The 2019-2020 season was certainly one to remember! With more than 650 young musicians participating in CYSO’s on-site ensembles and thousands more reached through our Community Engagement initiatives, we have enjoyed sharing many exciting projects with our community this season. Here are just a few of the highlights:
FALL
Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative welcomed its first cohort of students to receive mentoring, coaching, and financial assistance to support their musical training. As members of the CMPI Steering Team, CYSO was proud that 19 of the 50 students selected are also members of our programs! More about the first cohort
At their November concert, Symphony Orchestra presented the Chicago premiere of Zhou Tian’s Transcend, a piece commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. CYSO was the only youth orchestra to participate in the consortium of ensembles that commissioned and performed the work, spearheaded by Reno Philharmonic and were honored to be joined by Mr. Tian at the concert. Read more
Kaiso Steel Orchestra was featured on WCIU’s “The Jam” during the holiday season, demonstrating how to play steelpan for early morning TV viewers. Watch the feature
WINTER
In late January, Director of String Ensembles Daniella Valdez and members of Preparatory Strings participated in a clinic at the Illinois Music Education Conference called Engaging Young Musicians in Their Learning – An Exploration of Rehearsal Techniques for Elementary Orchestras. Read more
Feburary’s CYSO Gala: An American in Paris took broke previous fundraising records with $480,000 raised to support CYSO’s continuation of music education programming. Read more about the event
In February, CYSO released A Celebration of Black Composers, highlighting compositions from Black composers. It’s the first time each of our high school-level ensembles has been featured together in one album. Read about the release
SPRING
In preparation for their performance of music from Wagner’s “The Ring” operas, Symphony Orchestra worked with Sir Andrew Davis, Music Director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, who brought his signature wit and decades of experience to a Sunday rehearsal. Read Maestro Davis’ interview with CYSO students
Throughout the first weeks of Illinois’ stay-at-home order, CYSO presented twice-weekly Facebook livestreams with members of our Artistic Staff and students in an effort to keep our community connected and engaged during trying times. Watch the livestreams
Our season culminated in CYSO Week, a 5-night virtual celebration that ran June 8-12. While the COVID-19 pandemic cut short our spring concerts and events, the online celebration made for a lively and fitting end to an unforgettable season. Watch the CYSO Week broadcasts
