The Score | Space Out, Tune In

After months of preparation by Executive Director Eric Larson and Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra’s 300-plus students returned to in-person rehearsals this fall. Up until then, musicians in the Illinois-based organization had been rehearsing on Zoom and creating virtual performances from home since the pandemic shutdowns in March. When EYSO musicians returned to their regular rehearsal and performance space, they split into spread-out groups instead of playing as a full ensemble. String and percussion musicians wore masks, wind and brass players used bell covers to limit the spread of aerosols, and parent volunteers sewed masks fitted for the instruments. Other volunteers took the students’ temperatures before rehearsals. The young musicians live-streamed a day of music on November 15—two concerts in the afternoon and one in the evening—from Elgin Community College’s Blizzard Theater. Four orchestras, three percussion ensembles, brass choir, and chamber ensembles performed. Larson told the Elgin Courier-News, “These students love performing music and being able to do that in a time like this is a fantastic benefit to them.”