Christie Clayton Buralli
Christie has been singing in choirs all her life and is an alum of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Viking Choir and went on tour to Russia with them. She has a degree in Music from Indiana University where she sang in the Singing Hoosiers. Christie owns an insurance agency in Homewood, Illinois.
Ellen Devine
Ellen attended Augustana College and received a Bachelors of Music Education. She is the vocal music teacher at Meadow Lane Intermediate School in Merrionette Park and is the choir director at the First Lutheran Church in Blue Island. Ellen sang with the South Suburban Madrigal Singers for 15 years.
Mark Downey
Mark recently retired as director of choirs from Thornton Township High School. He is the Music Director at Holy Family Episcopal Church in Park Forest, also works for the diocese as a mediator between churches and their musicians and is very active in AGO. He recently became engaged to the lovely Lydia!
Russell Hansen
Russell has sung in the Rutgers Glee Club as well as KC Chapel choir and Collegium Musicum. He sang with the New Jersey State Opera chorus. And has lived in the Chicago area since 1994. His favorite color is green and has an abiding love for early music. While singing in a chapel choir, he met his wife, Ruth.
Ruth Hansen
Ruth has enjoyed playing many roles, including Katisha (The Mikado), Ouiser Boudreaux (Steel Magnolias), the Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors),and Mrs. Potts. She has sung with the chorus of the New Jersey State Opera, the William Ferris Chorale (soloist, Britten’s Ceremony of Carols), Bach & Beyond (soloist, Bach’s Magnificat), and Rutgers University’s Kirkpatrick Choir. KC also lent her a (bari-)tenor – her husband, Russ; they have two beautiful, musical daughters. Ruth is a member of Saint Xavier’s University Advancement team. She is pursuing doctoral studies at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. Chamber singing holds a special place in her heart.
Althea J. Hopp
Althea is retired–she held positions as a staffing coordinator and data processor. She has been singing, dancing and acting for many years and is still occasionally involved in community theater in Chicago Heights and Oak Lawn. She sings in her church choir and in several smaller women’s vocal ensembles.
Julie K. Martin
Julie graduated from Eckerd College with a degree in Music. She works for “Broadway in Chicago
and studies voice with Ann McMann. Julie is a Oak Forest native and a certified scuba diver.
Elaine Ann Slawinski
Elaine has worked in Special Education, was a Proof Reader and a Program Analyst/Consultant. She has a Visual Arts background, with degrees as well. She sang in her high school chorus–Lake View HS in Chicago–and was a member of the Chicago All-City Chorus and as well as sang in Greek Orthodox Church choirs. In the “small world” category, she studied voice with Rose Marie Grass, Marie’s (the MMS Music Director) mother!
Kari Coventry Smith
For the last 17 years Kari and her husband Dan have lived in Blue Island raising two children. She works as a desktop publisher at home, is involved with knitting and quilting guilds, church choir and is busy with parent/school support groups. Many years ago she accumulated vocal music degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University and Colorado State University and studied with Gisela Goettling for several years. Her husband is the principal of Infant Jesus of Prague in Flossmoor
Amanda Thomas
Amanda has been singing “forever” and recently received a BA in music from St. Xavier University, where she studied voice with Jan Bickel and continues to study with her. Singing with the Grande Prairie Singers and the St. Xavier University Chorale in the past, in addition to singing with the MMS, Amanda sings with the Apollo Chorus of Chicago. She is the Music Director at the Unitarian Church of Chicago and resides in Homewood.
Cynthia Westerman
Cindy has a Bachelors of Music Education degree from Wartburg College in Waverly, IA and a Masters in Special Education. She is a retired administrator from Thornton Fractional High School District and is the choir director at Trinity Lutheran Church in Park Forest.