May 2015
It’s Election Time!

It’s election time!  The North Shore AGO board is excited about a great slate of candidates we have for you:

Andrea Handley, Dean
Sharon Peterson, Sub-dean
Christine Kraemer, Secretary
Laurie Stivers, Treasurer
Kathy Roderer, Board member , 3-year term
Bev Sheridan, Board member, 3-year term
Robert Woodworth, Board member, 3-year term
Jill Hunt, Board member, 2-year term
Robert Ward, Board member, 2-year term
Philip McPeek, Board member, 1-year term

As you can see, several of these people are currently officers or on the board; some of those are running for different positions this time. That’s good because it will give us some much appreciated continuity.  But in addition, we excited to welcome Robert Woodworth, Kathy Roderer, Bev Sheridan, Robert Ward, and Philip McPeek as new voices to the board.

Thanks to Christine Kraemer, chair of the nominating committee, and committee members Jim Brown and Margaret Kemper for their hard work in procuring these candidates.

Please read their bios below, and please vote by May 31 by following this link: http://northshoreago.org/2015-2016-election/.  When you follow this link you will be asked to login with your username/password for the northshoreago.org site. If you have problems with this, please email webmaster@northshoreago.org.

Thank you for your participation!

 

FOR DEAN: 

Andrea Handley is Organist at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette, IL.   She has served as Director of Music and Organist at First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, Organist at Winnetka Presbyterian Church, and Organist at Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler, TX.  She received her undergraduate degree in piano from the Indiana University School of Music, and Master of Music degree in Organ from the American Conservatory of Music, and holds the Associate Certificate from the American Guild of Organists.  She has served as board member and sub-dean for the Chicago chapter, as board member for the North Shore AGO chapter, and is completing a 2-year term as dean of the North Shore chapter.  Andrea has played recitals throughout the Chicago area, including Fourth Presbyterian Church, Elliott Chapel, College Church of Wheaton, Holy Name Cathedral and the Chicago Temple.  Also Musical Director of the Chicago Bronze, a community-based handbell ensemble, she is a published composer of numerous handbell arrangements.  She lives in Evanston with her husband, a Presbyterian pastor.  She has three grown children, one a pastor, one a professional cellist, and one a childcare worker.  And last but not definitely not least, she has an adorable one-year-old grandson!

 

FOR SUB-DEAN:

Pianist for the Chicago Symphony Chorus since auditioning as a college student in 1978, Sharon R. Peterson continues as Rehearsal Pianist for the CSC as well as Accompanist at Northwestern University, North Park University, and North Shore Choral Society. Sharon served as Accompanist for several years for Chicago Symphony Singers and CSC’s ensembles.  She was recently the Score Reader for the filming of Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, performed by the CSO and CSC. During the seven years spent living in Sweden and Norway, Sharon developed a specialty in Scandinavian Piano Repertoire and worked as Staff Accompanist at The Royal Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway.  Studying with Elizabeth Buccheri at North Park College, BM degree, and Robert Weirich at Northwestern University, MM degree, Sharon accompanied the Lyric Opera Chorus for eight seasons, was Music Director of the Lyric’s “Opera In the Neighborhood” touring production of The Magic Flute, and she worked as Ballet Accompanist for LOOC’s 2014 production of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito.” Having served as Staff Accompanist at Roosevelt University, and Accompanist in the studios of soprano Maria Lagios and saxophonist Frederick L. Hemke as well as regularly performing with singers Kathleen and Peter Van De Graaff,  saxophonists, and CSO Principal Trumpet Chris Martin. Since completing many years as Organist at North Park Covenant Church in Chicago, IL, Sharon current serves as Interim Organist at St. James Cathedral in Chicago. She coaches voice privately, specializing in Swedish and Norwegian languages and repertoire, is Organist at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, and serves on the board of the North Shore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

 

FOR SECRETARY:

Christine Kraemer is currently organist and organ curator at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. She holds three degrees from Northwestern University’s School of Music, where she studied organ with Richard Enright and Wolfgang Rubsam and assisted Grigg Fountain at Alice Millar Chapel.  Dr. Kraemer taught Survey of German Organ Literature at NU from 1990-2004.  She was honored to be a featured organ soloist for Bach Week in Evanston at St. Luke’s, beginning in 1975.  Recent performances include a September 2014 recital at St. Luke’s, “Announcing Op. 327,” 501c(3) status for St. Luke’s 1922 E.M. Skinner pipe organ and its acoustical space, and two Chorale Prelude recitals for WFMT’s complete Bach organ works series in October, 2014.  In her spare time, Christine enjoys a drawing class at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston and volunteering with the Museum Education program at the Art Institute of Chicago.  She and her husband Mark live in Wilmette and have two adult daughters, Carolyn and Cheryl.

