Symphony Orchestra Guild of Decatur

09/01/2026

Outside of their work for the Guild, our board members are invested in our community.

Historian and Guild board member, Mark Sorensen gave part of the presentation for the Untold Stories African American Historical Marker today. Mark uses his skills to make history and the arts accessible and equitable. We are proud to have him on our board!

Photo credit goes to board member, Shyler Kraus who like, Mark, is a champion for Decatur.

08/29/2026

Share with the young musicians in your life!

Young Musicians!! We'd love to have you join us for the 26-27 season of the Decatur Youth Symphony Orchestra. Use the QR code below to sign up for an audition time and feel free to message [email protected] if you have any questions.

08/28/2026

Join us in extending a warm welcome to MDSO's new concertmaster, Dr. Maria Arrua!

Violinist Maria Arrua leads an active career performing and teaching in the Greater Chicago area. She currently serves as Concertmaster of the Millikin Decatur Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra as well as section violin of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Elgin and Northwest Symphony Orchestras.

Dr. Arrua has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay, Orchestra of the Congress of Paraguay, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the City of Asuncion, Chamber Orchestra of the Municipality of Asuncion, University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, State College Summer Orchestra, and Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed with the symphony orchestras of Paraguay, Illinois, Grant Park, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Champaign, and Acadiana, as well as Sinfonia da Camera, Louisiana Sinfonietta, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Born in Paraguay, Dr. Arrua began her musical training at the age 10 at the National Conservatory of Music of Paraguay. During her studies at the Conservatory, Dr. Arrua served as Assistant Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, she graduated summa cm laude from Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance degree, studying under Dr. Lin He. Following that, she continued her graduate studies in performance at Pennsylvania State University, working with Prof. James Lyon. She completed her Doctorate in Musical Arts in 2021 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying under Nelson Lee and the Jupiter String Quartet.

She has performed in several music festivals, including the David Kim Orchestral Institute, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Castleman Quartet Program, and Festival Nas Montanhas.

Photo credit:

08/27/2026

Something for everyone!

August 26, 2026 Millikin University's Kirkland Fine Arts Center and College of Fine Arts have announced a 2026...

08/26/2026

Well, that requires a different kind of training...

08/25/2026

As a 100% working board, we rely on our board members' talents and skill sets to carry out our mission.

Yesterday, SOGD board member and professional photographer took promotional photos of MDSO’s new conductor, Matthew Sheppard. You’ll soon see these photos in our newsletter, “Overture,” and on social media pages, our website, and other materials.

Thanks, Ashley for your time and talent!

Visit this link if you'd like to check out some of Ashley's work: https://www.ashlaurenphoto.com/

08/24/2026

"What has surprised me, looking back to 1976 (when I started writing for a tiny magazine that sadly went out of business this year) is how much of the classical music landscape has survived, despite the economic pressures that you don’t need reminding about."

Richard Morrison describes the seismic changes to the classical music world in the 50 years that he has been a critic