Board Of Directors
As of September 2019
Shanett Coleman
Robert Despres
Caryl Gout
Jeffrey Harvey
Kathy Huff
Teshera Hull
Cindy Jurisson*
Liliana Sekula-Lark, Leadership Circle Chair
Francine Lynch*
Lorraine Oakes
Heather Schuster*
Michelle Seidl
Linda Diamond Shapiro*, Board Chair
Dora Shih
Kate Smous*
* The HPYS executive board
Hyde Park Youth Symphony Leadership Circle
As of April 2019
The Leadership Circle brings together friends and supporters of the Hyde Park Youth Symphony to help advance our mission to provide an outstanding orchestral experience for committed musicians from across the south side. Leadership Circle members support the organization through a number of voluntary efforts, helping us to make connections, and participating in profile-raising activities. The Leadership Circle meets once or twice annually. For more information, contact Liliana Lark, lilianalark@yahoo.com.
Membership, (in formation)
Clarise Assad
Amy Boonstra
Jamey Fadim
Bill Gerstein
Sonia Kupfer
Susan Levitin
Nancy Levner
Mary Naftzger
Christiane Ronneberg
Barbara Schubert
Sheila Schwartz
Martha van Haitsma
Paula Worthington
Liliana Lark, Board Liaison
Letter from Linda Diamond Shapiro
Board Chair
Thank you for your interest in the Hyde Park Youth Symphony and our new website.
The Hyde Park Youth Symphony brings together diverse students from across the south side of Chicago to provide a high-quality orchestral performance experience as a training ground for the next generation of performers, educators, and advocates of music and the arts.
HPYS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a history spanning several decades, serving young people from public, private, and home school programs, from diverse racial, ethnic, educational, and economic backgrounds. Our program fills a significant gap, providing a voluntary, private sector response to declining school-based opportunities for orchestral performance and classical music appreciation. Our activist board and donors make it possible for all committed students to participate by keeping tuition low and providing full and partial scholarships as needed.
Every year, we recruit 90 or more south side students who rehearse weekly at the David and Reval Logan Center. The program is organized around serious pedagogy, assuring that students learn theory and become well-grounded in ensemble performance. Our leaders are pedagogic risk-takers, eager to bring fresh approaches such as finding performance opportunities in new community locations, and organizing field trips, master classes and unique collaborations.
Our orchestral programs include our signature youth symphony, a string orchestra to encourage newer players, an honors quartet that plays in multiple local venues, and chamber ensembles. We are currently in our third year of partnership with Progressive Beulah Pentecostal Church in Auburn Gresham where we provide weekly brass instruction at the church.
Our students perform in three major annual concerts, this year scheduled at the Logan Center and Mandel Hall. They also offer multiple community performances in collaboration with other south side arts and community events.
Our south side neighborhoods are far from homogeneous; south side programs are often challenged to collaborate across the many boundaries that divide us--race, culture, economics, beliefs and values. We take pride in offering a program that allows students with a range of talents and backgrounds to come together across these many boundaries to make beautiful music together.
We deeply appreciate the interest of friends and collaborators in supporting this cultural gem on the South Side to bring great music and a unique collaborative experience to our students. We welcome the opportunity to explore ways to promote engagement with our youth symphony.
Best to all,
Linda Diamond Shapiro
Board Chair