 

FOR TREASURER:

Laurie Stivers began her organ studies at Augustana College, Rock Island, Il.  She currently is the associate organist at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Evanston.   She has worked for Cardinal Heath and its predecessor organizations (Allegiance, Baxter, American Hospital Supply)  for 29 years in a variety of accounting, operations, and business consulting roles.  Laurie passed the CPA exam in 1986.  Her preparation for the exam as well has her professional work experience has given her much experience in completing account reconciliations.  This translates into being able to balance a checkbook more easily than playing a Bach trio.

 

 

BOARD CANDIDATES:

Jill S. Hunt has been a part of the music ministry staff at First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest since 1995.  She is currently Organist/Director of Handbells and will be retiring at the end of the summer.  Jill grew up in Oklahoma and earned degrees in piano and organ performance from Oklahoma City University. She holds a Master’s degree in organ performance from Northwestern University, studying organ with Karel Paukert and Dr. Richard Enright.  She is a past Dean of the North Shore Chapter of the American Guild of Organist and currently serves as Secretory.  Jill has two sons, Bryan (Rebecca) of Vail, Colorado, and Jason (Beth) of Evanston, Illinois, and three grandchildren, Levi, Katherine, and Stevie.

 

 

Philip McPeek is currently completing a B.M. in Music Theory and B.A. in Religious Studies at Northwestern University. In fall 2015, he will begin an M.M. in Music Theory at Northwestern. Philip received the 2014 Edmund Perry Award for his undergraduate thesis which examined a Passion setting composed shortly after the death of J. S. Bach in Leipzig, Germany. He is the Director of Music at University Lutheran Church in Evanston, Ill., and performs regularly as a percussionist and organist. He studies organ with Margaret Kemper.

 

 

Kathy Roderer recently renewed her interest in the AGO, thanks to the inspiration of some enthusiastic colleagues on the AGO board.  She looks forward to becoming more involved with others who also love her favorite instrument!  Originally from Ohio, Kathy began her organ studies as a child, and then earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from the University of Toledo. She subsequently studied organ with Grigg Fountain at Northwestern University, earning a Master of Music degree in 1978.  She has played from time to time, over the years, in Catholic churches in Evanston and Wilmette. Kathy returned to teaching in 2001 at Sacred Heart Schools, on Sheridan Road in Chicago. She taught third grade for 12 years, completed certification and credentials in reading at National-Louis University, and two years ago became the Reading Specialist for kindergarten through third grades, which she enjoys very much. She currently serves as a substitute organist, mostly in her home church of Immanuel Lutheran in Evanston. Kathy is a mother of four grown daughters, has two adorable grandsons, and lives in Evanston with her husband, Kurt, and two dogs, Darwin and Kaya. For fun, besides playing the organ, she enjoys swimming competitively, knitting, and spending time with the family.

 

 

Bev Sheridan has been a church musician for thirty years in the Chicago area.  For the past 13 years, she has been the organist at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Lake Forest.  Previously, Bev served as music director at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Arlington Heights.  She directed an adult choir, bell choir and served as organist.   She attended Washburn University, Loyola University and Union Theological Seminary.  Bev is married to Don Sheridan, and they have three grown children, seven grandchildren and two Golden Retrievers – Laverne and Shirley.  She’s looking forward to serving on the AGO Board once again!

 

 

Robert Ward is honored to be nominated as a board member of the North Shore Chapter of the AGO.  Born and raised in New Jersey, he entered the undergraduate program at Manhattan School of Music in New York where he studied with Frederick Swann, John Walker, and John Weaver.  After receiving his Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance in 1984, he moved to Illinois to study with Wolfgang Rübsam at Northwestern University and received his Master of Music degree in Church Music from there in 1985.  Since graduating from Northwestern, he has held four different church positions in the Chicagoland area, spanning thirty years.  He is currently the Music Director and Organist at Trinity Episcopal Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and a staff organist at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Old Mill Creek, Illinois.  He lives in Antioch Illinois with his wife, Anna, and two children, Anthony and Kaitlin.

 

 

While pursuing a degree in architectural engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Robert E. Woodworth Jr. studied organ with Paul Pettinga (a student of Marcel Dupre in Paris). Continued study of the organ later was with Gladys Christensen AAGO at Wheaton College. For many years Mr. Woodworth combined musical and architectural careers as organist and choirmaster for Lutheran Churches in Chicago while working with the Department of Public Works and the Department of Aviation for the City of Chicago. Most recently he served as the Chief Architect for the then three airports within the Chicago Airport System. A musical highlight was playing the organ and directing the musical program and liturgy in the presence of His Majesty King Karl XVI Gustave of Sweden for Easter Sunday during the American Bicentennial year. Having served as President of the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society and Dean of the Chicago Chapter of the American Guild of Organists he was most recently President of the ChicAGO 2006 Foundation. Currently Mr. Woodworth is a freelance organist in the Chicago metropolitan area.