Our Director...
DONNA GLEASON
Donna began as the accompanist of the Livonia Civic Chorus in September 2002 and assumed directorship of the Chorus in February 2003. She also works as an accompanist at Walled Lake Western High School under the direction of Gregory Cleveland. She is Vocal Director for their musicals.

Donna and her husband, Mark, are active members of The Lakes Community Church. For 22 years, she was music minister at Redford Baptist Church. She has a degree in Music Theory and Composition from the University of Maryland, although much of her work was completed at the University of Kansas. She enjoys arranging music for the Chorus to perform.

Donna and her husband have a son, Aaron, who lives in Texas and is married to Rachel, a lovely girl from the Philippines.

Donna is thrilled to have the opportunity to direct the Chorus and has stated that this has long been a dream of hers.

Our Accompanist…
RIMMA STOLBOV

Rimma has been with the Livonia Civic Chorus since October 2004 and is thrilled and excited to be a part of such an exceptional group. Rimma graduated from the Musical College of Latvia and has over 25 years of experience teaching piano lessons and accompanying Rhythmic Gymnastics competitions.

Currently, she gives private lessons, helps at the Walled Lake Western High School Music Department with productions, such as "A Christmas Carol", and preparing and accompanying students at music festivals. Additionally, she played for Walled Lake Northern High School and Glengary Elementary School productions such as "Oklahoma", “Into the Woods”, “Jekyll and Hyde”, "Mikado", and "King and I". Rimma has also been an active member of the professional music organization "Farmington Musicale" since 2005.

Rimma and her husband, Michael, have a daughter, who lives in Chicago. She would like to thank her family for the strong love and support they have given her throughout the years.

Our 2012-2013 Chorus Board/Officers
Peggy Gaskill, President
Jennifer Perry, Vice President
Cynthia Windecker, Secretary
Suzanne Cassady, Treasurer
Kim Alderman, Librarian
Donna Gleason, Ex-Officio

Peggy Gaskill, President
Dr. Peggy Gaskill is currently an independent consultant engaged in educational reform initiatives at middle and high schools. She consults as a Program Development Project Manager at Michigan Virtual University® for the development of online learning experiences for students and teachers.

Dr. Gaskill has been the Associate Dean of the Walden University College of Education, the largest graduate program for educators in the United States. Her primary focus was the Master of Science in Education Program. Prior to joining Walden, Dr. Gaskill was at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, where she was a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development and founder and director of a major W.K. Kellogg-funded initiative called "Michigan Schools in the Middle," a center for excellence in middle level teacher preparation and professional development. She was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Michigan Association of Middle School Educators. She was also a mathematics teacher in Livonia and Detroit.

As she considered retirement, Peggy was interested in developing some hobbies. Her first choice was singing with the Livonia Civic Chorus which she has enjoyed for six years. She is supported in this pursuit by her husband of 48 years, Dick, son Mark and his wife Kelly, son Alan, and grandchildren, Katelynn, Joseph, and Jack. The entire Gaskill family are long-time residents of Livonia.

Jennifer Perry, Vice President
Jennifer has been a chorus member since 1997 and is serving in her second term as vice president. She has been show coordinator three times and often serves as chorus choreographer for our productions.

Jennifer has taught kindergarten in South Lyon for a long time. Before that, she taught middle school English in the same district. In addition to singing with the Livonia Civic Chorus, she sings with the Trinity Episcopal Church choir in Farmington Hills.

Jennifer has been married to Reid for 37 years. They have three daughters, a son, and a son-in-law.

Cynthia Windecker, Secretary
Cynthia has been singing since childhood as a member of church and school choirs. After graduating from university, she began working in the financial services industry, where she recently retired after more than 35 years in the business. Formerly a manager at DFCU Financial, she decided she wished to give back to the community, and joined the Livonia Civic Chorus in 2008. She has been Secretary since 2010.

Cynthia is a member of Chirst our Savior Lutheran Church (Livonia), where she is a member of the Festival choir. She lives in Canton with her husband of 31 years, Mark. They have threee sons aged 25 to 29.

