CHIP DE STEFANO

Chip De Stefano received both his Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance and Master of Music Education Degrees from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, he studied conducting with John P. Paynter, Steve Peterson, and Don Owens, trombone with Frank Crisafulli and Art Linsner, and music education with Bennett Reimer, Donald Casey, Jim Kjelland, and Peter Webster. Mr. De Stefano was director of the Northwestern University Basketball Band (1994-1996) and the University Jazz Lab Band (1995-1996). In addition to these responsibilities, he assisted with all the office of band’s performing organizations and had conducting appearances with the wind ensemble, symphonic band, trombone ensemble, and marching band.

Mr. De Stefano became Director of Bands at McCracken Middle School in Skokie, Illinois in 1996. Under his direction, the McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band has received first division ratings at all district and state organization contests of the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) and has made multiple appearances at the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Conference, University of Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival, and NAfME North Central Division Conference. In 2006 and 2013 the Symphonic Band received an invitation to present at concert at the Midwest Clinic: An International Band and Orchestra Conference. In the Spring of 2007, the John Philip Sousa Foundation awarded the McCracken Symphonic Band the prestigious Sudler Silver Cup.

As a published arranger and composer, Mr. De Stefano has received commissions from the marching bands of Northwestern University, Samford University, the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, the University of Idaho and dozens of high schools from across the United States. His works have been performed on ABC’s 1996 Rose Bowl Halftime Show, Live! with Regis and Kathy Lee, and WBBM News Radio 780. Mr. De Stefano’s works are available from FJH Music, LudwigMasters Publications, Grand Mesa Music, Kagarice Brass Editions and DeStefanoMusic.com.

Mr. De Stefano’s professional affiliations include the Illinois Music Education Association, the National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. In 2022 he was recently honored with membership in the American Bandmasters Association.

Mr. De Stefano is active nationally as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator. He’s conducted honor bands, festivals and camps in Singapore, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan (scheduled), Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, and throughout Illinois. In addition, he has presented conference sessions at the Midwest Clinic, ILMEA All-State Conference, Iowa Bandmasters Conference, Nebraska Music Educators Association State Conference, New England Band Director Instituted, Arkansas Tech University Band Director Workshop, NBA/IGSMA Band Director Workshop, Illinois State University Band Director Workshop and DuPage County Music Clinic. Mr. De Stefano is a recipient of twenty National Band Association Citations of Excellence. He was awarded the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award in 2001, the IGSMA Barbara Buehlmann Young Conductor Award in 2004, the IGSMA Cloyd Meyers Memorial Award in 2011, and the Skokie Award for Artistic Excellence in 2016.

GLEN WILLIAMS

Glenn Williams retired in May of 2021 from Downers Grove South High School, having served as a music teacher and the Fine Arts Department Chair since 2005. In addition to teaching and holding arts administration leadership roles at Highland Park High School (IL) and in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mr. Williams also was on the brass/jazz faculty of the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic, and was a member of the jazz faculty and co-coordinator of the Jazz Division at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan, leading the International Jazz Ensemble on European Tours in 2014 and 2017.  Mr. Williams holds degrees from Indiana University, Northwestern University and Concordia University.  Mr. Williams has completed coursework towards a DMA in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University.  From 2009-2019, Mr. Williams held a National Board Teaching Certification.  

Mr. Williams is currently supervising student teachers for DePaul University, Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois/Champaign-Urbana. Mr. Williams traveled to Cuba in 2024 and 2026 as a Teaching Artist with the Cuban American Youth Orchestra (CAYO), working with student and adult musicians in Havana and Matanzas.  Covering a sabbatical leave, Mr. Williams conducted the Wind Symphony at Northern Illinois University during the spring semester of 2025.  In the Fall of 2025 Mr. Williams directed the Illinois State University Jazz Ensemble I. 

As a professional performer, Mr. Williams has performed with numerous entertainment and jazz luminaries, including The Four Tops, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Michael Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, and the Blue Lake Faculty Jazz Sextet.  Mr. Williams has also performed with numerous community ensembles, including the North Shore Concert Band directed by John Paynter.  In the summer of 1984, Mr. Williams was a member of the Walt Disney World All-American College Marching Band.

