Auditions
To submit a listing, fax to (847) 608-0849 or e-mail foxvalley@dailyherald.com.
To take the first leap onto the road to stardom, the Fox Valley can be a great place to step off. The following auditions have been set.
Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra: The 2007 Youth Orchestra of the Year and the 2008 Youth Orchestra Conductor of the Year - the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, an In-Residence Ensemble in the Arts Center at Elgin Community College, still has a few instrument openings for the 2008-09 season, the orchestra's 33rd season.
Auditions will continue through July and August until all openings are filled on the main campus of Elgin Community College. Interested students, parents or guardians must call the EYSO office at (847) 841-7700 to learn about instrument openings and to schedule an audition time. Video auditions also will be accepted.
Audition requirements as well as an application may be found on the EYSO Web site at www.eyso.org, or you may request an application by calling the EYSO office. There is a $45 audition fee per instrument.
The EYSO is looking for musicians in fourth grade through college age. The EYSO performs seven concerts per season at the Blizzard Theatre on the main campus of ECC. In addition, the Chamber Music Institute performs a concert each semester. Eligible students can also earn college credit while being an EYSO member.
Program information can be found online or by speaking with a member of the EYSO staff. Weekly rehearsals and season performances take place on Sundays at Elgin Community College in the Elgin Community Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
The opportunities for musicians to experience the world of classical music through their involvement with EYSO are numerous. Recently the EYSO performed on National Public Radio's program From the Top, at the Ravinia Festival, at Park West, Chicago with renowned band NYCO and the Aberdeen, Scotland International Youth Festival.
In the past years, EYSO musicians have been coached by Yo Yo Ma, the Pacifica String Quartet, percussionist Ted Atkatz, and others of Chicago's finest professional musicians. They have performed with NYCO, the Illinois Brass Quintet and mezzo-soprano opera performer Ms. Kitt Reuter-Foss.
Since 1976, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra has been challenging and inspiring an ever-widening circle of young musicians with rich and deep musical experiences. The focus is on a comprehensive learning environment, exploring the music beyond just performance skills, and wonderful concerts. This begins in the weekly rehearsal where the emphasis is on how the music is put together, and how it is a reflection of where and when it was written. Concert programs are imaginative, challenging and diverse, and are often created around a theme.
Elgin Children's Chorus: The Elgin Children's Chorus will hold auditions from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11 and 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18 for the 2008-2009 season at the Arts Center at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive in Elgin.
Members develop vocal expertise by honing their technical skills such as music reading, critical listening, and intonation. Choristers develop personal attributes including teamwork, self-discipline and self-confidence. Membership is open to all area children with unchanged voices, ages 7-16. Chorus members come from more than 55 different schools within 18 school districts.
The audition is designed to be a simple process that will place singers at ease. The ability to read music is not required. The essential chorister attitude is one that desires to work hard learning great music.
To prepare for the audition, you may want to brush up on "My Country 'tis of Thee," and the round "Are You Sleeping?" To schedule an audition, visit the Web site at www.elginchch.org or call (847) 931-7464 (SING).