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*denotes head of division
Cello
A native of Mexico city, Maruca Helguera-Bednarek began her studies at the National Conservatory in Mexico City with Guillermo Helguera, principal cellist of the Orquesta Sínfonica de México and former cellist of the Dallas Symphony. Mrs. Bednarek later came to the U.S to study first at Southern Methodist University with Lev Aronson, former principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony, and later at Northern Illinois University with Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet. Mrs. Bednarek has a B.F.A. degree in cello performance from Northern Illinois University.
She has performed with many orchestras in the Chicago metropolitan area including the Lake Forest Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Illinois Chamber Symphony and Light Opera Works. She was also a member of the Cassatt Piano Trio for two years.
Mrs. Bednarek has been teaching privately for over 15 years and has also taught at many schools in the northwest suburbs, including Prospect High School for 6 years and the Betty Haag Academy for Performing Arts for 4 years and currently teaches at Deerfield High School where she has been teaching for the last 3 years.
Maruca Bednarek is married to cellist David Bednarek and they have an 11 year old daughter.
Drums
Matt Hart graduated from Illinois State University in May of 2006. He earned a bachelors degree in Music and has been teaching at Metropolis since February of 2007. Aside from teaching, Matt is also an active performer. He plays drums and percussion for theatre productions and various artists in the Chicago Area. Matt has been involved with the stage reading of Another Tomorrow at Metropolis, the LZP production of 110 in the Shade, The Backstage Theater Company production of Zombies From the Beyond, the Harper College Wind Symphony, and his rock band The Factory to name a few. Matt is very excited to be working with the Metropolis School of Performing Arts.
Flute
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lesley Swanson began her musical studies at age 11. Early on, she began performing with the West Michigan Flute Association and appeared as a soloist with the ensemble at age 15. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Grand Valley State University as a student of Judith Kemph (flute/piccolo of the Grand Rapids Symphony) and had the honor of being a two-time winner of the annual GVSU Concerto Competition. Lesley went on to study with world-renowned flutist Donald Peck (principal flute emeritus of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, receiving her Master of Music degree. Lesley has attended many master classes throughout the United States and Canada and has had the opportunity to work with such flutists as Denis Bluteau, Michel Debost, Jennifer Gunn, Susan Hoeppner, Walfrid Kujala, Amy Porter and Nan Raphael.
Lesley is both an active performer and teacher. She currently plays for musical productions at the Devonshire Cultural Center in Skokie, IL. Lesley plays in various chamber groups for both private and public performances, is a member of the Chicago Composers Orchestra and serves as substitute flute/piccolo for the Grand Rapids Symphony. Lesley has been teaching privately for 11 years and loves working with a wide age range of students. In addition to teaching flute, Lesley also serves as Music Administrator for the Metropolis School of Performing Arts.
Guitar
Paul Henry* has received much acclaim for his performances across the United States and Europe. He received high praise from Guitar International Magazine following his first Carnegie Recital Hall performance. He was recently featured in Guitar One Magazine as one of the top 10 guitarists in the United States. His numerous compact disc recordings have received outstanding reviews. His performance scores and his new method book for classical guitar are published internationally by the Hal Leonard Corporation. Paul is currently on the faculty at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University and Concordia University in River Forest. He conducts master classes at many colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Robbie Kellogg holds a Master of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from Roosevelt University and a Bachelor of Music from Moody Bible Institute. He has taught as a freelance guitar instructor for ten years. He teaches classical, rock, blues, jazz and other various pop styles; pick and finger picking technique, along with note reading and improvisation, all this through the lens of classical technique and music theory. He has played electric and acoustic guitar in rock, jazz and hip-hop bands. He performed Conrad Susa’s “Carols and Lullabies” with the Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale, and has also performed in Mexico City and China. He plays bass, drums, mandolin, and directs rhythm sections regularly. He also composes and arranges music. Robbie has been a choir director, accompanist, and now leads worship for the Student and Children’s ministries at North Suburban Church in Deerfield. He performs regularly with his wife Lydia who plays flute and piano, and frequently jams with his 3-year old aspiring drummer/son, Theo. Robbie studied classical guitar with Norman Ruiz and Paul Henry; studied guitar and pedagogy with Pamela Kimmel, and had master classes with Denis Azabagic, Sergio Assad, Lorenzo Micheli and David Leisner. He is an adjunct faculty member at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
Brad Conroy is a versatile guitarist who specializes in both classical and electric guitar styles. Brad is an accomplished performer on the classical guitar and has performed throughout the United States in recital, competitions, numerous master-classes, and at festivals where he is also active as an evaluator, adjudicator, and clinician. Brad keeps busy with the electric guitar and plays in a few Chicago-based rock and jazz fusion groups; he frequently plays on recording sessions, and maintains a large studio of students.
