Elgin Symphony to honor U-46’s Jaimie Abney-Giraldo with Educator of the Year Award
Elgin Area School District U-46 Fine Arts Coordinator Jaimie Abney-Giraldo will be recognized for her exemplary dedication to enhancing music education by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra during its May 3 concert.
After a decade of teaching band and mariachi at U-46 schools, Abney-Giraldo has continued sharing her passion for music education and the arts as an administrator overseeing the district’s Fine Arts Programs.
“We are thrilled to honor one of Elgin’s leading and most experienced arts educators and advocates for access to arts education for all youth,” said Marc Thayer, CEO of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, who will present Abney-Giraldo with the ESO’s Educator of the Year Award.
“Jaimie has partnered with the Elgin Symphony for many years and assisted music teachers throughout the U-46 District in elevating students’ music experiences through student attendance at the ESO’s youth education concerts at The Hemmens and hosting ESO musicians in their schools for classes, concerts and Adopt-a-School Programs,” Thayer said.
Abney-Giraldo’s commitment has helped lead U-46 to be recognized as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation annually since 2019.
She has been with U-46 since 2005. In addition to her Fine Arts leadership in schools, Abney-Giraldo is also a sought-after expert on Mariachi education, presenting at the local, state and national levels, wrote a chapter in “The Music Teacher's Guide to Engaging English Language Learners on Mariachi Education,” and is a repeat contributor to School Band & Orchestra + Magazine on Mariachi Education.
This weekend’s concerts, led by conductor Chad Goodman, will feature Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” György Sándor Ligeti’s “Lontano,” and Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, “Paris.” The orchestra will be joined by sopranos and altos from the Elgin Master Chorale.
The concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the Hemmens, 45 Symphony Way in downtown Elgin.
Tickets start at $20 and are available at www.ElginSymphony.org or by phone at (847) 888-4000 during ESO Box Office hours, Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
About the Elgin Symphony Orchestra
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, one of the preeminent regional orchestras in the U.S., is celebrating its 75th anniversary season in 2024-25.
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is led by Chad Goodman, who was named the ESO’s Music Director — the fifth in the Orchestra’s history — in May 2023.
Since its founding in 1950, the organization has developed a reputation for artistic excellence, and innovative programming as demonstrated through its long history of highlighting the works of world-renowned conductors, composers, and musicians, and of promoting the advancement of women in the arts.
The ESO became a professional ensemble in 1985 in good part due to the leadership of the late Margaret Hillis, who served as the ESO’s music director from 1971 to 1985. Hillis was one of the first females to break through the male-dominated world of conducting and is credited with being the impetus behind the creation of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Association, the formation of the ESO’s volunteer core — the Elgin Symphony League, and the start of the ESO’s commitment to music education and enrichment for youth.
Today, the ESO continues to draw its creativity and artistry from the Elgin area and gives back to the community through its Adopt-a-School program that provides supplemental music education and in-school performances to local schools; Musicians Care program that brings live music performances to local hospitals, hospices, and retirement homes; informational Listener’s Club events and other free programs at public libraries; In Harmony Program in places of worship; Ainsworth Concerts for Youth; free tickets for youth under 18; open rehearsals; and free community concerts throughout the region.
The Illinois Council of Orchestras has named the ESO Orchestra of the Year four times (1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016). The ESO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
To learn more or to support the ESO, visit www.elginsymphony.org.