Suzanne Cassady, Treasurer
Suzanne Cassady joined the Livonia Civic Chorus in Fall of 1996. Right out of the gate, she auditioned for a part in her first Spring production and snagged the role of Lulu Bufont, saloon singer, in "How the West was Sung." In subsequent shows, she was a Swing Sister in "Jump in Time" and Elaine Change, traffic reporter and telethon co-host, in "Dial M for Music." Not only has Suzanne been active singing and acting on stage, she has served as Vice President, Treasurer and President on the Chorus Board. Her accounting background and business experience were useful in achieving our 501(c)(3) status and she continues to keep a mindful watch on the Chorus finances. Suzanne has been married to Kevin for 31 years and they have two wonderful daughters.

Kim Alderman, Librarian
Kim has been a part of this chorus since the age of 9, when her father joined the chorus. She has been a very active part of the group ever since. She started out by collecting tickets and passing out programs at concerts, also assisted with selling tickets in the ticket booth, assisted with costume changes, and moving sets during half time for concerts, all before joining the chorus in 1979. During Kim's membership she has served on several Board of Directors as secretary, President and several times as librarian.

Kim has had the loving support of her husband of 26 years and her 2 boys, ages 24 & 21. Her favorite memories were singing in ensemble groups with her father and duets with her younger brother who was also a member of the chorus. Also the many friendship's that she has made over the years.

Profiles of Other Chorus Members…this section will grow as information is received.

Hank Kanar…Forty Five Years with the LCC
None of the original members like Charter Member Hank Kanar would have thought that forty-five years after the inception of the LCC it would still exist much less be as strong and vibrant as it is today. Certainly there were times of discord and stress, but there were strong elements that kept the chorus intact. These remain today. The people who make up the membership, although coming from diverse backgrounds and experiences, share many things in common such as a love of choral music, the enjoyment of entertaining a live audience, a sense of community responsibility and the pleasure of sharing these things with others of a like mind.

When Hank scans through programs of past performances or listen to tapes, CDs, or views DVDs recorded over the years, a lot of memories arise. Memories of people singing outstanding solos, duets, and group numbers, great choreography, costumes and sets. There are memories of long rehearsals and anxious moments too, but these don’t seem so important when at the end of a performance the audience is on its feet applauding. There is something truly satisfying in all of this. Hank says, "I would not have missed it for all the world."

Kim (Meyer) Alderman (joined 1979)
Kurt Meyer (joined 1982)
Sister and brother, Kim and Kurt Meyer were introduced to the chorus as children because their father joined in 1969. As a result of his involvement with the chorus, Kim and Kurt were able to observe their father’s enjoyment of, and love for music. His enthusiasm was very infectious and grew in them as well.

Kim started her singing experience as a child in the children’s church choir and continued through middle school and high school. Kurt started his singing experience in the children’s choir at church as well, stopped to join the band in middle school, then picked singing up again in high school. Having this background and their parents’ influence in their lives, joining the chorus at an early age was a natural choice. Many of the chorus members who had become close family friends made it a very comfortable choice as well. One of the distinguishing features of the LCC is that we memorize all the music. This is important in relating to the audience. The chorus members get to share their feelings and emotions, which makes for a better performance for the audience as well as the performers. Another important characteristic of the LCC is the choreography. Having movement on stage keeps the audience involved and in return keeps the chorus members energized and able to give a better performance. Many members have commented through the years that the LCC is their weekly therapy session, a place to enjoy and make friends, and let the troubles of the day fall by the wayside. These characteristics have kept Kim and Kurt coming back year after year.

A fond memory as children was passing out programs, collecting tickets at the door, moving props backstage, and helping with costume changes during show time. A Chorus member’s family involvement is a big part of the LCC social environment. Kim and Kurt have tried to instill this feeling in their own families and have the third generation of singers eager to join.

Watch for more Chorus Profiles!

FROM THE LCC HISTORICAL COMMITTEE
The committee was interested in determining the number of years that current members have participated in the Livonia Civic Chorus.