Founder/Music Director, Jeffrey A. Spenner is active as a conductor in many different mediums. An alumnus of Essexville-Garber High School, and now a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has conducted the U of I Chamber Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band I, Enescu String Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble, and an ad hoc orchestra of his own forming.

In the fall of 2008, he conducted the Opera Studio’s production of Gallantry by Douglas Moore and will continue in the role as Opera Studio conductor in 2009. He has been invited to serve as Music Director for a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers in the summer of 2009. Spenner directs the orchestra at Twin City Bible Church, and he is also active in conducting new music, collaborating with student and local composers on premieres of their works.

Spenner has participated in several workshops that have allowed him to work with the Filharmonica "Mihail Jora" in Bacau, Romania and an orchestra in Maine as well as the Wind Symphony and Concert Band at Eastern Illinois University. Conducting studies have been with Stefan Asbury, Eduardo Diazmuñoz, Roby George, Ian Hobson, James F. Keene, Ken Kiesler, Tim Mahr, Russel Mikkelson, Tim Reynish, and Donald Schleicher, among others.

As a trumpet performance major, Jeffrey studies with Ronald Romm, former trumpeter with the Canadian Brass. Other studies have been with the late Michael Ewald, John Hagstrom (Chicago Symphony), members of the Portland (ME) Symphony, Dennis Horton, and Kunio Ouellette. He has performed with most of the top ensembles at U of I, including the Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras, Wind Symphony, Symphonic Bands I and II, British Brass Band, Panorama Brass Quintet and Trumpet Ensemble.

In 2007 he played Lead Trumpet in Kevin Cole’s musical A Shine on Your Shoes and he has given several recital performances with Mr. Cole. This summer, he will perform in Avery Fisher Hall, New York City as an invited member of the International Honors Wind Symphony.

For more information visit his personal website at www.jeffreyspenner.webs.com, or contact him directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (989) 891 - 7956.

Jazz Program Head and Assistant to the Director Raeann Jones is a proud graduate of Carrollton High School in 1985, where she began her music career under Paul Lichau. She obtained her Associate of Arts in Music in 1991 from Delta College, and her Bachelor of Science in Education with an Instrumental Music concentration from Central Michigan University.  She went on to teach at the Midland Academy for Advanced and Creative Studies in 1998, and Carrollton Middle School in 1999.

As a trumpet major at Central Michigan, Raeann studied under Dr. Dennis Horton, professor of trumpet, along with performing in the CMU Concert Band under the direction of Dr. John Williamson, director of bands.  She was also a member of the Marching Chippewas from 1993-1995 under the direction of the late Jack Saunders.  She also was a performer in Central Air Jazz Ensemble under John Nichol, professor of saxophone.  She was a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional music fraternity, and a member of the now defunct International Association for Jazz Educators.

After moving to Chicago, IL in 2000, Raeann began teaching as a private music instructor at A & A Music Academy.  She also performed in a 50’s-80’s rock band called the Benson Band from 2000-2002, where she played bass and lead vocals.   In 2008, she received her Masters of Arts in Education Administration from North Central College in Naperville, IL, and was offered the position of Jazz Director of the Bay Area Summer Music Program in 2009.  Raeann is divorced with one son, Christian.

 Guest Conductor Col. Timothy W. Foley, USMC (ret.) was the twenty-sixth Director of “The President’s Own” Marine Band and led the United States Marine Band into its third century of service to the President of the United States and the United States Marine Corps. Foley was a strong and visionary leader for “The President’s Own,” lifting the organization to new heights in terms of its musical and ceremonial reputation. His skills as a musician and conductor are among the greatest ever witnessed by the organization, and were exceed only by his modesty and unwavering commitment to excellence. Foley’s dedication to the Marine Band and commitment to advancement through musical versatility and diverse repertoire are evident in the present-day distinction of the men and women of “The President’s Own.”

Foley began his musical career on the clarinet. He studied with Anthony Gigliotti of The Philadelphia Orchestra while attending high school in his hometown of Berwick, Pa. After graduation, Foley studied clarinet at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and, for two years, was a member of the American Wind Symphony Orchestra in Pittsburgh.

Foley enlisted in the Marine Corps and reported to “The President’s Own” in June 1968. He served as a clarinetist for 11 years, until he was named Assistant Director in 1979 and commissioned a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Seventeen years later, on July 11, 1996, the band’s 198th birthday, Foley was designated Director of “The President’s Own.” In September of that year, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Foley was promoted to colonel in an Oval Office ceremony performed by President Bill Clinton in June 1999. He also received the Legion of Merit, presented that day by 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps General Charles C. Krulak.

In his first years as Director, Foley brought to the podium two distinguished American conductors, Leonard Slatkin and Frederick Fennell, a first in Marine Band history. He continued this tradition early in the new millennium, bringing to “The President’s Own” podium renowned film composer John Williams, a recipient of multiple Academy Awards, and Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota Orchestra music director and one of today’s most respected conductors.

In 1998, during the Marine Band’s bicentennial year, Foley conducted “The President’s Own” for inaugural ceremonies of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in Cincinnati. The Marine Band was the first musical institution to be selected for the Hall of Fame.

