Soprano Jenny Haworth, a native of Iowa, is based in Chicago, where she sings with a wide variety of musical groups as a soloist and ensemble member. A promoter of early and new music, Jenny sings with the world renowned Schola Antiqua, as well as the prestigious Saint Cecelia Choir of Saint John Cantius Parish, where she has performed and recorded numerous sacred works, including Mozart’s Requiem, and Grand Mass in c minor, Dvorak’s Mass in D, Schubert’s Mass in A, and Bach’s Mass in b minor. Operatic roles include Miss Bloom (world premier of Orphan Train to Iowa) Musetta (La boheme) Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), with the Millennium Chamber Players under the baton of Robert Treviño, and  Zweite Dame (Die zauberflöte) Cinderella (Into the Woods) with the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. An enthusiastic performer of new music, she has premiered the works of composers Kevin Allen, Jacob Banks, Nicholas White, Stephanie Martin and Kareem Roustom. Jenny Holds a Master of Music from the Chicago College of Performing arts, a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and is a recipient of an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. She lives with her husband and their six children in Park Ridge, Illinois. 

Kim Fleuchaus enjoys a diverse career in both classical and world music. She has performed with the Milwaukee, Charlotte, Elgin, Rockford, and South Bend Symphony Orchestras, the South Carolina and Illinois Philharmonic Orchestras, Fifth House Ensemble and the Goodman Theatre. Her work also includes commercial jingles, video game music, numerous studio albums, live radio broadcasts and film scores. She received a B.M. from Northwestern University and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Bethel University, after which she began playing the Egyptian nay. Her study of Arabic music has led to performances with various Middle Eastern ensembles throughout the U.S. and Canada for nearly 20 years, including dozens of live theatre performances and concerts at the White House and Kennedy Center. A dedicated chamber musician, she is a member of  the Silver-Rose Flute Guitar Duo, The Sapphire Woodwind Quintet, The Chicago Arabic Music Ensemble, and The Salaam-Shalom Music Project. At home she relishes time with her 3 little children, two energetic Bernedoodles and one very supportive husband. 

Cellist Herine Coetzee Koschak is on a lifelong quest to engage in meaningful and personal exchanges through music. Herine was a founder of the acclaimed Fifth House Ensemble (2005-2022) and can be heard regularly on local and national radio stations and concert stages, as well as on the Cedille, Naxos and Tzadik record labels. She has appeared as a featured soloist with numerous orchestras including the National Repertory Orchestra, the Nittany Valley Symphony, and International Chamber Artists, and has also performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the renowned new music ensemble, eighth blackbird. A passionate advocate of equity in arts education, Herine was the Co-Artistic Director of the Suzuki-Alegre Strings program at the Merit School of Music, teaching cello and launching programs for young people residing in impoverished communities. She also served as the lead teaching artist for Fifth House Ensemble in a residency at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center for 8 years, co-creating musical projects with youth experiencing incarceration. She resides in Deerfield, IL with her husband, young son, and Miniature Australian Shepherd.

Miles Andrew Sutton, piano (he/him). Praised for having “… demonstrated his talents through expressive and authentic interpretations in music… [he] possesses highly sensitive ears that allow him to communicate his music in diverse tone colors…” (Yoon-Wha Roh, pianist). Mr Sutton has concertized in major venues including the Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall, The Betsy Art Gallery of Miami, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Spokane Public Radio, and various music series throughout the city of Seattle. As a solo pianist he has garnered top prizes at the International Mozart Competition Vienna (2nd prize), the London Classical Music Competition (3rd prize), and the Euterpe Music Awards (special award). As a collaborative pianist, Miles has worked with professional organizations such as the Chicago Master Singers, Thompson Street Opera Company, The Villages Philharmonic Chorale, and the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Centre. In higher education, he has worked at the University of Iowa as a vocal coach and collaborative pianist, and was a rehearsal pianist for productions in both the School of Music and Theatre Department. As a Chamber Musician, Miles is a founding member of the TraverSura Duo (flute and piano) and Duo MezzoPiano (mezzo-soprano and piano). Sutton served as a Teaching Assistant at Washington State University while earning his Master of Arts in Music and was the Treble Choir accompanist, the Concert Choir accompanist, collaborator for student recitals, and instructor of class piano. He is pursuing postgraduate studies with Maria McGarry, pianist and professor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Don Skoog is an independent composer, musician, and writer who lives in Oak Park, Illinois. His compositions include Water and Fire for solo marimba (2nd Prize in the Percussive Arts Society’s 1982 Composition Contest), published by Mostly Marimba, and La Cantilena de las Luces (2018) for percussion ensemble, commissioned by Millikin University and published by CMP Press. Three of his marimba trio works, Attendance to Ritual, Art Song, and  Mozambique will be republished by Mostly Marimba in 2023. Mr Skoog performs on drumset, Latin and Arabic percussion, marimba, Jazz vibraphone, and Flamenco cajón. He has taught percussion at the American Conservatory of Music, Sherwood Music School, and the Contemporary Music Project, which he founded in 1982. Mr. Skoog is director of The Chicago Arabic Music Ensemble, and has given demonstrations and clinics at the University of Wisconsin (Madison and Milwaukee), Northwestern University, Valparaiso University, Vandercook College, Kansas State University, Colorado State University, Illinois Wesleyen University, the Nashville Jazz Workshop, Millikin University, College of DuPage, and the PAS Illinois Day of Percussion, as well as hundreds of presentations in grade- and high- schools through the International Music Foundation. He was lead artist for the Gallery 37 Latin Big Band from 1993 to 2002, and has traveled to Cuba many times to study and conduct tours. He has published magazine articles in English and Arabic, and is author of Batá Drumming; The Instruments, the Rhythms, and the People Who Play Them, published by CMP Press.

The Bees–will not despise the tune–

Their Forefathers–have hummed–