Meet the Musicians

Hailed for her, “instantaneously arresting …sweet, clear, vital” sound (The New York Sun), violinist Sharon Chang maintains an active career as a chamber musician, orchestral musician and as a teacher. Ms. Chang has won numerous first prize awards in competition and has had the privilege of performing, as a soloist, with orchestras including the North Suburban Symphony, Waukegan Symphony, and Camerata Chicago.  

As a chamber musician, Ms. Chang has performed on the Wednesdays at One series in New York City’s Alice Tully Hall, and performed in collaborations resulting in radio broadcasts on From The Top and on Chicago’s classical station 98.7 WFMT. A recipient of a Farwell Scholarship from the Musicians Club of Women, Ms. Chang has held positions in several orchestras, including the Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, and Cleveland Pops Orchestras.  She currently holds the Assistant Principal Second Violin position with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute violinist with several orchestras nationwide.  

Ms. Chang has studied with Stephen Clapp at The Juilliard School, and with William Preucil and Joel Smirnoff at the Cleveland Institute of Music.  Ms. Chang maintains a private violin studio, and has served as violin faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago.

Nazar Dzhuryn, Assistant Principal Cello

A native of Lviv, Ukraine, cellist Nazar Dzhuryn enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and educator. He graduated from the Lviv Music School and earned his Master of Music degree at the Moscow State Conservatory under Igor Gavrysh. Upon graduation, Dzhuryn served as an assistant professor at the Moscow State Conservatory, before moving to Chicago. 

Dzhurin’s solo recitals for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the PianoForte Salon Series have been broadcast live on 98.7 WFMT. In recent seasons, he has appeared as a soloist with the Moscow State Symphony, Moscow Conservatory Symphony, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Lviv Philharmonic, National Symphony of Ukraine in Kiev, Minsk Philharmonic, Ensemble of Soloists Classicus in Zagreb, Sinfonietta Bel Canto IL, Harper Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Woodstock Mozart Festival Orchestra, Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Nazar has given numerous solo recitals and master classes in Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, South America, South Africa, South Korea and the U.S. In 2008 he released his solo debut CD, Cello Monologue, featuring works by Reger and Kodaly. His next CD, Cello Monologue 2 was released in 2013, featuring works of Ysaye, Hindemith, Crumb, Ligeti and Laniuk. 

Nazar has appeared as part of the Rush Hour Concerts Series at St. James Cathedral in Chicago and as a guest artist with the Chicago Chamber Musicians and is a frequent chamber music collaborator of members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Formerly the principal cello of the Moscow State Symphony “Young Russia” and the Moscow Conservatory Symphony, Nazar has served as the assistant principal cello of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra since 2000 and as the principal cello of the Woodstock Mozart Festival Orchestra since 2004. He participated in the Rostropovich Festival in Evian, France, and has performed as an orchestral musician under such conductors as Georg Solti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Barenboim, and Helmuth Rilling.

Nazar maintains private teaching studios in Chicago and Elgin and serves on the faculties of Northeastern Illinois University and the Naperville School for the Performing Arts. He also coaches chamber ensembles for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO). Nazar’s students have won prizes in numerous competitions, including the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, and the Chicago Chamber Music Competition.

Rebecca Swan, Viola

Rebecca Swan is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory. A native of the Chicago area, Rebecca recently moved back after several years in Charlotte, NC, where she played Principal Viola for Charlotte’s Broadway Series and subbed regularly with the Charlotte Symphony.

Rebecca has played with Iris Chamber Orchestra under Michael Stern, New World Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas, The Perlman Program Orchestra with Itzhak Perlman, and The Orquesta Sinfonia Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica. She was the youngest member ever to be accepted into the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under Daniel Barenboim when she was 16. Some of her favorite freelance opportunities have been playing backup for Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder, and Andrea Bocelli.

Rebecca currently is a member of the Grant Park Symphony, Elgin Symphony and is Principal Violist with the Rockford Symphony. This year she played with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, and has served as guest principal of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.

Greg Heintz, Double Bass

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Instrument/Section

Double Bass

When did you begin to play your instrument?

I started playing the Bass at the beginning of my junior year of high school. The music teachers were more than a little skeptical when I showed up, out of the blue, asking to join the jazz band and orchestra! Luckily, they took a chance on me.

Do you play any other instruments?

I can play a few things on the guitar. I can plunk even fewer things out on the piano.

Where did you study your main instrument; with whom?

I earned my Bachelor of Music Degree in Double Bass Performance from Northern Illinois University, where I studied with ESO bassist John Floeter. I then received a Master’s Degree in Bass Performance from Roosevelt University, studying with Lyric Opera bassist Andy Anderson and Milwaukee Symphony Principal Jon McCullough-Benner.

When did you join ESO?

Fall, 2019

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

The Elgin Symphony is the first orchestral job for which I successfully auditioned. I played in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for 2 years, where I was fortunate enough to serve as Principal Bass for many concert cycles. I’ve also been very privileged to appear as a substitute player with many of the fantastic ensembles in the Midwest; including the Milwaukee, Chicago and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras.

What was your most memorable ESO performance?

To be honest, despite the pandemic cutting the season short, this entire season has been my most memorable. Auditioning is an extremely difficult and competitive process for all musicians, but because of about 20 minutes of playing my best, I was selected to join this fantastic orchestra! I will certainly never forget sitting on stage with the orchestra for the first rehearsal of the season. That first week was a lot of fun.

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

I remember going to the Elgin Symphony for the first time with my mother and grandparents many years ago. The big piece on the program was Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz.

During my senior year of high school, our orchestra took a field trip to Symphony Center to see the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra play Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. The moment I stepped into that hall to hear that orchestra play, I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life: it was a life-changing experience. I fell in love with the pre-concert energy that filled the hall, from the stage to the audience. The silence that came when the lights dimmed enchanted me, and the superb musicality of that orchestra was astounding.

A few years ago, I began playing chess online for fun. I see a lot of correlations between chess and the performing arts. Much like learning an instrument, it takes years and years of study and practice to become a good chess player. Similar to performing, there are many things in chess you must commit to memory. Chess has themes and variations, composed puzzles, and even its own notation. The pandemic has stopped all in-person tournaments, but many of the top players in the world are still competing in online tournaments. I’ve had a lot of fun watching!

For two years I played in a Bluegrass band called “Truman’s Ridge.” I had to learn around 100 tunes by ear during rehearsals.

I have a wonderful cat named Dancer. She is a big fan of classical music! My fiancée Emily is currently pursuing her Doctorate Degree at UMKC in violin, which for Dancer is fantastic because violin happens to be her favorite instrument. The attached picture shows Dancer helping Emily practice by napping in Emily’s violin case.