Crescendoing melodies ring throughout the Music Building and Recital Hall as violins, trumpets and more play harmoniously every Wednesday in room 2.106. This auditory spectacle of music comes from the Engineering Chamber Orchestra.
Despite the deceptive name, EChO is a student-led organization open to all majors and colleges. It welcomes those with an interest in playing an instrument and who want to reconnect with their musical past without joining a group with an intensive time commitment.
“It’s your typical UT student organization social activities,” junior EChO president Preston Davis said. “Everyone is equally obsessed with classical music and playing music as me, so I feel right at home.”
With varying skill levels, members participate in the full orchestra and also have the option to perform with smaller ensemble groups. In a more traditional setting, the orchestra, which does not require an audition to join, plays classical music selected by a conductor. History junior Audrey Arellano has played violin since fifth grade and found EChO after passing the organization’s table on Speedway during her freshman year.
“I was like, ‘Oh shoot, an organization where I can still play my instrument,’” Arellano said. “I’ve been playing a long time, and I did not want to give it up (after high school).”
The smaller ensemble groups require an audition, and once they make it in, members choose their own music. Past music selections chosen for concerts range from pop songs to video game music.
“We have had people play ‘Old Town Road’ by Little Nas X,” Davis said. “It’s a huge plethora of different kinds (of music).”
In alignment with other student organizations, EChO also participates in service projects. One of their projects consists of elementary students visiting the organization while EChO members teach them about the STEM field. Through hands-on activities, members show the students how to create instruments out of everyday objects, combining STEM and music.
“It shows (the students) they can do a lot of things with engineering, even something fun as making an instrument,” said Sumedh Thopte, civil engineering junior and EChO secretary.
Davis said for the previous semesters of recruiting, EChO has broken membership records since the organization’s founding. This past semester, he had to split members into two orchestras and also add another conductor due to the group’s size.
“In an ideal world, everybody would stay the full two-hour (rehearsal),” Davis said. “But last semester we had 200 people sign up. It is a great problem to have.”
EChO brings students of all majors together to reunite with an interest they have in common while sharpening their musical skills, even if they are not pursuing music as a career.
“(EChO) means a lot to me,” Arellano said. “You see the same faces, and it is a fun place for me to continue doing one of the things I am super passionate about.”