Brad finished his B.M. at Northeastern Illinois University (cum laude) with a degree in Classical Guitar Performance and studied with Dr. Brian Torosian. Brad furthered his music studies with a M.M. in Classical Guitar Performance at The Chicago College of Performing Arts, the music conservatory at Roosevelt University where he studied with world renowned guitarists Denis Azabagic and Sergio Assad.
Brad Conroy is very active in the Chicago music scene as a solo classical guitarist, rock/fusion guitarist, session player, composer, writer, and he teaches many students. See www.BradConroy.com for more info.
Brian Riggs began his guitar studies with classical guitarist Norman Ruiz and has studied with some of the world’s finest classical guitarists. He received his Bachelor of Music in guitar performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University in 2007, where his principal teacher was Paul Henry. Brian has performed in master classes with many great guitarists, including Denis Azabagic, Leo Brouwer, and Christopher Parkening. While a member of the Moody Men’s Collegiate Choir, Brian performed as a guitar soloist in churches in many states as well as in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the summers of 2003 and 2005, Brian was a master class participant in the Cordoba Guitar Festival in Cordoba, Spain. He has been teaching at Metropolis since 2009 and enjoys teaching both private lessons and group classes, where students are introduced to the fundamentals of guitar playing. In addition to teaching, he is active as a performer, playing solo and in ensemble with a variety of musicians.
Piano
Elif Allenfort* earned an early admission to the Hacettepe University State Conservatory in Ankara, Turkey where she graduated at the top in both piano and in the conservatory. Elif then won a full scholarship to the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Musical College to study under Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and later was admitted to Roosevelt University Musical College where she completed her Master’s program with honors and her post-graduate degree. Elif has continued to develop her performance career through a regular schedule of recitals, orchestral appearances, special engagements and collaborative efforts with many professional musicians. Elif taught at the Betty Haag Academy of Roosevelt University for 5 years. Currently, in addition to her private studio, she is also the pianist for the Lake Shore Unitarian Society in Winnetka, Illinois.
Bryan Shilander, has performed widely as a pianist throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Korea, with recitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Mexico City, Seoul and Pusan, Korea. In addition to recital and concerto engagements he is sought after as an accompanist and chamber musician. He performed a concert series in three cities in Taiwan with the Sinorica Piano Trio in 1989. In 1985, 1992, 1995, and 2003 he performed in Korea in engagements including solo recitals, concerto appearances with the Pusan Symphony Orchestra, and recitals with violinist Hae Young Chung and soprano Seungwon Lee. He was the pianist and organist for the Chicago Boy Choir’s 2004 tour of England.
Mr. Shilander teaches piano at the Metropolis School of Performing Arts, Arlington Heights, Illinois, and is the music director at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chicago. From 1985–2005 he was a piano instructor and Associate Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Bryan Shilander studied piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a preparatory student with Betty Zimmer, and at the Sherwood Music School, Chicago, with Leo Podolsky, where he received the B.M. and M.M. degrees.
Sevgi Giles has appeared in venues throughout America and Europe as a recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral pianist. In a repertoire that ranges from Bach to Boulez, her playing has been acclaimed for its emotional projection and intellectual rigor.
