By Dee Longfellow
“Everyone has been so open and welcoming,” Hughes told the Independent in an exclusive interview. “I love the community.”
Hughes has already been around long enough to see the ESO kick off its current season with Howard Levy, a famous harmonica player and composer of the inaugural concerto for harmonica and symphony, who performed on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Another musical event is coming up this Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. when pianist Adam Neiman will perform an all-Brahms program with the ESO at the Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. The concert is a tribute to former ESO Music Director and Chicago Symphony Principal Horn Dale Clevenger, who passed away this past January. As usual, a pre-concert lecture will take place at 2:45 p.m. led by Dr. Ted Hatmaker.
More about Gregory Hughes
With the Kentucky Derby is his blood, Hughes shared that he is from Fort Mitchell, Ky., which happens to actually be a suburb of Cincinnati! It was Fort Mitchell where he attended school and began playing the clarinet in the fifth grade.
“Fort Mitchell had a small, but a very good public school,” he said. “For a small school, it really had a good music program where I got my start.”
After playing clarinet for a while, a high school student approached him and asked Hughes if he wanted to play a “cool” instrument that was “rare.” That student was talking about the bassoon, which Hughes began to play until it became his primary instrument. It led to a scholarship to attend the Wheaton Conservatory, where he studied music history and conducting from 2004-08, while advancing on the bassoon. He later graduated from Wheaton College.
Hughes began to look into arts administration as a career, and learned about fundraising through telemarketing, which led to a position with the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, where he managed the call center. He was very successful in this role which led to several promotions.
Not his first endeavor
In March of 2013, Hughes helped found (and fund) the Lakeview Orchestra, and took the initiative to get it established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It now has offices and performs at the Athenaeum Center at 2936 N. Southport in Chicago, and Hughes is its conductor and artistic director. Lakeview prides itself as a “real” community orchestra which offers a home to professionally trained musicians who enjoy performing a variety of diverse works. (To learn more, visit lakevieworchestra.org. There is a holiday concert on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 2-4 p.m.)
In 2016, the orchestra received an unprecedented three awards in a single year from the Illinois Council of Orchestras (ICO), including the prestigious Orchestra of the Year award.
This past March, the ICO honored the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra with the Community Orchestra of the Year award. In addition, the ESO’s music director Stephen Alltop was named Conductor of the Year of a Professional Orchestra for his work with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, which was awarded Guild of the Year.
Settling in
Asked how he’s liking the job and the community of Elmhurst, Hughes had only good things to say. First of all, he couldn’t say enough about working with Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, where the ESO performs.
“That is a wonderful place, their staff is so nice, they’re so easy to work with,” Hughes said. “We are so lucky to have an office there. If they’re busy, like at Easter or something, we understand, we stay out of their way, we’re just so grateful to have a good relationship there, we really value that. If I could stress anything, it’s how much we appreciate the ECRC.”
Hughes doesn’t have any immediate goals for the future, noting the office is functioning quite well. He only hopes to keep tickets as easy as possible to obtain so as many people as possible can attend.
“We want to make it easy, on the phone or at the web site,” he said. “My only goal is for people to come out and have a good time, and to be moved by some incredible music.”
While at home
Hughes lives in Chicago with his husband Walker and their German Shepherd, Jackson. He likes to cook and loves creating craft cocktails with all the accoutrements that go along to make them extra-special. He enjoys trying different restaurants, which makes Elmhurst a pretty good place to be.
Tickets still available
Tickets for Sunday’s concert are still available and are $35 for general admission, $32 for seniors and $12 for students and are available for purchase at elmhurstsymphony.org/event/neiman-plays-brahms or by calling (630) 941-0202.
