ESO performance unites longtime friends

Jay Strother, Cynthia Strother, Lee Ann Clark, and Chip Clark at an ESO concert in April 2026.

When Jay and Cynthia Strother won a season subscription to the ESO last fall, they never imagined it would lead them back to longtime friends. It just so happens that Jay and Cynthia were randomly seated in the same row as longtime subscribers Lee Ann (who is also an ESO League member) and Chip Clark. 

The two couples have been close friends for more than 35 years. Their friendship started in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Jay and Lee Ann worked together at the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce. Chip was building his business as a composer and studio trumpet player. In fact, Chip played for Jay and Cynthia’s wedding.

Chip and Lee Ann moved to the Chicagoland area in 1992; several years later, Cynthia’s career relocated her and Jay to the area. The foursome were in touch initially but hadn’t seen each other in more than a decade when they were reunited, by chance, at the ESO concert in October. Now, they look forward to seeing each other at the ESO and their occasional dinners together before a concert, picking up where they left off, as true friendships do – with a hearty dose of laughter.

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Email Donna Lake at d.lake@elginsymphony.org. ‍ ‍