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Jane earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and her Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy degree at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where she served as the Music Department Staff Accompanist from 1978 until her retirement in 2011. She continued to work with the NEIU Opera Workshop, directed by Sasha Gerritson, until the Spring of 2022. As pianist for the modern dance company Concert Dance, Inc., Jane has performed in concerts at the Ravinia Festival and at the New Dance Festival in Prague, Czech Republic and has appeared as pianist for the Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater’s Flamenco Passion concerts. Jane has been the accompanist for the Park Ridge Chorale, a community chorus, since 1986, and also enjoys performing with her husband, clarinetist Irwin Heller. A former Bel Canto Competition finalist, Jane has sung with Chicago Opera Theatre, DuPage Opera, and toured with the Lyric Opera of Chicago Center. She is fortunate to have toured twice for the USO, performing on US military bases in Europe, Iceland, Greenland and Canada.

Sandy’s involvement with handbells began in the early 1980’s when PRCC acquired their first set of handbells as a memorial gift. After ringing under the direction of Jerome Butera for several years, she became the director of the various handbell groups.

Andrew and Angie have been singing with the PRCC Chancel Choir since 2000. In addition to being section leaders in the choir they also lead the music at the 8:30 worship service and teach the Sunday School music. Andrew has been teaching Elementary Music in the Melrose Park School District since 1999. Angie is an Adjunct Professor in the Music Department at Northeastern Illinois University. She is also the Music Education Coordinator at the Elmhurst Park District. There she teaches voice, piano, and ukulele. For more info on Angie and Andrew Weber check out their website.

Sarah Hibbard is a masterful musician whose voice has been described as a shimmering soprano with a resounding quality reminiscent of the golden age of singing. The Albuquerque Journal declared her to have “a brilliant sound and thorough-going technique, clearly a star in the making.” In Chicago she was praised for her “charismatic acting technique and her verismo singing.” Performances include, Gilda in Rigoletto with the Haifa Symphony in Israel, Frasquita in Carmen with Denyce Graves at Opera Charleston, Summer of Knoxville with Chicago Sinfonietta and the Verdi Requiem with Evanston Symphony. ​ Sarah’s operatic portrayals of past seasons include Violetta in La Traviata, Nedda in Pagliacci, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Mimi in La Bohème, the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Della in Gift of the Magi. ​ In addition to her performance credentials, Sarah completed her doctorate in performance and teaches at College of Lake County as a music professor.

Theresa Egan, soprano, is an active crossover Teaching Artist in the Chicago area.  She has performed through out the United States and Europe with numerous companies including: Broadway in Chicago Summer Concert, Theo Ubique, Prague Summer Nights, Haymarket Opera, Opera Colorado, Kor Productions, Janus Concert Series, American Chamber Opera, Surging Films and Theatrics, Wilmette Center for the Arts, EDGE of Orion, Devonshire Playhouse, and the Opera Training Institute of Chicago. Some of her favorite roles include Musetta (La Boheme), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd), Marta (1776), Ilona (She Loves Me), Carrie (Carousel) and Adele (Die Fledermaus). In addition to performing, Theresa offers private online and in person voice lessons in a variety of genres to industry professionals, as well as complete beginners. For more information, or to schedule a voice lesson, please visit www.TheresaEganStudios.com. 

Melanie Budreck (she/they), soprano, is a performer and educator in the Chicagoland area. She received her associates degree from Harper College in 2019 and her undergraduate degree in vocal performance from Northeastern Illinois University in the spring of 2023. Her most recent notable performances include Semele in Handel's Semele and the soprano soloist in Rossini's Stabat Mater with the NEIU orchestra. She is the co-director of the after school Drama Club Program at Learn Charter 6 School in North Chicago, as well as a private voice and piano instructor. Outside of her work and musical endeavors, she is a proud Queer advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and is so grateful to be a part of such an open and affirming church! 

Meg Thomas-Cary had the privilege of being born and raised in Park Ridge. An Angeli alumna, she received her bachelors of music in Contemporary, urban, and popular music as a singer songwriter. She traveled to Germany to do her masters degree at the Popakademie in vocal performance in the city of Mannheim. She currently teaches private piano, voice, violin,  and viola around Park Ridge as well as joyfully taking part in the chancel choir at Park Ridge Community church. 

My name is Sam Gallagher and I work as a section leader in the Chancel Choir here at PRCC as well as assist with the Junior and Middle School Choirs. I recently graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and I am currently interested in Arts Administration. I have had the extensive privilege to be able to travel to perform in events like a classical music festival in Orvieto, Italy in the Summer of 2022 and playing in a jazz quintet throughout China in the Spring of 2018. I'm an avid fan of bad tv shows, traveling to new places, baked goods, and cute dogs, so if you want someone to talk to about any of that, feel free to say hi!

Gisella is a Peruvian soprano who moved to Chicago and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Voice

performance from The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and a

Master’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University. Gisella has performed soloist roles for

both University’s opera seasons and collaborated with choir performances. She

attended international programs in Europe like AIMS summer program in Graz, Austria, Orvieto

Musica and Masterclass Ischia in the Island of Ischia. She has also performed as a soloist in

special ceremonies organized by the Consulate General of Peru in Chicago and with local opera

companies like the Third eye theatre ensemble, Transgressive Theatre Opera and as an artist of

the ensemble AdHoc of the New Berry Consort.

Alex received his Bachelor's of Music in Vocal Performance from Northeastern Illinois University. He began as a section leader with the PRCC Chancel Choir in the spring of 2009. He lives in Skokie, IL with his wife and their beloved pets.

Baritone, Lyle Nicholson is a native of Harvey, Illinois and studied music at the American Conservatory of Music under Dr. Dimpna B. Clarin. While in college, he sang with the William Ferris Choral, Chicago Symphony Chorus and Lyric Opera Supplementary Chorus. He then went on to perform several seasons with Chamber Opera Chicago. Also, DuPage Opera Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, South Shore Theatre, Green Bay Symphony, and many other symphonic organizations. In 1994, he joined the touring company of "Showboat" for 4 years, working alongside the likes of Robert Morris, Elain Stritch, Cloris Leachman and Ned Beatty traveling across Canada and the U.S. In 2006 he was accepted in the Lyric Opera Center for the Performing Arts in their education programs singing at Chicago area schools in their "Meet the Artist" and "Opera in the Neighborhoods" programs. Lyle joined Park Ridge Community Church in 2018 and is absolutely grateful for the opportunity to do what he loves best here.

Alex Honzen has appeared as Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof) with Music Theatre Works (formerly Light Opera Works), as well as principal and featured roles in that company’s productions of Yeoman of the Guard, Man of La Mancha, Iolanthe, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and Oklahoma, among others. Other lyric stage credits include DuPage Opera Theatre (Scarpia in Tosca), Chamber Opera Chicago (Man of La Mancha, Pride & Prejudice, The Consul), DaCorneto Opera (Melitone in La Forza del Destino), American Opera Group (Escamillo in La Tragedie de Carmen) and Bowen Park Opera (Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro). He has also appeared as a soloist with orchestras both in the US and abroad in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, the Bach B-minor mass, the Mozart requiem and other works. Non-singing work has included roles with the Around the Coyote Festival, Mammals Theatre Co. and the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC as well as voiceover and television credits.