In July 2001, Colonel Foley led “The President’s Own” in Switzerland for the 10th International Conference of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. The trip included a gala performance at the Luzern Culture and Convention Center in Luzern, Switzerland. In a testament to Foley’s dedication to the creation of new music for the wind band, the concert featured the international première of David Rakowski’s Ten of a Kind, a work commissioned by “The President’s Own” that later was selected as a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Toward the end of his career, Foley was successful in expanding the Marine Band’s total organization from 143 to 154 enlisted members. The 11 new billets were filled Oct. 1, 2004.

Foley retired July 17, 2004, in a gala change of command concert and ceremony at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, hosted by Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps General William L. “Spider” Nyland. Col Foley’s retirement received national attention, appearing on CNN, in The Washington Post and the Associated Press, and more. 

 

 

Special Guest Artists The Baytones have been playing together professionally since 1996. They are repeat winners of the REVIEW MAGAZINE'S "BEST BIG BAND" AWARD. Their large "book" allows them to customize each performance. From a Reception to Reunion, Ballroom Dance to Formal Ball, Civic Event to a Swinging Concert, The Baytones can fit your needs. For a musical event that your guests will be talking about for weeks afterward, choose The Baytones. The Baytones play the classic Big Band tunes by Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, Modern Swing by Brian Setzer and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Mid-Century music from Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Ray Anthony, and many other artists.

 

 

Featured Soloist, Bill Funke will be entering his third and final year of his DMA at Michigan State University.  He has performed throughout the country at regional and national saxophone conferences and performed in Carnegie Hall with the National Wind Ensemble in 2006 directed by H. Robert Reynolds. 

As an active teacher and performer in the Lansing area, Bill maintains a private studio of 18 students at Marshall Music in East Lansing where he teaches saxophone, clarinet and flute.  Bill is also a member of the West Circle quartet, a group comprised of graduate and doctoral saxophonist from MSU.  

Bill holds degrees from University of Oklahoma (BME 2006) and Baylor University (MM 2008).  While at the University of Oklahoma, Bill was named Outstanding Saxophonist and was a member of the ‘Talk of the Town’ Orchestra.  Bill has worked as a teaching assistant at both Baylor and MSU teaching the saxophone methods class for music education majors and private lessons.   Bill’s primary teacher include Dr. Gail Hall, Dr. Michael Jacobson and Joseph Lulloff.  

 

Caitlin McGovern is currently the music director at Pleasant Plains High School in the outskirts of Springfield, Illinois. Her responsibilities include directing the concert band, jazz band, pit orchestra and everything in between. In addition to large ensemble teaching, she is currently finishing her 6^th year as a private oboe instructor. Prior to teaching professionally, she student taught in Libertyville, Illinois at Libertyville High School with Don Shupe and Highland Middle School with Carla Bollinger. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the spring of 2009 with a Bachelors of Instrumental Music Education. Her mentors and conducting teachers included James Keene, Peter Griffin, and Joseph Manfredo. In addition to her work in music education, she continued to develop her musicianship through the study of oboe with Professor John Dee. In the spring of 2008 she was awarded the Sigma Alpha Iota Performance Scholarship for her performances of Saint-Saens Oboe Sonata and the Mozart Concerto for Oboe. That same year she was invited to participate in the Madeline Island Music Camp where she studied chamber music with members of the Prairie Winds Quintet. Ms. McGovern has performed with ensembles such as the University of Illinois Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band I, Opera Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony, the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana and the Concert Band of Central Illinois.  

At the Bay Area Summer Music Festival, Ms. McGovern will perform on the Guest Artist Recital, teach private lessons, coach chamber ensembles, lead sectionals, perform alongside student participants, and present a masterclass on her insights to the field of music education. 

 

Lauren Waidelich is an active performer and educator for flute and piccolo. She currently performs with the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra in Evanston, Illinois.  She also performs with the Concert Band of Central Illinois as principal piccolo and can be heard on a yearly live radio broadcast as part of their Independence Day celebration.  She was also a member of the Illinois Wind Symphony as principal piccolo and assistant principal flute. As a solo musician, Lauren has been named an alternate in the 2010 National Flute Association Piccolo Artist Competition.  She will perform at the NFA convention in August in a masterclass with Sarah Jackson, principal piccoloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  She has performed solo recitals featuring both flute and piccolo and has appeared as part of chamber groups in many other recitals. Lauren is an active teacher and flute coach in both Illinois and Southern California.  She has given masterclasses and lessons in many middle and high schools in both areas and has her own private studio.  She is experienced in teaching students of all ages, from the beginning flutist through college preparatory and adult amateur.  Lauren has studied with Walfrid Kujala (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Jonathan Keeble (Prairie Winds Woodwind Quintet), and Sarah Tuck (San Diego Symphony).  Lauren graduated summa cum laude/Bronze Tablet Honors from the University of Illinois and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Flute Performance at Northwestern University.

Ms. Waidelich will be performing on the Guest Artist Recital, presenting a masterclass (topic TBA), coaching chamber music and sectionals as well as teaching lessons during her time at this year's Bay Area Summer Music Festival.