HS Board

Randview Highlands Artwork

When Karen Luehr and her 11-year-old daughter, Emma, found themselves locked down in their Randview Highlands home east of Prospect High School in the spring of 2020 because of COVID-19, they quickly began putting hand-drawn photos in their windows and doing chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home – all to entertain the increased number of walkers suddenly parading by each day. Emma was the artist.

“Our neighbors all seemed to love it!  The artwork brought a smile to people’s faces,” Karen said.

The Luehr home artwork even ended up on a neighborhood scavenger hunt!

“Live In The Drive” is a group of full-time professional musicians who came together as a way to continue performing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four of them are long-time Mount Prospect residents. 

“We have been providing our community with a diverse array of music and a safe concert environment,” explained Lisa Fako, violinist. “We gave a total of nine outdoor concerts during the summer of 2020, seven in Mount Prospect and one each in Elmhurst and Beecher.”

Besides Fako, the group includes: Amy Barwan, oboe and English horn; Laura Fako Utley, harp; Jocelyn Davis-Beck, cello; Peter Brusen, bassoon and saxophones; former District 57 School Board member Joe Sonnefeldt, percussion, and Phil Orem, our composer/arranger/conductor. 

“We are all classically trained musicians and longtime colleagues who have worked together throughout our careers. Between us we have played in orchestras for countless Broadway shows, The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. We have performed with artists from Luciano Pavarotti to Bernadette Peters to Frank Sinatra to The Who.”

“Live In The Drive” began in June of 2020 when the Fako sisters decided to play an impromptu concert in front of Lisa‘s home on South Wille Street. Their intention was to create a way to continue to perform, to bring people together, and to remind them that the arts and especially live music, are essential in our lives, they said.

Neighborhood children became a big part of the concerts. They went door-to-door to pass out invitations and handed out programs at the concerts. Also, a group of little girls from the block danced on the grass at every concert. 

“We did not ask for payment nor did we have a tip jar, although one of our concerts was sponsored by the Chicago Federation of Musicians M-HART program (Music- Helping All Recover Together), and we received generous donations to that fund. Eventually we set up a PayPal account and are using those funds to create a professionally-produced video which we will share on our social media very soon,” Fako stated. 

“The most rewarding result of our concerts was the powerful effect it had on our community. Our neighbors were so grateful to gather together on a beautiful afternoon or evening to hear music and to socialize safely. It was really magical and unexpected during this time of COVID-19 isolation,” she continued.

“Although this is a very difficult time for professional musicians, we feel fortunate to have had such a rare opportunity to make personal connections with our audience members. It has been incredibly moving to hear about the joy we have brought to people’s lives, especially during this time when we are all separated. These shared experiences have truly reminded us of how important our work is in bringing people together.”

“As musicians, we spend years working on our art and sometimes overlook what it’s truly all about,” the “Live in the Drive” artists said in a joint statement. “When we give live, outdoor performances in our yards to our friends, neighbors and family, it is clear… It is about community. Music brings people together, but the audience is the most important part of this community. We are so grateful to our Mount Prospect neighbors for supporting our love of music and for coming together to create this wonderful experience for us all.”