Andrea Amdahl Taylor, Soprano
Andrea Amdahl Taylor has sung with companies throughout Illinois and Wisconsin, including Chicago Folks Operetta, Bowen Park Opera, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Chamber Opera Chicago, Intimate Opera, and Light Opera Works.
Favorite roles include Fiordiligi (Così fan Tutte), Miss Titmouse (Too Many Sopranos), Lucy (The Telephone), Miss Silverpeal (The Impresario), Ann Putnam (The Crucible), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring), and the Princess (L´Enfant et les Sortilèges). Ms. Taylor earned her MMus at Northwestern University and her AB at Stanford University. She is a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Symphony Chorus and was an original member of the Chicago Symphony Singers.
Mark A. Taylor, Conductor
Mark A. Taylor is the Music Director and Conductor of the Milwaukee Festival Brass. Mr. Taylor made his Wisconsin debut with the band in 2011 as a guest conductor, and is now in his third full season as the ensemble’s artistic leader.
A conductor, educator, and performer in demand throughout the Great Lakes region, Mr. Taylor served five years as director of bands and coordinator of ensembles at Loyola University Chicago prior to beginning his doctoral studies. He was also a member of the music education faculty for the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
Mr. Taylor attended the University of Notre Dame, receiving BA degrees in music and mathematics. While there, he performed as a percussionist in the Concert Band and Chamber Orchestra; sang in the Liturgical Choir, Collegium Musicum, and Men’s Glee Club; served as a cantor in Sacred Heart Basilica; led the Band of the Fighting Irish as drum major; and studied conducting with Walter Ginter and Carl Stam.
After a period working in advertising in Chicago, Mr. Taylor pursued graduate studies at Northwestern University. His master of music degrees in instrumental music education and wind conducting concluded studies with renowned education specialists Bennett Reimer and Peter Webster and conductors John P. Paynter and Stephen G. Peterson. Before joining the music faculty at Loyola University, Mr. Taylor taught band at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels in Chicago’s northern suburbs. His bands have received numerous superior ratings and awards.
As a percussionist, Mr. Taylor performs with the Chicago Brass Band, named North American Brass Band Association champion in 2004 and runner-up in 2008. He is a member of the National Band Association, College Music Society, College Band Directors National Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He and his wife and son reside in Lake Forest, IL.
Chicago City-Wide Symphony Orchestra 