Mr. Williams has conducted numerous band and jazz honor ensembles, including the Illinois All-State Jazz Ensemble (2014) and the North Carolina All-State HS Jazz Ensemble (2022.). Mr. Williams led the process to commission Tricycle by Andrew Boysen to celebrate the consolidation of North Shore District 112.  Mr. Williams helped initiate the BRIDGE program, an ILMEA professional development strand equipping first year music teachers in Illinois.  Mr. Williams received the Mary Hoffman Award of Excellence from ILMEA and the Paynter Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Quinlan and Fabish Music. Mr. Williams is on the advisory board for the inaugural Jerry E. Lewis Jazz Festival, an educational festival honoring Mr. Lewis.  Mr. Williams is a board member of Brass Beyond, an organization dedicated to building community through workshops and performances centering pre-professional brass musicians.

Mr. Williams expresses deep gratitude to all the teachers, students, colleagues and friends who continually inform his identity as a human, as an artist, and as an educator.

DR. ANTHONY MARINELLO

Dr. Anthony C. Marinello, III serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Illinois State University where he is the conductor and music director of the Illinois State University Wind Symphony. In addition to overseeing all aspects of the wind band program, he leads the graduate program in wind conducting and teaches undergraduate courses in instrumental conducting.

As conductor of the Illinois State University Wind Symphony, Dr. Marinello has collaborated with numerous esteemed colleagues and composers including William Bolcom, Steven Bryant, Donald Grantham, and Chen Yi. He is also active in the commissioning and performing new works for wind band including a recent commission, world premiere, and subsequent recording of Come Sunday for wind ensemble by composer Omar Thomas.

He joined the faculty at Illinois State University after serving at The University of Texas at Austin as the Assistant Director of the Longhorn Band and Director of the Longhorn Pep Band. Prior to his appointment at The University of Texas, Marinello served on the faculty of Virginia Tech as Assistant Director of Athletic Bands. Marinello has previously taught in the public schools of Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas and remains committed to serving the music education community as an active guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator.

Dr. Marinello has been inducted into Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. At Illinois State University, he has received numerous awards including the Illinois State University Service Initiative Award, the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts (WKCFA) Teaching Initiative Award, the WKCFA Service Initiative Award, the WKCFA Research Initiative Award, and the Illinois State University New Faculty Start-up Award.

Dr. Marinello holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, Tau Beta Sigma, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Marinello earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Louisiana State University, the Master of Music Degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

KEITH OZSVATH

Keith Ozsvath is a music educator at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Illinois where he directs the 7th and 8th Grade Bands, the Jazz Ensemble, and the Small Ensemble Club. He also serves as the school’s Fine Arts Coordinator and Activities Director, supporting more than thirty student clubs and organizations. Rotolo and the Batavia community are consistently recognized as a NAMM Best Community for Music Education.

Keith teaches graduate and continuing education courses at VanderCook College of Music, where he serves as a course designer and instructor focused on practical, high-impact professional development. He is a frequent clinician and conductor, working primarily with middle school groups across the Midwest. Keith is also Division Coordinator of the Middle School & High School Concert Band Camps at the Bands of America Summer Camp held at Ball State University.

Keith is a frequent presenter on topics including integrating technology in music education, middle school band repertoire, and trombone pedagogy. His educational articles have been published by Yamaha and Music for All, and he has presented sessions at The Midwest Clinic, Georgia Music Educators Association, Virginia Music Educators Association, Iowa Bandmasters Association, Oklahoma Bandmasters Association, and the Illinois Music Educators Conference.

He is recognized as a Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator, VFW Distinguished Educator, Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and inducted into the Nazareth Academy High School Fine Arts Hall of Fame.

Keith maintains the Teaching Music & More website and is the founder of the Middle School Band Newsletter, a monthly resource dedicated to supporting and inspiring middle school band directors nationwide.

CINDY SEVERINO

Cindy Severino is the retired band director from Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove, where she led a distinguished 27-year career dedicated to musical excellence and student growth. A proud graduate of Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Music Education and Concordia University with a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration, Mrs. Severino brought both artistic passion and strong leadership to her work in music education.

She began her teaching career at Westfield Middle School in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, spending nine years shaping young musicians before joining Cooper Middle School. In addition to directing Cooper’s award-winning band program, she served for ten years as the district’s instrumental coordinator, guiding music education initiatives across the district.

Under her direction, the Cooper Middle School Band earned widespread acclaim, performing at premier events such as Superstate, the ISU Band Festival (Grand Champions), the Prairie State Band Festival, IGSMA, NIMCon (multiple perfect scores), the Buffalo Grove Band Festival, and Music in the Parks.