In 2001 Sevgi was awarded the prize for best performance of a French Suite at the International Bach Competition in Saarbrucken, Germany. Having played most of the major works of Bach, she feels a special affinity for the Baroque master. Sevgi received a Bachelors degree from the Ankara Conservatory in her native Turkey. As a student she captured all of the top performance awards and concertized extensively throughout the country. She has done graduate work at the University of North Texas and received the Master of Music from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
In 2005 Sevgi made her Chicago debut on the Dame Myra Hess Series, broadcast live on WFMT. She also has appeared on the Pianoforte Piano Series in Chicago, at the American Liszt Society Conference in Atlanta, and at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City. As a member of the renowned North Texas Wind Symphony, Sevgi recorded four compact discs with that ensemble and also appeared as soloist with them in several premieres by contemporary composers. During the summers she has performed at festivals such as Crested Butte (Colorado), the Eastern Music Festival (North Carolina), and the Adamant Music Festival (Vermont) where she studied with pianist Menahem Pressler. She was also accepted into the prestigious Pressler studio at Indiana University’s School of Music.
Sevgi is a devoted teacher and sought-after pedagogue in the Chicago area. In addition to her private studio she is on the faculties of Roosevelt University, the Metropolis Performing Arts School, and the Music Institute of Chicago.
Violin/Viola
A native Chicagoan, Aimee Biasiello began her musical studies on violin when she was five years old. She later switched her focus to the viola, studying with Desiree Rushtrat at the Music Institute of Chicago. Aimee holds a BM from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Lynne Ramsey and Jeffrey Irvine, and a M.M. from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, as a student of Roger Chase. Aimee is a founding member of Chicago Q Ensemble, a non-profit string quartet who provide unique classical music experiences through performance and educational outreach around Chicago. As a chamber musician, Aimee has had the privilege of working with Peter Salaff of the Cleveland Quartet, Mark Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet, Deborah Sobol of the Chicago Chamber Musicians, the Cavani String Quartet, and Mimi Zweig, at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in Notre Dame, Indiana. Aimee has performed works from the quartet repertoire at festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Utah Music Festival, ENCORE! School for strings, and Casalmaggiore International Music festival in Italy. As a performer, Aimee has appeared at the Cleveland Orchestra’s Severance Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Orchestra Hall, and Ravinia. Since moving back to Chicago in 2008, Aimee has performed with the Millennium Chamber Players, Aperiodic Experimental Music Series, The Ravenswood Concert Series, Chicago Composers Orchestra, Camerata Chicago, and the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. Aimee teaches both Traditional and Suzuki violin and viola at Metropolis School of Performing Arts, in addition to holding private teaching studios at Stevenson High School, and the Music Institute of Chicago.
Violin
Vasile Ardeleanu began his musical training at the age of six in Romania where he attended a full-time specialized music school for 12 years. Vasilereceived his Masters degree in Orchestral Performance and his Bachelors degree in Violin Performance, graduating with honors from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. While there, he studied with concert violinist Cyrus Forough, former principal second violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Joseph Golan and former principal second violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra Stefan Hersh. He has played with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago while in college, as well as with The Roosevelt University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra in addition to various amateur orchestras throughout the city.
Vasile teaches violin at the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where he has been on faculty since 2005. He provides one-on-one instruction to students at a variety of levels. In his spare time, Vasile also plays in a Romanian folk orchestra.
Voice
Tiffany Gates, Soprano, is from Cleveland, Ohio. Having performed consistently since age seven, Tiffany received a talent scholarship to attend The Cleveland Music School Settlement, earning a Certificate in Classical Vocal Performance. At the Settlement, she worked with Cleveland composer Michael Leese, who wrote an original song for Tiffany, which she performed for the Cleveland Composers Guild. She was also a member of the Blossom Festival Chorus, which sings with the Cleveland Orchestra. Tiffany continued her vocal studies at Ohio Northern University, where she received many scholarships, and earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance in 2002. At the University, she was a member and Assistant Conductor of The University Singers national touring chorus. Tiffany was a frequent soloist with the group, singing Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F, to name a few. As the Assistant Conductor, Tiffany was seen leading the choir on national television during The Hour of Power with Dr. Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral in Los Angeles. Tiffany was also the founder/director of the Ohio Northern University Women’s Chorus, as well as a performer and choreographer for The Northernaires, a touring vocal jazz quartet. While in attendance at the University, she performed in four dance showcases and fifteen musicals/operas, with nine lead roles.
