Creative Team Biographies
Paula Foley Tillen, Composer
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Paula Foley Tillen has been a professional musician in the Milwaukee area since 1980. She has acted as music director for hundreds of metropolitan area theatre companies from the junior high to professional levels, and has been active at Milwaukee ComedySportz since 1985. She has served as lead teacher at Pink Umbrella Theatre, Brookfield Center for the Arts, and First Stage Theatre Academy, and director of music at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Waukesha; in addition, she remains much in demand as a musical director, pianist, vocal coach, and accompanist. From 1998-2013 she was a founding member and composer-in-residence of the only professional women’s vocal ensemble in the Midwest, the Milwaukee Choral Artists. Notable recent theatre credits include musical direction for All In Productions’
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s Zie Magic Flute, and UWM’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Her arrangements and compositions are found in the catalogues of Treble Clef Music Press, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Alliance Music Publications, and Hal Leonard Publishing, as well as online at sheetmusicplus.com and sheetmusicdirect.com. Her music has been performed by community, high school, university, and all-state choirs around the USA and Canada, and have been performed locally by The East Side Chamber Players, Master Singers of Milwaukee, Skylight Music Theatre’s KidsWrites and Song Book, and Kohl’s Wild Theatre at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Paula is a nationally certified teacher of yoga and meditation; you can take her classes at the Wisconsin Athletic Club and Invivo Wellness (Milwaukee). |
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Benjamin Bedroske, Conductor
Bedroske, a 2011 Music Education graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, is the founder and artistic director of Chant Claire. He is currently a director of music and worship and cantor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church & School in Wauwatosa, director of choirs at Martin Luther High School in Greendale, and also director of the Stevan Sijacki Choir of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral.
He has previously served as the Men’s Choir director for Singing in Wisconsin, and performed as a section leader in the Bel Canto Chorus. In 2017, he directed choral rehearsals for the touring Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses at the Riverside Theater, and in 2019 he conducted Carmina Burana at Skylight Music Theatre. Bedroske is an active arranger and composer of choral music. |
Julie Fraleigh, Pianist
Julie Fraleigh serves as the accompanist for Chant Claire and is thrilled to be sharing this work in collaboration with the Milwaukee Opera Theatre. She is a piano performance graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Julie is an experienced liturgical pianist and shares a leadership role in music ministry at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Milwaukee. She has previously accompanied for the Milwaukee Mercy Choir in Rome, Italy, liturgical composer concerts, and Heart of the Nations recorded television ministry. Julie considers it a great privilege to foster the growth of emerging young artists and invests her time in the support of singers and instrumentalists in both academic and community settings. Most notably, Julie collaborates with the Germantown High School choral program on a weekly basis. In her free time, Julie has performed in theatre productions at Waukesha Civic and Lake Country Playhouse community theatres as a pit musician.
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Cast Biographies
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Lydia Rose Eiche, Soprano Soloist
Equally at home in opera, musical theatre, and on the concert stage, Lydia has been praised for her “great warmth, intelligence and power.” She’s sung roles as diverse as Pamina in Zie Magic Flute and Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She has also sung Paula Foley Tillen’s music for Southminster Presbyterian Church. She’s performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, All In Productions, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Sunset Playhouse, Waukesha Civic Theatre, Soulstice Theatre, Haylofters, Boulevard Theatre, Capital City Theatre, Plymouth Chorale, and Fresco Opera Theatre. Lydia studies with Marlee Sabo.
www.lydiaroseeiche.com |
Nathan Wesselowski, Tenor Soloist
Nathan Wesselowski, tenor, has been seen on stage with Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Cleveland Opera, The National Opera Company, Ash Lawn Highland Summer Festival, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, In Tandem Theatre, First Stage, Fireside Theatre and many other regional theatres. He received is Master of Music in voice performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music and Bachelor of Music from Baker University.
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Gladys Rhodes Chmiel, Narrator
Gladys is thrilled to be making her debut with MOT (a Bucket List item!)... especially for this incredible piece by Paula! Alongside a myriad of theatrical appearances in the Milwaukee metro area, she has worked with Milwaukee Entertainment Group, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, First Stage Milwaukee, and Sunset Playhouse. She has also been featured in both television and film projects, as well as print layouts, commercials and industrials. Gladys received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Footlights People's Choice Awards. She has also been the Announcer for the Wauwatosa Community Band for 26 years. Visit her at www.gladyschmiel.com.
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Chant Claire
Chant Claire | French for “clear song” | was founded in the fall of 2013 by Ben Bedroske with the intent to explore rigorous and thoughtful choral repertoire with singers and audiences throughout the Milwaukee area. Beginning as Chant Claire Chamber Choir, they’ve now grown to an ensemble of over 70 singers. Chant Claire aims to combine the power of a large choir with the clarity of a chamber ensemble. Learn more at www.chantclaire.org.
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