The Cooper Jazz Band 1, also under her leadership, consistently took first place and received top honors at Jazz in the Meadows, the North Shore Jazz Festival, Mundelein Jazz Festival, IGSMA, NIMCon, and Music in the Parks.

Mrs. Severino is a three-time recipient of the Winthrop Harbor Teacher of the Year award and has been honored with the Chicagoland Outstanding Educator Award. She remains active in the music education community as a clinician, adjudicator, and private lesson instructor throughout the Chicagoland area.

Outside of music, she enjoys golfing with her husband Bill, taking long walks and playing with their three golden retrievers, and staying sharp with the latest video games.

KEVIN LEPPER

Kevin Lepper is Professor Emeritus for VanderCook College of Music, Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Lepper is an active free-lance percussionist/educator in the Chicago area. A wide range of experiences, including El Paso Symphony, Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, The Chautauqua Ensemble (world music), That Memorial Ragtime Marimba Band, and many commercial recording sessions, allow Mr. Lepper to be classified as a “total percussionist”. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha fraternity and has numerous published works in the marching band medium. Through his company (Advantage Network) he has published a series of educationally-based percussion ensembles and three volumes of Boomwhackers ensembles written specifically for the junior high school and beginning high school performer. Kevin Lepper is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

ERIC MORONG

Eric Morong received his Bachelor’s Degree in music education from Elmhurst University, graduating Magna Cum Laude as an Honors Program Member. He earned his Master’s Degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL. Mr. Morong is in his 8th year teaching middle school band at Clarendon Hills Middle School in Community Consolidated School District 181. Prior to his position at CCSD181, he served as band director at Wood Dale School District 7 for 8 years. Mr. Morong also served as an adjunct faculty member at Elmhurst University for 15 years, where he directed the Varsity Band; an ensemble designed for music education majors to gain experience playing secondary instruments in a lab-setting. He holds memberships in the National Association of Music Education, the Illinois Music Education Association, and the Percussive Arts Society.

Under Mr. Morong’s direction, the Wood Dale Junior High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Bands have received first division ratings at all district and state organization contests of the Illinois Music Grade School Association. In 2017 and 2018, the Wood Dale JHS Symphonic Band was selected to perform at the University of Illinois SuperState Band Festival in Champaign-Urbana. In 2017 and 2018 the Wood Dale JHS Symphonic Band received High Honors awards at the IGSMA State Festivals (perfect scores from all 3 judges). The Wood Dale JHS Jazz Band performed at the Illinois Music Educators’ Conference in 2018; the only middle school jazz ensemble to perform at the state conference. Eric Morong was chosen by the IGSMA members to receive the Barbara Buehlman Young Conductor Award in 2017. In 2021, he was awarded the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award from Quinlan & Fabish. In 2023, the Clarendon Hills Middle School 8th Grade Band was selected to perform at the SuperState Band Festival.

Most recently, Mr. Morong was selected for a 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher Of The Year Award from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Mr. Morong is a recipient of multiple Citations of Excellence awards from the National Band Association. He enjoys serving as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator within the Chicagoland Area. He also performs as a core member in the percussion section of the Chicago Wind Symphony.

BEN WAHLUND

Ben Wahlund is a Grammy-nominated music educator, composer, and performer who serves as full-time percussion instructor at Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL) and the Director of Percussion at the College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL) where he was awarded the College-Wide Outstanding Faculty Award.

Mr. Wahlund’s engaging teaching style has availed him of the opportunity to work for years with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra as percussion ensemble director, director of a number of high school regional camps and workshops, and university residencies across the country.

His music compositions have won numerous international awards and are performed by professionals around the world. His works are distributed by C. Alan, Musicon, Bachovich, and HoneyRock Publications.

Mr. Wahlund has performed a number of times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, state music educator association conferences, and schools across the country. He has been awarded and served long-term artist residencies on the island of Key West, Florida, the Montello Foundation Residency in the desert of Nevada, and Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Ben Wahlund received his Masters of Music degree in music theory/composition and Performance Certificate in percussion from Northern Illinois University and Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Education and Music Performance with minors in math and philosophy/theology from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Mr. Wahlund is a member of the Yamaha Performing Artist roster, the Zildjian Artist Program, and endorses Innovative Percussion Sticks and Mallets.