Volunteer Q&A: Mia Martich

What inspires your love of music?

My love of music comes from my parents. My father discovered his passion for classical music as a WWII refugee in a detention camp outside of Naples when British officers invited him to an orchestra concert. As a result, classical music often played in our home. My father gave me my first collection of classical music albums and encouraged me to start collecting classical music; favorite composers led to other composers and to newfound musical pieces. In high school, my mother introduced me to opera when I was sick at home with the flu, suggesting I listen to their recording of Aida, featuring the exquisite soprano Leontyne Price. Years later, I was thrilled to escort my parents to Maestro Muti’s recent revelatory rendering of this magnificent opera. They are the inspiration for my lifelong love of music.

What drew you to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra?

After graduate school, I headed to New York to start my career. Lincoln Center beckoned with subscriptions to the New York Philharmonic, the Met Opera and the New York City Opera. I frequented Carnegie Hall whenever a world-class orchestra was in town. During this time, I was privileged to hear every great orchestra, conductor and opera singer multiple times. Inevitably, who’s the best entered into discussions. In terms of orchestras — civic pride thumping — few would challenge that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was unquestionably our nation’s greatest orchestra, including being one of the best in the world. Today, after so many awe-inspiring CSO concerts, I humbly believe that Maestro Muti has directed the CSO to an even higher plateau: this is the greatest orchestra in the world, and it is right in our own backyard. Every time we hear the CSO perform, we may be hearing the very best performance of that musical piece on the planet. That’s a big draw, I think.

Why did you decide to join the Women’s Board?

I joined the Women’s Board to give back to this orchestra that gives me so much joy. I am thrilled to be part of this group of vibrant, enthusiastic and civic-minded women. I join organizations not only to help but to learn. I have learned so much from these women, including how much the CSO does for the city of Chicago, a big part of why they (and now I) are also engaged. The CSO, through its Negaunee Music Institute, works with children in inner-city schools, visits incarcerated youth and even attempts to bring solace to parents who have lost children through gun violence through the Notes for Peace program. I encourage everyone to view the Purpose Over Pain video on the CSO’s website. You will be moved.

Do you have a favorite concert or other memory of the CSO?

I have so many incredible CSO memories — including three generations of us attending concerts as a pack! However, one memory is stand-out: taking my parents to our first Symphony Ball concert. When my father stepped onto the red carpet — which none of us had expected — I was suddenly overwhelmed by his life journey, from his first orchestral concert as a refugee who had lost everything to this moment at a celebratory CSO concert. In that instant, all of my father’s many ‘American Dream’ accomplishments were book-ended by two utterly different concert experiences, reflecting how far he had come in his life. I will always be grateful to the CSO for this moving and special memory.

How have you kept music part of your life over the past year?

Thank goodness for CSOtv! I think I have purchased every concert; each has been a delight — a much-needed connection to the orchestra that allowed us to get to know a number of its virtuoso members. Hearing them speak about the music they were about to play enhanced each performance. As always, I got to discover new music — I am now enjoying Brahms’ and Dvořák’s string quartets and quintets. Thank you!

What are you most looking forward to when the CSO returns to live concerts?

I think, like so many of us, it’s simply seeing the entire CSO on the stage with Maestro Muti at the helm. I miss the excitement and energy of Orchestra Hall and the audience’s anticipation in the moments before Maestro Muti steps onto the stage. Sharing one’s appreciation for the CSO with an equally appreciative audience creates such a wonderful sense of community. I think our Chicagoland CSO audiences are the best there is — whether it’s in Orchestra Hall, Wheaton College, Millennium Park, Ravinia or even the Morton Arboretum. The overwhelming responses to every concert are a testament to Chicagoland’s appreciation of the CSO.

Why do you believe it’s important for volunteers, donors and patrons to support the CSO?

As a regular concertgoer, I realized that I wanted to do more to recognize what the CSO means to me, my family and to Chicago. Organizations that rise to world-class status do not do so without a strong network of support. When each of us shows their commitment to the CSO in some way, we enable one of Chicago’s crown jewels to continue to flourish for all to enjoy, especially future generations. My support for this magnificent orchestra greatly changed how I experience the CSO. I now feel such contentment every time I am at Orchestra Hall or listening to a concert: I have joined the broad support framework that sustains the CSO’s great work and the continual joy it brings through its extraordinary music-making.