ESTABLISHED DECEMBER 26, 1916

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Waukegan Park District | Fine Arts Bios

 

• Music
• Dance
• Theatre
• Art

 

Music

Anthony Porter – Cello
Wm. Anthony Porter began his cello studies at the former Lake County Music Center, now the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, when he was eight years old. Porter received his Bachelor’s of Music Education from Illinois State University in Bloomington, IL. Mr. Porter is currently a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta, principal cellist of the Harper Symphony Orchestra and is on the faculty at William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. He also performs with the Lake Forest, Kenosha, Fox Valley and Evanston Symphonies, the Symphonic Pops Orchestra of Chicago and the Navy Pier Pops Orchestra. Mr. Porter was a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, as well as the Peoria, Decatur, Bloomington-Normal, and Galesburg Symphony, and the Zion Chamber Orchestra.

In addition to the teaching cello at Jack Benny Center, Mr. Porter also teaches at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Harper College in Palatine, and the Music Arts School in Highland Park. Additionally, he has a private studio in Park Ridge. Mr. Porter was a soloist with the Harper Symphony. He has also appeared with the Zion Chamber Orchestra as a featured soloist. Mr. Porter is very active at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp located in Western Michigan. He is the conductor of the International Youth Symphony Orchestra, which has toured Europe annually since 1966.

Richard Schwinn – Piano
Richard Schwinn obtained his Masters degree in Music Theory and Performance from the American Conservatory, and has been teaching piano for over 30 years. Schwinn began teaching for the Music Center of Lake County, which became the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. Many of Schwinn’s students have competed in the annual National Guild Auditions.

Annette McClellan – Violin, Viola, String Ensemble
Annette McClellan received her Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin. Mrs. McClellan taught violin for twenty-five years in her private studio and has taught 10 years in the public schools. Mrs. McClellan has experience with pre-school age through high school age students as well as adults. Her student chamber groups have performed at numerous public events.

Bart Medlicott – Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass
Bart Medlicott received his Bachelor’s of Music Education from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Upon graduation, he moved to Houston, TX, where he taught string at the Bruce Music Academy of the Houston Independent Schools. Bart also taught early childhood and music classes at the Banff Private School. After ten years in Texas, he returned to Indianapolis and was hired to build an orchestra program for the Center Grove Community Schools. Mr. Medlicott now lives and teaches in Waukegan. He is the Director of Orchestras at Waukegan High School, where he also directs the AVANTI! Strings. In addition, he teaches privately at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts.

Jack Dudley – Cello and Bass
A graduate of the University of Illinois, Dudley received his Masters of Science in Music Education. Additional graduate studies include Louisiana State University, Governor’s State University, Northern Illinois University, and Vandercook College of Music. Mr. Dudley has taught strings in Louisiana, Indiana, and Illinois. Dudley currently teaches in the Public Schools of Antioch, IL. Jack has been a part of the Jack Benny Center faculty since 1993.

Kate Dudley – Violin and Viola
Kate Dudley received her Masters in Music Education from the University of Illinois. Mrs. Dudley has been at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts since 1993 and has taught privately since 1981. She currently teaches strings/orchestra for the Waukegan Public Schools at Cooke Magnet School and Robert Abbott Middle School. Prior to that time, Mrs. Dudley taught at Herscher, Illinois for seven years and Marion, Indiana for two years. Kate is a former member of the Kenosha Symphony and continues to play with the Waukegan Symphony when conditions permit. Mrs. Dudley has played with a number of other orchestras over the years and performs in a string quartet, which plays for weddings and other events.

Vijay Joshi – Piano & Saxophone
Vijay Joshi completed his Bachelor of Arts in Audio Arts and Acoustics degree from Columbia College Chicago, Illinois. Before attending Columbia College, Joshi attended the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign, where he played first chair tenor saxophone in the top jazz and symphonic bands. Joshi formerly studied piano in his youth at Jack Benny Center with Mrs. Mulligan.

Doug Blake – Guitar
A Chicago based jazz veteran, Doug Blake has worked as a professional guitarist for over 30 years. Blake has played electric guitar in jazz combos, big bands ( Jerry Dittman Orchestra, The Big Band Sound of Deerfield, and the Dick Peterson Orchestra), theatre orchestras (Devonshire Playhouse, St. Sebastian Players, and P.M.L. Theatre), wedding bands, blues, soul, country, rock ‘n’ roll bands, and performed instrumental solos since 1973. He has been a music counselor at Tamarak, Decoma, and Ridgeville day camps. Mr. Blake has been giving private lessons for 30 years, including 8 years at Olsen’s Music in Palatine and currently at Great Lakes Music in Mundelein. Finally, Doug has taken his 3 CDs of band BLAKE ‘N’ BLUE to stores coast to coast.

Jane Hager – Flute
A traditional and Suzuki flute instructor, Hager has played in such orchestras as the Northern Illinois Orchestra, the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, and the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra. Hager taught for eleven years at the Zion Conservatory and developed the first Zion Conservatory of Music Woodwinds Curriculum. Hager has been teaching at Jack Benny Center since 2001.

