Sophomore Louis Auxenfans and his brother Henry, Lab eighth-grader, have recorded eight pieces that will be featured on WFMT at 11 a.m. Feb. 13, including Georg Friedrich Fuchs “Violin & Clarinet Duo in B-Flat, Op. 14 No. 1” as a tribute to Christopher Freeman, a middle school math teacher who died last year.
Henry and Louis dedicated the violin-and-clarinet duo to Mr. Freeman because they believe it embodies his cheerful personality. As he was their teacher and their coach for MATHCOUNTS, a math competition, they experienced Mr. Freeman’s supportive and encouraging personality firsthand.
“It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from, he just wanted to get to know everyone as closely as he could and to support them as much as he could,” Louis said.
The brothers found out about the opportunity through the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and decided to apply.
In the program, Henry plays the violin and Louis plays the clarinet and piano. Henry has played the violin since he was 4 1/2 years old.
“I really like playing the violin because it motivates me and challenges me and gives me goals to work toward,” Henry said.
Louis has been playing the piano since kindergarten and the clarinet since fifth grade. He has continued due to the joy and community that music brings him.
“You can spread it to lots of people, it’s not just about yourself but you bring it to people and you let your practice mean something to people,” Louis said.
Louis hopes that by listening to the pieces, individuals can experience this joy as well as Mr. Freeman’s cheerful personality.
He said, “Having this opportunity to share our music with people and to honor all of these teachers and all of these people who have helped and guided us, not only through this time but in many years, has been a great experience.”