Joe Lill, Trumpet 

Joe is a versatile trumpeter who performs with jazz groups, orchestras and his dance band, Six of One, often within a period of a few days. He is the Director of Bands at North Park University in Chicago, where he conducts the Concert Band, directs the Jazz Ensemble and teaches trumpet. He holds a B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University, an M.M. from DePaul and a D.M. in Trumpet Performance from Northwestern University, where his primary teacher was Charles Geyer. Joe has been featured as a soloist in both the jazz and classical arenas with numerous Chicagoland ensembles, and is also an active guest conductor and clinician.

Lisa Taylor, Horn

Lisa completed a Bachelor of Music at the New England Conservatory and a Master of Music at the Peabody Conservatory. She spent two summers at the Chautauqua Festival, one summer in Salzburg at the Mozarteum, and a year in the Advanced Music Studies Program at The Banff Centre in Canada. Before becoming an official Midwesterner, she was a member of the Annapolis Symphony and played extra with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She is currently principal horn in the Park Ridge Orchestra and a member of the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Sapphire Woodwind Quintet and the Chicago Horn Quartet. She has also played with many local groups, including the Illinois, Southwest Michigan and Kenosha Symphony Orchestras.   

Molly Kelly, Trombone

Molly has been freelancing in the Chicago area for over ten years. She has worked in a variety of styles, including salsa, samba, chamber and orchestral playing. She is a member of the Millar Brass Ensemble. She has performed with groups including the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony,the Kalamazoo Symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony, the Key West Symphony, and the Elmhurst Symphony. Molly currently has a private teaching studio as well as teaching elementary music. She has formerly been on faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago and Elmhurst College. Molly received her degree from Northwestern University, where she studied with Frank Crisafulli.    

Dana Hofer, Tuba

Dana attended Biola University and California State University in Fresno. He studied with Floyd Cooley of the San Francisco Symphony, and Arnold Jacobs and Gene Porkorny of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Fresno Philharmonic, the Danville Symphony, and the Lake Forest Symphony. Dana was a member of the Lincolnland Brass Quintet of the Air Force Band of the Midwest.   

Theresa Brancaccio 

Ms. Brancaccio has been a frequent soloist with the Grant Park Symphony and has also performed with the St. Louis Bach Society, Colorado Mahler Festival, DuPage Symphony, Chicago Master Singers, New Oratorio Singers, Elgin Symphony, and Sacramento Bach Festival to name a few. Ms. Brancaccio has sung lead opera roles with Central City Opera, Madison Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, DuPage Opera Theater and Light Opera Works. She has won first place prizes from the Union League Civic Arts Foundation, Louis Sudler Oratorio Competition, Chicago Women’s Musical Club, and Italian Cultural Center. Compact disc recordings include The Music of Max Janowski, Song for all Seasons (John Giles), and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, Daniel Hege, conductor. She is the guest vocalist on the Cathedral Brass Chicago CD. More recent performances include Elijah under the direction of John Nelson, as well as Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert's Magnificat and Mass in Eb with Ars Viva.

Ms. Brancaccio is a member of Northwestern University’s voice and opera faculty where she teaches voice and vocal pedagogy. She has given numerous master classes and vocal workshops for organizations including NATS, Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, Midwest Young Artists, Apollo Chorus, Northwestern University’s National High School Institute and the Northwest Choral Society.