Strings

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.

Renée-Paule Gauthier, Violin

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Instrument/Section

Violin

When did you begin to play your instrument?

When I was seven. Both my parents were music teachers, so I guess you can say there wasn’t much of a choice! 

Do you play any other instruments?

Unfortunately, no. I dream of picking up the viola one day (I truly love that instrument!), and I’m hoping to learn some piano as I help my two kids practice for their piano lessons.

Where did you study your main instrument; with whom?

I studied at the Quebec Conservatoire, the University of Montreal and the Eastman School of Music; I earned my Doctorate degree from Northwestern University. My main teachers were Jean-Francois Rivest, Zvi Zeitlin, Phil Setzer, Gene Drucker and Gerardo Ribeiro.

When did you join ESO?

 I joined the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in 2016.

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

In Canada I played with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic. Now that I’ve settled in Chicago, I frequently appear with the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in addition to being a member of the Elgin Symphony.

What was your most memorable ESO performance?

One of my favorite ESO moments is actually one during which I was not playing! The orchestra played Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” a couple of seasons ago and, because of the reduced number of string players required by the score, I was not onstage for this piece. Instead, I got to sit in the hall and listen to my colleagues play it brilliantly – with such finesse and brio! It was a real treat to hear them, and it’s a great honor to play among them!

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

As time goes by, I seem to be returning to my roots and combining interests I’ve always had into hobbies.  My mother always said that, as a child, I loved to tell stories to whomever wanted to listen. I also dreamed of being a journalist, and I loved to get together with my friends and “geek out” about music. Therefore, it makes complete sense that my biggest hobby of the past two years has involved producing a podcast about classical music -The Mind Over Finger Podcast – during which I sit with classical musicians and discuss mindful music-making. It has been tremendously inspiring for me and I’ve loved every minute of it. Lately, with no performances nor much driving around, I’ve been able to indulge in another love of mine: long walks.

Sara Sitzer, Cello

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Instrument/section:

Cello

When did you begin to play your instrument?

I started on piano when I was about five years old and, two years into my piano studies, my parents enrolled me in the week-long Chicago Suzuki Institute. At the end of every day, after lessons and classes that were usually one-on-one in a small room with a piano teacher, I’d head back to my dorm, passing through a room chock full of 30 or so cellists having a grand time making music together as a cello ensemble. Not only did they all get to play together, but the sound was unlike anything I had ever heard before, and they looked like they were having the time of their life! Needless to say, I switched instruments immediately…and the rest is history.

Do you play any other instruments?

Nope, I’m a one trick pony!

Where did you study your main instrument; with whom?

I received my Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from Boston University as a student of Andres Diaz and Michael Reynolds, then earned a Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin – Madison while studying with Uri Vardi. After that, I spent three years in Miami Beach, Florida, as a fellow with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

When did you join ESO?

I joined ESO in 2011.

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

Besides playing with the ESO, I freelance all around the area, performing somewhat regularly with Chicago Opera Theater, the Milwaukee Symphony, and various other area orchestras and ensembles. Throughout its 3-year run on Broadway in Chicago, I was one of the regular subs that got to play in the pit for Hamilton, which was a blast. In addition to playing, I’m also one of the founding Artistic Directors of Chamber Music on the Fox (along with ESO bass trombonist Mark Fry), and I am the founding Artistic Director of the Gesher Music Festival, which takes place every August in my hometown of St. Louis.

What was your most memorable ESO performance?

Several seasons ago, the ESO was lucky enough to feature the famed cellist Lynn Harrell as soloist with the orchestra. In the music world, Harrell had always been looked up to as kind of a cello God, known for looking like he is exerting absolutely zero effort while playing any number of insanely difficult passages. Despite the fact that his fingers were about the size of large Italian sausages, he nevertheless played so delicately and beautifully that you were tempted to do a double take. So, not only was it a treat performing behind him as soloist, but then, being the absolute dear that he was, he also joined us from the back of the cello section in the Brahms 1st Symphony on the program’s second half. Afterwards, I ended up chatting with him until 1:00 am over beers at the Elgin Public House. Lynn Harrell passed away a few weeks ago and, besides the magnificent legacy he leaves behind, I will never forget his kind and wonderful spirit that week we got to spend with him in Elgin.

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

Since this recent pandemic has put the kibosh on public performances and I’ve got a lot more time on my hands, I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to with my quirky, delightful, entertaining three-year-old daughter. She’s got quite an imagination and plenty of curiosity, and with the recent nicer weather, we’ve spent a lot of time roaming around our neighborhood. So, first things first on our walks: we must pick dandelions to feed to the grotesques. Because…we are now experts on gargoyles vs. grotesques, and the lawn ornaments that you may think are gargoyles are not — if they don’t have a water spout, they are actually grotesques. And, according to 3-year-old Talia, grotesques feed on dandelions. Who knew? Additionally, I never before realized how many houses have frog lawn ornaments! Now, however, we visit each and every one of them daily. We typically transform into the “Old Dark Frog” (from the good old “Days with Frog and Toad” book), which I’m sure really puts our neighbors at ease. Did I mention she’s quirky? Quarantine is definitely not boring around here!

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