Strings

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.

Joe Malmquist, Violin

Instrument/section:

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

When did you begin to play your instrument?

I began playing violin in 4^th grade

Do you play any other instruments?

Well, I’m also a conductor with an education degree so I do have a working knowledge of most instruments, but I usually only admit to knowing the violin.

Where did you study your main instrument; with whom?

I studied violin and conducting with Roland and Almita Vamos.

When did you join ESO?

Back in the last century, in 1981.

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

I’ve played with the Illinois Chamber Symphony, the Rockford Symphony and the Lake Forest Symphony, to name a few. I’m also the Director of Orchestras for the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra program and conduct the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra.

What was your most memorable ESO performance?

I vividly remember our first performance of the Shostakovich 5^th Symphony. That work can take listeners a bit out of their “comfort zone” if they’re not familiar with Shostakovich, but our conductor did such a great job of providing historical and musical perspective to the audience before we played the piece that the entire auditorium lit up when the music began. They absolutely loved it!

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

Joe is famous for his grilling expertise and each year generously donates a home-grilled meat extravaganza to the ESO’s Gala silent auction. Lucky winners stand a good chance of being treated to the following delicacy:

Joe’s “Meat the Musicians” Ribeyes
Always start with the perfect prime Ribeyes, 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, from Butcher on the Block (a spectacular meat shop in Lake in the Hills).

Salt both sides of the meat with coarse salt, then place it on a drying rack in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, rub the steaks with a dry spice rub of your choice, then slowly barrel-smoke them over hickory briquets plus a few chunks of hardwood (oak, hickory and/or cherry work well) at 215-225 degrees until almost fully done.

Remove the meat from the grill and pack and insulate it while you super-heat your cast aluminum grill grates directly over hardwood charcoal and wood, then place the steaks onto the grill again and flip them quickly over and over to get a good sear.

Tim Shaffer, Principal Double Bass

When did you begin to play your instrument?

In January of 1970 (50 years ago!), in the middle of fifth grade at my public school in Columbus, Nebraska, I decided on a whim to start playing bass.

Do you play any other instruments?

I play some piano, just enough to accompany my beginning and intermediate students.

Where did you study your main instrument; with whom?

I earned my Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from Indiana University, studying with Professors Murray Grodner and Barry Green. My first teacher in high school was Karel Netolicka, the Assistant Principal Bass of the Milwaukee Symphony at the time.

When did you join ESO?

Fall, 1996

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

My first full time job out of music school was with the New Orleans Symphony. My next position was in Germany as Principal Bass of the Westphalian Symphony in Recklinghausen, a small city about the size of Elgin in northwestern Germany. Since relocating to the Chicago area and joining the ESO, I have also enjoyed a wonderful summer job performing with the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago. For many years I have appeared as an extra and substitute musician with the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, and I also freelance with various groups in the Chicago area throughout the year.

Your most memorable ESO performance

We played Elgar’s Enigma Variations with Andrew Grams a few months after my wife Lynn died of cancer. It was her favorite piece. The performance was wonderful and very moving for everyone—especially for me. I cried a bit during the “Nimrod” variation but managed to keep playing. Lynn loved the ESO and was understandably proud of our Bass section. She would have been thrilled with that performance.

Additional interesting information

We are living through strange and historic times, but I am grateful that my music career also brought me up close to an historic moment in Germany over 30 years ago. In November of 1989, just a few months after Lynn and I were married and started a new life and symphony job in Recklinghausen, West Germany, the Berlin Wall fell. Overnight, East Germans began streaming into the West, showing up at the doors of family members from whom they’d been separated for decades; or at any address of a West German that they happened to possess. The morning after the border opened we observed an East German car parked right in front of our apartment house! None of us had ever dreamed that the Wall and the kill zone dividing East and West would come down in our lifetimes. It was a stunning and insanely euphoric event. The emotional release we witnessed in the German people after 28 years of cruel separation was deeply touching. I have never seen so many grown men cry! Naturally, music played a huge part in the emotional celebration exploding all over the country. One of the most memorable concerts given during that extraordinary time featured Leonard Bernstein conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in front of the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate.

In 2019, thirty years later, I was able to visit Berlin and witness the transformation that has occurred in that once divided city. I could not have imagined in 1989 that Berlin would grow into the brash and vibrant capital city it has now become. It gives me hope that something good may come out of the trying times we are currently experiencing in this country!