Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) Welcomes Dr. Lindsay Wright as Prelude Orchestra Conductor

Elgin, IL (July 23, 2019) – Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) welcomes Dr. Lindsay Wright as Prelude Orchestra conductor. Wright is an experienced music educator, musicologist, and education researcher who has worked closely with Chicago Public School systems to increase arts education access, equity, and quality.  

“As a charismatic educator, skillful performer, and thoughtful scholar of music and education, Lindsay is a perfect fit for EYSO and our mission,” said Matthew Sheppard, artistic director. “She cares deeply not just about what we do, but also about how–and why–we do it. Her joy and enthusiasm for music and education will inspire Prelude students and the EYSO community as a whole, and I can’t wait to get started.” 

Prelude is EYSO’s early-intermediate orchestra for string players, grades 5 through 9. Besides great repertoire, Prelude focuses on musical independence, refining string technique, critical thinking, developing practice habits, and deeper listening. 

"I have enjoyed working with smaller musical organizations in the past, helping them grow and develop their own learning culture,” said Wright. “But EYSO is different. It’s a community with a deeply rooted and well-reasoned educational vision. It will be a joy to conduct the Prelude ensemble as a part of this ecosystem—to help young musicians build upon the foundation they have developed, and to prepare them for the next step of their journey with EYSO. Being a part of such a thoughtful community will be a wonderful learning experience for me, as well." 

Wright is conductor of the String Orchestra and Preparatory Strings at Hyde Park Youth Symphony, where she has led these two orchestras since 2015. She has served as an instrumental music teacher for the School District of Philadelphia and as a private violin teacher, group instructor, and chamber coach in a range of contexts. In 2013, she co-founded a small cooperative music school that offers private and group instruction to students on Chicago's South Side. Wright is active as a classical violinist and has enjoyed learning a range of other genres. 

Wright received her PhD in musicology in 2018 from the University of Chicago. She currently works as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities there, teaching undergraduate courses in world music, media aesthetics, and Western classical music. Her dissertation, “Discourses of Musical Talent in American Culture,” argues that the concept of musical talent has been used to perpetuate systems of racial and socioeconomic privilege. As an education researcher, Wright has worked with Chicago Public Schools teachers and arts partners through Ingenuity, a Chicago-based arts education advocacy and research organization. She currently serves as an advisor on Ingenuity's Data and Research Collective Impact Panel, which aims to better understand and expand arts education opportunities for students in Chicago. She holds a MEd in Multicultural Education and BA degrees in Music and African American studies. 

About EYSO 

The mission of EYSO is to create a community of young musicians, enriching their lives and the lives of their families, schools, communities and beyond, through the study and performance of excellent music. 

EYSO serves nearly 400 students from 70 Chicagoland communities and has a national reputation for providing students with an engaging musical experience and a comprehensive learning environment of curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and collaboration. Students explore a thematic curriculum each season—one which helps students develop artistically and technically, and prepare them for a future of complex ideas, creative risk-taking, and leadership as global citizens. This approach has led hundreds of alumni to successful careers as professional musicians, educators, and strong leaders in every field. The 2019-20 season theme is titled MOVE and explores the rich traditions of Dalcroze, ballet, and folk dance. Planned collaborations include work with Elgin’s acclaimed Ballet Folklórico Huehuecoyotl (BFH) as well as Joffrey Ballet artist Luis Vazquez. 

To learn more about EYSO, visit https://www.eyso.org or call (847) 841-7700. 

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