Josephine Huber - Voice
Mrs. Huber has been a voice instructor since 1981 and has taught in various places including Jack Benny Center for the Arts, the Zion Conservatory of Music, Zion-Benton Township High School, and in her own home. She has also taught pre-school music classes including Kindermusik and beginner piano, as well as serving as choir director in several area churches in Waukegan and Libertyville. She enjoys coaching high school and college students for vocal competitions and scholarships.

Francisco Lopez – Group Guitar
From 200 – 2003, Mr. Lopez was a member of a local independent band, which played professionally for many different events. From 1995 – 1997, Lopez studied advanced courses in Electric Guitar. During this time, he served in positions of lead guitar, second guitar, composer, vocals, and chorus. From 1992 – 1995, Lopez was part of the band “Rondalla,” playing lead guitar.

Jeff Delay – Piano and Voice
Jeffrey DeLay holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance at North Park University. Jeff is Youth and Choir Director at First Presbyterian Church in Waukegan, where he directs the adult choir and leads the church's youth ministry. He also directs the Chicago Swedish Male Chorus, the Waukegan Swedish Glee Club, and the Waukegan Swedish Women's Chorus. Jeff is Assistant Director-in-Chief of the American Union of Swedish Singers, and he has performed vocal solos during choral tours of Sweden. Jeff also teaches voice at College of Lake County in Grayslake, and occasionally plays keyboard for the Downhome Sophisticates, a local band which performs blues, jazz, adult contemporary, and other styles.

 

Dance

Ryan Hughes
Ryan Hughes studied dance at Columbia College Chicago, IL. Hughes studied styles of Modern, Ballet, African, and Jazz. Hughes has taught dance at the African American Cultural Center in North Chicago, African and Modern at Lindberg Elementary School, and a variety of dance for the Foss Park Community Youth Center. Ryan has also served as a choreographer for dance shows at Highland Park High School.

Jacquelyn Cotey
Cotey came to yoga in 1998 after years of athleticism. After medical tests revealed that Cotey had scoliosis, she decided to take yoga to help improve her condition.
Cotey began yoga studies under Barbara Spietz, a graduate of the Himilayan Institute under Swami Rama. She studied under Barbara for years and developed the foundation for her yoga practice. Jacquelyn received certification under Suddha Weixler through the Chicago Yoga Center Teacher Training Program and is certified to teach yoga with Resist-a-Ball and certified through YogaFit as well. Additionally, Cotey has studied under Cindi Lee, founder of Om Yoga Center in New York. Cotey’s passion for fitness has taken her into the field of yoga for athletes and is currently training with the Chicago Bears.

 

Theatre
Margaret Hughes – Stage One
Margaret has been involved with Waukegan theatre since 1993 when she was got involved with Bowen Theatre's Summer Shows for Young Audiences program, first as an actor and eventually directing, throughout most of the 90's.  She has also been active in the BPTC mainstage productions off and on throughout that time.  In 1998, together with her 'dream team' of local talent she ran the sessions for the park district's first summer drama camp (having already established a similar program for a number of years in Libertyville), the success of which led to the first production of "Kids Play" in the Fall of 1998.  She returned to the program in 2005 after a temporary relocation out of state and has thoroughly enjoyed watching it grow ever since.  In addition to her work with BPTC and WPD, Margaret is also a member of the Executive Board for the Waukegan Community Players. 

Gloria Terry
Gloria Terry is the founder of Soul Live Productions, a non-profit theatre organization located in Lake County IL. Her Journey began over ten years ago when she wrote, directed, and produced her first stage play A Long Way from Home. Most memorable performances include Who’s Jane Peters?, Left Alone, and Silent Waters. Other accomplishments include the establishment of The Actors Workshop, a program designed to teach young adults the art and craft of playwriting. She has also received accreditations from the Waukegan News Sun as Lake County’s most promising playwright. 

Eibhlin Glennon
Eibhlin Glennon recently appeared as Halie in Bowen Park Theatre’s Buried Child and directed Othello in fall of 2006. A professor emeritus at College of Lake County, Eibhlin has taught Theatre, English, and Humanities as well as directing two to three shows a year. Glennon has directed plays by Sam Shepard, Shakespeare, Moliere, Oscar Wilde, Euripides, and George Bernard Shaw. She has performed and directed for Stage Two in Waukegan and served as an Assistant Director for Mike Nussbaum at Northlight Theatre.

 

Art
Don Daniels
Don Daniels is known from Illinois to Florida for his beautiful watercolor landscapes. Daniels studied under Irving Shapiro and received an arts degree from the American Academy in Chicago, IL. Daniels spent many years as a graphic designer and now sells his esteemed watercolor paintings at festivals each year.

Moises Marco Antonio Cruz, Ph.D.
Dr. Cruz received his Master of Arts with a specialty in Fine Arts in the school of Social and Human Studies from Atlantic International University in North Miami, Florida. Cruz then received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Atlantic International University. Cruz has participated in over 100 art exhibits in Mexico and the United States. Cruz has an impressive list of awards for his artwork which most recently includes a First Place Award in 2005 for the “Hispanic Heritage Celebration in America 2005” in Chicago, IL.