After moving to Chicago in 2004, Tiffany became a registered Music Together instructor. She now teaches this nationally recognized early childhood music program in two Chicago locations. Tiffany is also a professional musical theatre actress in Chicago. She has been seen as Belle in Metropolis’ A Christmas Carol and most recently starred at New York City’s Lincoln Center in a staged reading of a rock musical called Another Tomorrow. In 2007, Tiffany was chosen for The Circle in the Square Theatre School’s Summer Intensive Workshop in Manhattan, where classes where held in The Circle in the Square Theatre, the only accredited acting school on Broadway.
Equally at home with classical, musical theatre and pop repertoire, Elizabeth Gray’s career highlights include her Kennedy Center debut in Schumann’s Spanisches Liederspiel, the world premiere of James P. Johnson’s jazz opera The Dreamy Kid, and collaborating with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Pierrot Ensemble for a sold out performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. A seasoned concert artist, Elizabeth has delighted audiences in Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, D.C. and Rome, with works such as Bruckner’s Te Deum, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s
Requiem and Vesperae Solennes, Saint-Säens’ Christmas Oratorio, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and Verdi's Requiem.
Elizabeth has been seen in recital at the Art Institute of Chicago's Fullerton Hall in a program featuring the music of Copland and Ives as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Preview Series. Other notable engagements include a recital program with Maestro Riccardo Muti at the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville, and collaborative work with cellist Yo-Yo Ma focusing on at-risk and incarcerated youth; Janáček's Glagolitic Mass (cover) with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Aunt Em in The Wizard of Oz with Emerald City Theatre and Peggy in Meet John Doe with Porchlight Music Theatre. Ayah in The Secret Garden with Stages St. Louis, Landlady in Violet with Bailiwick Chicago and as guest artist with The University of Findlay Symphony as Lalume in Kismet.
A passionate educator, Elizabeth is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after vocal instructors and coaches for young voices in the Chicagoland area. Working with all ages and types, she has developed a niche working with young people in musical theater and contemporary music. Her students have gone on to study at prestigious programs such as Interlochen Arts Academy, The University of Michigan and Cincinnati Conservatory, as well as enter the world of commercial music as recording artists and song writers. You will see some of Elizabeth's students signed to reputable agencies in Chicago, including Stewart Talent and Encore Talent.It is her goal to help develop the individual's voice by providing solid technical foundation and musicianship training. Elizabeth is known for her attentive, encouraging and fun yet demanding teaching style. What excites her most is the "breakthrough" or "light-bulb" moments that happen in the studio.
A native of Detroit, Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Music degree from Wayne State University and her Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Jolilorlyn Quitain-Wenghofer (Jing) completed her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music in Manila, Philippines in 2003. During her time there she appeared with several orchestras including the UST Symphony Orchestra, the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Jing was also a member of Vocal Ensemble Philippines, a 6-member vocal group which performs all over the country. Upon her graduation she accepted a teaching position at UST and the Colegio San Agustin in Makati.
In 2005, Jing came to the US to obtain her Master of Music degree at Winthrop University in South Carolina and graduated in 2007. At Winthrop, she performed with the university’s Chorale and performed in the opera Dido and Aeneas and Gianni Schicchi. Currently, Jing is about to complete her Doctorate degree in Vocal Performance at the University of South Carolina. At USC, she performed in the musical The Light in the Piazza as well as the opera Riders to the Sea. Her recent performances as a soloist include Mozart Mass in F, Schubert's Mass in G and Faure's Requiem.
Jing has been teaching voice and piano lessons for over twelve years and is enjoying every minute with her students. She also serves as the Music Director for Addolorata Villa in Wheeling, IL.
Jing is married to Kevin Wenghofer and just had their first baby, Isabelle, in May 2011.
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contactus
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Sun: open 1 hour before showtime (closed if no show)
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Address
111 W. Campbell St.
Arlington Heights, Il 60005
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