• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • ESO In the News
  • Concert Archives
    • 2021-2022
    • 2020-2021
    • 2019-2020
    • 2018-2019
    • 2017-2018
    • 2016-2017
    • 2015-2016
  • About Us
    • Leadership & Staff
    • Music Leadership
    • Musicians
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • Elgin Symphony League
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Get Our Newsletter
Elgin Symphony Orchestra

Elgin Symphony Orchestra

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, four-time winner of Orchestra of the Year!

  • Health and Safety
  • Concerts & Tickets
    • Concerts
    • Ticket Info
    • Box Office
    • Subscriptions
  • Your Concert Experience
    • At the Concert
    • Driving Directions
    • Nearby Restaurants
    • Local Hotels
  • Education
    • Ainsworth Concerts for Youth
    • Traveling Ensembles
    • Masterclass Opportunities
    • Listeners Club
  • Community
    • Listeners Club
    • Musicians Care
  • Support the ESO
    • Ways to Give
    • Make a Difference!
    • Donor Benefits
    • ESO Sponsorship
  • ESO in the News
  • Concert Archive
    • 2021-2022
    • 2020-2021
    • 2019-2020
    • 2018-2019
    • 2017-2018
    • 2016-2017
    • 2015-2016
  • About the ESO
    • ESO Leadership & Staff
    • ESO Music Leadership
    • ESO Musicians
    • ESO Partners & Sponsors
    • ESO League
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Get Our Newsletter
Please read our complete COVID-19 Health and Safety Statement

Meet the Musician: Maria Arrua, Violin

September 3, 2020

Maria Arrua - ESO violin

Maria Arrua, Violin


Instrument/section:

I’m a member of the ESO’s Second Violin section.

When did you begin to play your instrument?

I started playing at age 10. My two older siblings were already taking music lessons privately, and it was my turn to choose an instrument. My mother found a violinist performing on television and called me to watch it. It was love at first sight—and sound!

Where did you study your main instrument; with whom?

I started violin at the National Conservatory of Music in Paraguay, a brand new institution at the time. I stayed there until the end of high school and moved to the United States for college. I am currently finishing my Doctorate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I studied with Nelson Lee and the Jupiter String Quartet.

When did you join ESO?

I joined ESO in 2017.

What other orchestras have you played with/do you play with now?

I have played with many groups in the area, including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. I am currently a member of the Northwest Indiana Symphony and Concertmaster of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra.

What was your most memorable ESO performance?

One of my favorite experiences in Elgin was at the beginning of my first season, when we performed Beethoven Symphony No. 7. I had played that symphony before, but doing it in Elgin was extremely rewarding. I felt that every musician on stage was connected to each other and on fire! It was a blast. After the concert, I was walking to my car and a group from the audience shared with me that it was their first time coming to ESO and they were astonished!

What are some of your interests, and how are you passing the time?

As I mentioned before, I come from Paraguay, a small and beautiful country in South America. I get to go visit about once a year and love sharing about it with friends who otherwise might never hear about that wonderful place.

  • Maria Arrua, violin
  • Maria Arrua, violin
  • Enjoying the Paraguayan countryside with my husband, niece and nephew.
  • Iguazu Falls, on the border with Argentina and Brazil.
  • Enjoying the company of a sweet cow on my parents’ farm in the countryside.
  • Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay, displaying its beautiful pink lapacho trees.

Filed Under: ESO, Meet the Musicians, Strings

Footer

Elgin Symphony Orchestra

Elgin Symphony Orchestra (office)
20 DuPage Court
Elgin, IL 60120
(map)

Box Office 847-888-4000
boxoffice@elginsymphony.org
Se habla español.

Admin 847-888-0404
Fax 847-888-0400

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Join Our Email List

English EN Spanish ES

Venues

Hemmens Cultural Center (map)
45 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL 60120

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts (map)
9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60077

Raue Center for the Arts (map)
26 N Williams Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

The Venue at Goebbert’s (map)
42W813 Reinking Rd., Pingree Grove, IL 60140

Search this Site

Explore Elgin Area
Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin
Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce

Copyright © 2022 · Elgin Symphony Orchestra · Wolko Design Group