Elgin orchestras cancel performances, but virtual concert in the works

The COVID-19 reality has been tough on musicians, forcing both the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra to cancel the rest of their seasons ending in May.

The professional orchestra might put together a virtual, prerecorded end-of-season concert the weekend of May 2, but that's still up in the air. The youth orchestra will do that for its season finale May 10.

"I'm excited about that," said cellist Miranda Victor, 17, of Campton Hills, who is ending her run with EYSO to go to college next year. "But I'm a little bit sad that we won't be able to do our last concert together in person."

'They live to perform'

Elgin Symphony Orchestra Executive Director David Conroy said the nonprofit has refunded or credited concert tickets and postponed its spring gala, normally in late April, to a date to be determined.

With two-thirds of funding from donations, the orchestra should be able to weather the financial storm, but there's been an emotional toll, too, he said. "Performing arts organizations, they live to perform - and now everyone is shuttered in their homes," he said. "But we are moving ahead and it should be a really great season (in 2020-21)."

The virtual season finale concert is uncertain, because the 70 or so musicians have different access to technology, Conroy said. The orchestra has been staying connected with its audience by posting Facebook videos of musicians playing or explaining music, and a Facebook Live event with Music Director Andrew Grams is in the works.

Resident conductor Stephen Squires, a 30-year veteran of ESO, said musicians feel each other's absence. "I've been a musician my entire life and I have never gone through a period where I didn't have rehearsals or concerts."

Squires is among salaried staff, but for freelancers, "this is really a financial nightmare," he said.

Some of the musicians teach privately, like cellist Kerena Moeller of St. Charles, who said that transitioning to online lessons was "a massive learning curve." But she's pleasantly surprised at how well it's working out, she said.

"Of course it's better to be one-on-one in the same space, being able to move kids' fingers and seeing things up close, but it's amazing how focused you become teaching that person (via video)," she said. "You really have to stay focused - see really carefully and listen really carefully."

Students' commitment

Among Moeller's students is cellist Miranda, a senior at St. Charles North High School, who said her FaceTime private lessons feel just like regular lessons.

Her Zoom sessions with the youth orchestra, however, feel a bit incomplete without the ability to immerse herself in the experience of playing music with the others, she said.

"It makes it hard to understand the music and to really get the feel of what the music is supposed to feel like," Miranda said. "At the same time, it's making us become better musicians and pushing us to be out there a little bit more, because we can't rely on anybody else."

Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard said he's been impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the 340 or so young musicians. The students' first Zoom rehearsal had perfect attendance, normally difficult to obtain because of everyone's busy lives, Sheppard said.

"We would not necessarily trade it for a normal season, but I have been continually overwhelmed by how much everybody cares and wants to make this happen," he said.

Performing a virtual live concert is impossible because of the inevitable lag among people's internet connections, Sheppard said. Instead, the virtual concert May 10 will be put together using individual video recordings of the musicians, who are studying their scores with master tracks of Sheppard conducting and talking through the music.

An unusual thing will be that when the concert is streamed, the students will be able to watch themselves perform, Sheppard said.

"It's important to give the students that final thing (performance)," he said. "I know it's really meaningful for them, especially the graduating seniors."