Eran Egozy ’89 on Making the BYSO Youth Center for Music a Reality

“I want to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to this project—to be able to say, 'I helped make that happen.'” – Eran Egozy ‘89

Over a decade ago, the idea of the BYSO Youth Center for Music sparked—with the understanding that it was going to be a ton of work. As an alumnus, musician, and co-founder of Harmonix (the video game development studio behind Guitar Hero and Rock Band), Eran Egozy ’89 was used to diving into the new and unknown. Now, as the Chair of the campaign to create the BYSO Youth Center for Music, he has played an integral role in turning what was once a vision into a reality for BYSO’s students.

Eran recognizes a common thread throughout his own path and that of BYSO’s leadership and students: the most rewarding results come from a long-term vision. Like many students, BYSO opened up Eran’s musical landscape to a whole new world of seriousness and rigor. Working up to a high musical standard, playing alongside world-caliber musicians, and being immersed in a supportive environment, he left BYSO confident and self-assured. “Music became a big part of my life, and without that experience, I don’t think I would have seen myself as someone who could engineer music,” Eran reflects.

What seemed like an overnight success with Guitar Hero was the result of 10 years of hard work and failed attempts. “I wanted everyone in the world to experience the joy of making music, and finally one day we figured out how to do that,” Eran recalls. Success isn’t about getting lucky one day, but rather about how prepared you are when luck finally shows up.

Similarly, after years of determination to actualize an ambitious vision, our students have a space of their own. Eran describes the keys to the BYSO Youth Center for Music as “a physical manifestation of everything we’ve been working for. We can finally open the door to let our students and community in”.

While rejoicing in this monumental accomplishment for BYSO’s future, Eran also recognizes this is only the beginning. After the space is renovated and made more accessible, we will embark on the second critical phase of the project that builds additional practice and rehearsal spaces, allowing more of our programs to call the building home.

With 65 years worth of alumni who have received something rewarding or even life-changing from creating music in BYSO, Eran recognizes the importance of alumni involvement as we begin the next phase of this project. “I want to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to this project—to be able to say, I helped make that happen,” he describes.

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Are you, or someone you know, a BYSO alum with an interesting story or life update to share? Contact Jeanne Bedard, Development Associate, at jbedard1@bu.edu or (617) 358-6119