert
EYSO Hosts Summer Chamber Music Camp for Young Musicians
Culminating in Free, In-Person Public Performances on Friday, July 30th
Elgin, IL (July 28, 2021) – The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) is bringing student musicians together in person this week through its annual Summer Chamber Music Camp (SCMC), culminating in two in-person concerts on Friday, July 30 at 5:45 and 7 p.m. where SCMC camp students will showcase their hard work and celebrate chamber music.
Learning directly from the renowned KAIA String Quartet, students are grouped into trios, quartets, or quintets for five days of intensive musical study leading into two Friday evening performances. With supplemental classes on topics including deep listening, musical movement, percussion, and composition, it is an energetic and exciting week of music making. Details are at eyso.org/summer
“Musicians agree: chamber music is the “fast track” to growing as a player and musical thinker,” explained Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard. “It not only helps sharpen students’ playing, but also their ability to collaborate, solve problems creatively, and explore the world around them through music. Performing without a conductor, making decisions together as a group, and actively listening allows students to become more independent, thoughtful musicians.”
While EYSO’s Chamber Music Institute had to livestream its performances during Myths & Legends due to Covid-19 restrictions, SCMC students will be performing to live audiences outdoors in front of Elgin Academy’s Sears Hall. Both concerts will also be live-streamed and can be viewed at no cost to the public. Visit eyso.org/scmc-concert on July 30 to see all nine chamber groups perform.
Exciting highlights of this year’s program include:
- Celebrity guest visits in which students can participate in live Q&A sessions with prominent artists including Rachel Barton Pine and Adrian Anantawan.
- Alexander Technique, taught by movement experts Jill Burlingame and Karen Archbold who will guide students how to move more mindfully through music and life by targeting inefficient patterns of movement and tension.
- Supplemental classes including composition, percussion, and a deeper listening courses led by EYSO teachers including Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard, Percussion Director Zachary Bowers, and Composer-in-Residence Ethan Parcell.
This year will be EYSO’s third Summer Chamber Music Camp, after hosting it in-person in both 2019 and 2020, while being in full compliance with Covid-19 restrictions.
Audrey Chu, a 2020 SCMC parent, shared that her daughter “truly enjoyed the time she spent at camp. She was excited to go to Elgin Academy and perform with her chamber ensemble. Thanks [to EYSO] for providing a music camp of excellent teaching, inspiration, and fun activities in such a beautiful setting.”
About EYSO
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.
EYSO serves students from 70 Chicagoland communities and has a national reputation for providing students with an engaging musical experience and a comprehensive learning environment of curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and collaboration. Students explore a thematic curriculum each season—one that helps students develop artistically and technically, and prepares them for a future of complex ideas, creative risk-taking, and leadership as global citizen. This approach has led hundreds of alumni to successful careers as professional musicians, educators, and strong leaders in every field. The theme of EYSO’s 46th season is Flipped!, where students will explore how a shift in perspective can make a world of difference in music and life.
To learn more about EYSO, visit www.eyso.org or call (847) 841-7700.