Violin Vigil for Elijah McClain

Elijah McClain was a young African American massage therapist and violinist who died last year after an encounter with Aurora, Colorado police. Violin vigils in his honor have sprung up across the country.

On July 11, three of our orchestra members participated in a Chicago Violin Vigil in honor of Elijah McClain in Oz Park, Chicago. Thank you to Bing Jing Yu (violin), Kathleen Brauer (violin) and Mark Brandfonbrener (cello) for lending your talents to a beautiful commemoration in honor of Elijah’s life.

From Bing: “Whenever I look at a picture of Elijah, I see the face of my 14 year-old son. Just like Elijah, he is Black. Just like Elijah, he is tenderhearted. This introverted, quiet, fun-loving boy likes to cook and is teaching his little sister to cook. This boy who play-wrestles with our 16 lb. dog. This observant, loving boy is just surpassing me in height, with the deep voice of a young man. While he will always be my little boy, to the outside world, he is a young, black man. All I had to fight for his rights that day was the sound of my violin.”