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Nathan Sackschewsky gave us the scoop on his involvement with the ESO and how he got started...

How long have you played with ESO? 

Since 2014

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

I started on the violin when I was 3 years old. I originally wanted to play the piano, but there was a waiting list, so I started violin instead.  I started playing viola my senior year in high school when the youth orchestra I was playing with needed violists for chamber music.

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

I would love to do the Brahms Requiem with the ESO. The choral concerts are some of my favorite performances that I’ve done with the ESO, and the Brahms Requiem is one of my favorite pieces that I haven't had the opportunity to perform before. 

Biography

Nathan Sackschewsky teaches orchestra at Lake Zurich High School (LZHS), where he also teaches Guitar, AP Music Theory, and Music Production. The LZHS Symphony Orchestra, under Nathan's direction, performed at ILMEA for the first time in 2023, and in 2024 they were featured on WFMT’s Introductions. He received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Augustana College and began his career teaching 4th through 8th grade orchestra in Buffalo Grove. 

Nathan received his master’s degree in arts management from Columbia College in Chicago. While at Columbia, he interned with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. He also worked as the Director for the Young Music Scholars program at MYAC. In 2020 Nathan started the ILASTA IMEC Reading session and is currently the ILASTA reading session chair. He is also the former ILASTA Technology Chair.

Mr. Sackschewsky is an active clinician and performer in the Chicago area. He currently plays viola with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Jan Sobieski String Quartet. In his free time, Nathan enjoys traveling, skiing, mountain biking, and boating with his wife Robin, daughter Nora, and his dog Hilde.