The Singers.

Mallory Dugan is proud to be an original member of Fox Chamber Singers. She is a graduate of Aurora University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and a Master of Business Administration.

During her studies, she performed in several ensembles and served as president of two a cappella groups. Her opera-scenes appearances included an ensemble role in Trial by Jury and leading roles in The Telephone and The Tender Land. She has continued performing with the Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus and in local recitals.

Trinity Glass holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Aurora University. During her studies, she participated in several vocal ensembles and appeared as La Fée in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon and Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

Following graduation, Trinity taught private voice lessons and continued performing in musical productions. She has also worked in human resources within the pharmaceutical industry while remaining actively involved in music through Fox Chamber Singers.

Jen Quiroga earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Aurora University, where she participated in a variety of vocal ensembles.

During the university’s opera-scenes workshop, she performed Gretel in Hansel and Gretel and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. She has continued developing her work as a singer through Fox Chamber Singers while also pursuing studies toward a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Bonnie Ryder studied vocal performance at Northern Illinois University before changing her academic focus to nursing.

Her choral experience includes performances with the Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus, the Naperville Chorus, and the Glen Ellyn–Wheaton Chorale. She is delighted to bring that experience to Fox Chamber Singers.

Mackenzie Sarasin earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a vocal emphasis from Millikin University. She sang for three years with Millikin’s University Choir and Treble Choir, in addition to participating in other university ensembles.

Mackenzie is grateful for the opportunity to continue performing challenging choral music with Fox Chamber Singers.

Dalilah Villa studied vocal performance at Aurora University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She began singing classical music during her second year of college and studied with Amy Pickering and Timothy Filliman.

She has also sung with the choir of Grace Episcopal Church and has expressed an interest in further study in vocal performance and speech pathology.

Mezzo-soprano Eunice Ayodele earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Bowling Green State University, where she studied with Myra Merritt, and her Bachelor of Arts from Aurora University. With more than a decade of performance experience, she is at home in styles ranging from opera and musical theatre to jazz, rock, R&B, and blues.

In addition to performing, Eunice has taught voice and piano for several years. Her teaching encourages students to discover their individual sound, strengthen their technique, and develop their understanding of music theory through a variety of exercises and musical styles.

Her operatic roles include Ino in Semele, Katherine in L’ivrogne corrigé, Carmen in Carmen, and Dido in Dido and Aeneas. Her musical-theatre roles include Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago, and the Witch in Into the Woods. She has also performed with the Toledo Opera Chorus.

Martha Parolini comes from a deeply musical family. She grew up singing and playing several instruments, including piano, violin, and flute.

She has sung with the Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus for more than a decade and is delighted to perform with the talented artists of Fox Chamber Singers.

Amie Roeder is an elementary music educator and a graduate of South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota.

During three and a half years living in France with her husband and two sons, she participated in community choirs and opera, studied voice, and performed with ensembles including the Grand Chœur de Grenoble and the Chœur d’Ambronay. She also studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Grenoble.

Her choral experience in the United States includes the Elgin Master Chorale, Bradley Community Chorus, Bach Festival Chorus, Peoria Area Civic Chorale, Pekin Civic Chorus, Mitchell Community Choir, Mitchell Madrigal Singers, and Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus.

Holly Schmidt is delighted to be part of Fox Chamber Singers. She has served as choral director at Waubonsee Community College, directing the Chorale and Chamber Choir while also teaching voice and other music courses.

Before joining Waubonsee, she taught middle-school and high-school choir in Plainfield, Illinois, and North Stonington, Connecticut. She has also maintained a private voice and piano studio.

Holly has performed with the Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus, the Beloit College Choirs and Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra, and the Westerly Chorus in Rhode Island. Her musical experiences include working with Sir David Willcocks at Camp Ogontz and singing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion under conductor Helmuth Rilling at Valparaiso University.

She holds a Master of Music from Northern Illinois University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Concordia University Chicago, and a Bachelor of Music from Valparaiso University.

Eduardo “Eddy” Benitez Jr. studied at Aurora University as a member of the class of 2025. Although he has sung for most of his life, he later chose to pursue singing as a professional path.

Through his studies in vocal pedagogy, Eddy has worked to expand his understanding of the voice and to develop the knowledge needed to support future generations of singers.

Kevin Gard has been singing throughout his life and has spent nearly two decades performing in choirs. He began his musical training with Young Naperville Singers, where he spent ten years building a strong musical foundation.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University and sang for four years with the university’s Orpheus Choir under the direction of Dr. Jeff Bell.

His performance experiences include appearing as a lead vocalist in Olivet’s Sounds of the Season, singing as a featured tenor soloist in Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, and performing Handel’s Messiah as both a soloist and chorus member. As part of a career transition into education, Kevin also studied English Secondary Education at Aurora University.

Scott Gates is a tenor from South Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Florida Atlantic University and his Master of Music in Voice Performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Scott has served as a section leader at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Kenilworth and at Ezra-Habonim Niles Township Jewish Congregation in Skokie. A lifelong choral singer, he has lived and performed in the Chicago area since 2012 and is delighted to sing with Fox Chamber Singers.

Ricardo Rivera is an Aurora-based musician and lifelong resident of the Fox Valley. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Aurora University in 2019 and has performed throughout the Chicago area as a choral singer, soloist, instrumentalist, and band musician.

A former student of Lisa Fredenburgh, Ricardo is pleased to work under her direction again as a member of Fox Chamber Singers. He also performs as a lead singer and bass player in local rock ensembles and continues to develop his work as an artist and educator.

Ed Simmonds is a systems administrator by day and a dedicated musician by night. His choral experience includes performances with the Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus.

He has also served as a piano accompanist for the Fox Valley Youth Chorus and Fox Valley Youth Orchestra. Ed is grateful for the opportunity to sing with Fox Chamber Singers.

Josiah Daneels has studied music performance and music education with a focus on choral studies at Western Illinois University. He is also a graduate of Waubonsee Community College, where he earned an Associate of Arts in Music.

His ensemble experience includes the Western Illinois University Singers, Western Illinois Chamber Singers, and Fox Valley Orchestra Chorus. Josiah is also a cellist and has performed with the Western Illinois University Symphony Orchestra.

Grant Hibbeler is a music educator, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist from Batavia, Illinois. They earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Western Illinois University in December 2025.

Grant has appeared as a performer at Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha. They also perform on keyboard, saxophone, and flute with the Fox Valley-area jazz ensemble Cod City.

Grant is delighted to bring their experience and musicianship to Fox Chamber Singers.

Kenneth Martin is a composer, arranger, conductor, editor, and bass singer whose work centers on choral and vocal music. A member of Fox Chamber Singers since fall 2025, he brings to the ensemble the perspective of both a performer and a music creator.

Ken is the founder of Martin Music Editions, through which his original compositions, arrangements, and performing editions have been shared with ensembles around the world. His work reflects a particular interest in expressive text setting, practical choral writing, and music that invites performers and listeners into a meaningful shared experience.

Away from the score, musical ideas often arrive while running with his dog, Sky.

Jacob Pangilinan earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Millikin University. While at Millikin, he sang with the Millikin University Choir for three years, serving for one year as the ensemble’s bass section leader.

Beyond the choral world, Jacob specializes in contemporary a cappella. He previously directed and arranged for Millikin’s a cappella ensemble and has collaborated with multiple ensembles as a professional beatboxer.

Matthew Stephens holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. His graduate recital included several arias by John Philip Sousa.

Matthew has transcribed unpublished music from Sousa operettas using original manuscripts held by the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has also created several arrangements for concert band.