Sistema Ravinia students showcased their musical talents and holiday cheer at the Sistema Ravinia Lake County and Sistema Ravinia Austin & Lawndale concerts this week.
Students of all ages, levels of musicianship, and schools got on stage for programs that included “Hot Cross Buns,” “Song of the Wind,” “Jingle Bells,” and even a West Side Story medley. Sistema student Keturah “Tutu” Quinn practiced her violin and conducting skills for months for the Lake County nucleo’s big performance and couldn’t be happier.
“The winter concert to me felt like a celebration. Since we were kids when we first started, and now we are teenagers, we have come so far, and it’s a blessing,” Quinn said.
Sistema student Keturah “Tutu” Quinn
Quinn began playing the violin at age 9, in fourth grade. During this time, conducting also became an interest as she performed and learned more about music. “Since I’ve been a little girl, conductors have always inspired me; I saw them as leaders because I see myself as a leader. And it felt so right, like, this is what I want to be,” Quinn said.
Her hard work and dedication paid off as she got to conduct her peers at the Lake County winter concert. “It feels like an honor because you can’t just conduct any orchestra. You have to build a relationship, and the fact that my friends and family feel confident and comfortable with me leading them makes me so joyful.”
Family members filled the auditoriums to support and encourage their students, which is essential for their children’s musical success. “Many of our students are going to make music beyond this, in college or as a career, and we know that the people that are helping them stay are the families, parents, and grandparents,” Christine Taylor Conda, the director Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs (including Sistema Ravinia), told the many families who were gathered in the Kehrein Center at Circle Rock in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.
Sistema Ravinia conducted by Raimundo Pineda
Quinn’s grandparents are a great example of support. Anthony Quinn does not recall missing any of his granddaughter’s concerts from when she started with Ravinia. Her grandparents always take her to practices and ensure her attendance is never interrupted. “With her introduction to the ‘world of music’ through Sistema, she blossomed. Sistema Ravinia had filled a void for Keturah at a time when life, school, and social life were very difficult for her to circumvent. She dove into her music and wanted other students to be as excited as she was about making music,” he said.
Lake County parents took the stage and shared their support for their kids and the program: “We are all so proud of our students. Lilian and Adrian have been in the program since 4th grade. Adrian wants music to be what he does for a living! Ravinia has done wonderful things for him, and I’m so thankful.”
Sistema Ravinia is not an average program. School faculty and staff make the program possible as much as parents, students, and Ravinia faculty and staff. Elizabeth Jamison-Dunn, Catalyst Circle Rock’s principal, has been an active part of the Circle Rock community for over 10 years and is inspired by her peers and the program members’ dedication to keeping music alive in the community.
“Our peers are so thrilled to have a program like Sistema Ravinia in the Austin community. For a lot of our families, it’s not really possible to pay for very expensive music lessons, and our students are receiving top-tier instruction from the orchestra members here, as well as from the entire program of Sistema Ravinia. And they get to be in this beautiful auditorium to play their music,” Jamison-Dunn said.
In closing the concerts, students got up and gave their all when doing the Sistema Ravinia chant. “All for One and One for All” rippled through each auditorium as students stomped and clapped. Soon enough, concertgoers joined in on the fun as they celebrated their students’ success thus far.
ABOUT REACH TEACH PLAY’S SISTEMA RAVINIA
Reach Teach Play opens doors where everyone can access and experience the positive impact of music. Ravinia provides highest quality, inclusive, and engaging education programs and performances that inspire, create joy, and uplift people and students who don’t have access to music education.
Sistema Ravinia, a signature Reach Teach Play program, is inspired by the El Sistema music education model, which emphasizes community building and musical excellence. This orchestral training for 3rd–8th grade students fosters social development and creates pathways for continued success.
Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs, including Sistema Ravinia, aim to create a world where every child can envision themselves in the world’s best orchestras and on the most outstanding concert stages.