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Violinist Jan Gahala gave us the scoop on her involvement with the ESO and how she got started...

How long have you played with ESO?

I joined ESO in fall 1984, more than 39 years ago! Dale Clevenger was the conductor then, and we were happy to welcome Stephen Alltop when maestro Clevenger retired.

What instrument do you play and how did you gravitate to that instrument?

When I was a child, my father would play recordings of the Mantovani Orchestra. Those lush strings always inspired me, and I chose to play violin in 5th grade. I continued playing in orchestras throughout grade school (South Berwyn District 100), high school (Morton West in Berwyn), college (Augustana College), grad school (Washington University in St. Louis), and in various suburban orchestras after college. I was so fortunate to have wonderful music experiences throughout my life, and for that I am grateful.

What piece is on your bucket list to play with ESO and why?

With so many years of playing the orchestral repertory, I am familiar with many classical pieces. My favorite composers are Antonín Dvořák, Aaron Copland, Gustav Mahler, Jean Sibelius, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Their rich melodies and compelling rhythms are well known to ESO concert attendees. But I have never played Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 (and I am quite certain that the ESO has never played it before), so I am looking forward to performing that piece at our November concert.

Biography

Jan grew up in a musical family, with all four children playing instruments. Her grade school and high school districts did an amazing job of teaching music and instilling a love of classical music in students. Even though Jan majored in English in college and grad school, she continued playing her violin in school orchestras and ensembles.

After grad school, she played with the West Suburban Symphony, Evanston Symphony, and the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest before coming to the Elmhurst Symphony. She appreciates the wide diversity of music that the ESO performs as well as its innovative programming.

One ESO event that stands out in her mind is a Baroque concert in January 2020, when the orchestra performed Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus. The players were asked to sing portions of the piece (in Latin) in addition to playing. It was a beautiful experience.

During her career, Jan worked as an editor in educational research, publications, magazines, and textbooks. She retired from American Institutes for Research in 2015. For the ESO’s 50th anniversary, she compiled a booklet of the symphony’s musical programming from its inception in 1961 through its 50th season in 2011. For several years, she also edited the ESO’s program books and compiled and edited the program notes. She was awarded the Silver Measure Award in 2015.

Jan currently lives in Downers Grove with her husband, Chuck. She enjoys yoga, cooking, reading, gatherings with her two sons’ families, and going to their cottage in northern Wisconsin.