Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra to make history at Lollapalooza
Youth orchestra takes Lollapalooza's main stage
They?re about to make history at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, as the first teen ensemble to ever get their own primetime main stage set before a headliner.
CHICAGO - Teenagers in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra will make their debut at Chicago's hottest music festival – Lollapalooza. They will make history as the first teen ensemble to perform on the festival's main stage before a headliner.
The teens have practiced for weeks at the Fine Arts Building, watching as the festival comes together across Michigan Avenue.
The CYSO will perform on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Grant Park on the Tito's Stage. Their setlist will include a combination of pop, Strauss, and Jane's Addiction.
From the Musicians:
"Classical music is something that's not appreciated enough," French horn player Sam Deverman said. " I really hope that we kind of change lives while we're there."
Deverman is going into his senior year and has been in the orchestra since his freshman year of high school.
He got his first instrument at the age of nine.
"I remember opening the box and being like, 'Oh my God, it's my first trumpet.' I wanted to play so badly, I couldn't get out of the box fast enough," Deverman said.
"I'm just really excited to be able to share kind of classical music with this kind of group that will be there for other types of music," harpist Margo Sherman said.
Sherman is a junior who is coming up on her fourth year with the orchestra. She started playing at 5-years-old.
"I had a tiny pink harp that was my favorite thing ever," she said.
The Orchestra's Legacy:
"I just am continually impressed with who they are as human beings. And then of course they walk on stage and they play like these phenoms," said the orchestra's Executive Director Jennie Oh Brown.
Oh Brown knows the legacy of the orchestra and understands what the Lolla performance means.
"This near 80-year-old institution that has trained young musicians now gets a moment in the spotlight," she said. "The organization started with essentially eight kids. Fast-forward to today; we serve approximately 850 kids from over 150 ZIP codes."
The Setlist:
"We have this kind of pop mix that was arranged for us. So a bunch of previous Lollapalooza artists, they're some of their biggest hits," Sherman said.
"But we're also showing some of the best of older classical music, like Strauss's ‘Also Sprach’ and Stravinsky's ‘Firebird’," Deverman said.
In honor of Lolla's founder Perry Farrell, the orchestra will cover a Jane's Addiction song.
What's next:
They're standing in a moment built by generations, playing for today, but already hearing what comes next.
"When I think about myself in the future, I can't really imagine myself doing anything but like being part of an orchestra," Sherman said.
"Classical music will always be a part of my life," Deverman said.
A lot has led up to this moment in time for these young musicians.
"Even though the kids might say, 'well, we've been practicing this week for Lollapalooza,' really they've been practicing for a lifetime for this," Oh Brown said.
"I've heard that there are going to tens of thousands of people there and I'm absolutely that they will connect beautifully with our students on stage," Oh Brown said.
A CYSO board member pushed for this moment for years, and now, it's finally here.
To learn more about the orchestra, go to CYSO.org.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX 32's Terrence Lee.