Biography
Peter Saltzman established the Revolution Ensemble and continues to guide it as artistic director while contributing as both composer and pianist. Composing since the age of ten, he has produced works across nearly every major genre, encompassing song, solo piano, chamber music, orchestral scores, choral pieces, opera, jazz combos, big-band arrangements, film scores, and dance pieces. Performances of his music have taken place across the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Among his honors are multiple awards, grants, and commissions, among them a City of Chicago Grant, commissions for Dallas Black Dance Theatre with choreographer Kevin Iega Jeff and for Chicago’s Zephyr Dance Ensemble, a commission from the Oak Park-River Forest Children’s Choir, a commission from the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra, and an ASCAP Composers Prize. He pursued studies in jazz and composition at Indiana University, Bloomington, and in composition and piano at the Eastman School of Music. Oxford University Press publishes his scores.
Katherine Hughes serves as associate director of the Revolution Ensemble and maintains an active freelance career throughout the Chicago region, performing repertoire that extends from Baroque and classical trio sonatas to newly composed contemporary works. She belongs to the chamber ensembles Parallax Ensemble and Quinto di Chicago. A regular participant with the Symphony of the Shores, she also champions new music through premieres presented by the Goethe Institute, American Women Composers Midwest, New Music DePaul, and the Chicago Composers Consortium. Live radio broadcasts on WFMT in Chicago and WFUO in St. Louis have featured her playing. Recordings include appearances with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, Poi Dog Pondering, and, alongside her husband Collins Trier, the original-music album Rain. She produced the original rock video “TV Sages,” which received airplay on MTV.
Jim Gailloreto, the Revolution Ensemble’s saxophonist, was born and raised in Chicago. His command of jazz, blues, fusion, and funk allows him to move fluidly among styles. Beyond performing his own compositions, he has devoted substantial professional time to recording commercial music and albums for both national and local artists. Solo appearances include engagements with the Chicago String Ensemble, Symphony of the Shores, Arts Center Jazz Ensemble, and Chicago Jazz Ensemble. With the Chicago Jazz Ensemble under William Russo he performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. He toured Italy and appeared at the 1998 Sant’Ann Arresi Jazz festival in Sardegna. Additional collaborations encompass the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Mills Brothers, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Roy Hargrove, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Manhattan Transfer, Mel Tormé, Kurt Elling, Diane Schuur, and Michel Petrucciani. Jazziz Magazine named him a finalist in its Woodwinds on Fire talent search, and his playing appears on the CD accompanying the August 1996 issue of that magazine. The Midwest Arts Council cited him in 1996 as an artist deserving wider recognition. In 2001 he served as associate professor at Roosevelt University, teaching improvisation and jazz saxophone studies.
Ben Wedge performs as violist and supplies original material for the Revolution Ensemble. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University, where he studied with Peter Slowik. Following graduation he spent three years in Lisbon, Portugal, as co-assistant principal viola of the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa and as violist of the Fidelio Quartet. While there he presented numerous solo recitals and taught chamber music at the Conservatory. He has held the principal viola chair for the Spoleto and Sarasota Opera festivals and for the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. Displaying equal versatility, he also serves as guitarist and singer-songwriter for the rock bands Biker Swig and Stanley and the Gentleman Farmer and performs banjo and guitar while writing for a bluegrass ensemble.
Jill Kaeding, cellist with the Revolution Ensemble, maintains an active career noted for its breadth across musical mediums. As cellist of the West End String Quartet she has collaborated with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, whose distinctive fusion of blues harmonica, piano, string quartet, and percussion appears on the debut Alligator Records CD and in performances at Orchestra Hall, the Aspen Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. She also belongs to Trio Elan, a flute-violin-cello ensemble whose CD Premiere has been released, and has worked with the Kithara Trio, devoted to music for flute, cello, and harp. In addition to solo performances, she performed with the acclaimed and innovative Metropolis Symphony, formerly known as the Symphony of the Shores.
Mark Agnor, violinist for the Revolution Ensemble, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and received a bachelor of music degree in violin and euphonium from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1982. He earned a master of music degree in euphonium from the University of Michigan in 1985. From 1992 to 1997 he served as concertmaster of the Sarasota Opera, and in 2000 he freelanced year-round in the Chicago area. A founding member of Ambrosia Chamber Music, he has devoted considerable energy to chamber-music performance in varied settings. Frequent appearances include those with the Metropolis Symphony, Chicago String Ensemble, Lake Forest Symphony, Ars Viva, Quinto di Chicago, and other ensembles, together with frequent solo engagements for the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. Extensive touring in the United States, Europe, and Asia with the Mantovani Orchestra led to his appointment as its concertmaster in 1988.
Rob Kassinger, bassist for the Revolution Ensemble, ranks among Chicago’s most sought-after players. Maestro Barenboim appointed him to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1993. Despite a demanding orchestral schedule he has remained active as a chamber musician, performing with Ars Viva, the Art Institute of Chicago chamber series, the Symphony Center chamber series, and on WFMT broadcasts. His jazz experience began in his early teens and has included performances with Woody Herman’s band, Conte Candoli, Charlie Rouse, Charles Brown, Art Lande, Richard Stoltzman, Gary Burton, Alex Acuña, Laurence Hobgood, and Bobby Lewis. In 1998 he toured India with the Chicago Jazz Express, appearing on their recording Voyage to India, and can also be heard on Bobby Lewis’s CD Just Havin’ Some Fun. He was featured on Daniel Barenboim’s Teldec recording of Brazilian music released in spring 2000. As an educator he served on the music faculty at DePaul University while maintaining a private studio and has acted as coach and master clinician for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Juilliard School, and the Mannes School of Music. In August 2000 he taught at the West-East Divan workshop in Weimar, Germany, an innovative program uniting young musicians from Israel and Arab countries to study orchestral repertoire with Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma, and members of the Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and Staatskapelle Berlin.
Jeff Stitely, drummer and percussionist for the Revolution Ensemble, has performed in Chicago since 1984, following completion of a percussion-performance degree at the University of Illinois in Champaign. His collaborations encompass Eddie Harris, “Groove” Holmes, Chick Corea, Randy Brecker, Slide Hampton, Wynton Marsalis, Lew Tabackin, Oliver Lake, Sheila Jordan, Zoot Sims, Billy Harper, Larry Coryell, Wallace Roney, and Bob Belden. The Jeff Stitely Quartet has issued three CDs, toured Europe, and placed among the four finalists in the 1995 Hennessy Jazz competition. He has also performed and toured worldwide with the Patricia Barber Trio and has studied West African drumming extensively with Abubakari Luna and Gideon Foli Alorwoyie. He serves as assistant professor at Northern Illinois University and holds an additional faculty position at Northeastern Illinois University.
Gingi Lahera, vocalist for the Revolution Ensemble, is acknowledged as a leading figure on the Chicago music scene. She performs with equal authority in intimate cabaret venues and in high-energy jazz and swing presentations. Her repertoire spans classic jazz and swing standards as well as Brazilian songs delivered in both Portuguese and English. She has appeared as an a cappella vocalist at the Poetry Slam and launched the Late Night Torch Singing series at Chicago’s Green Mill. Since 1995 she has been featured on, and recorded, four CDs with Bradley Williams and his Original 21st Century Review; she and Bradley Williams continue to perform regularly as a duo.
Katherine Hughes serves as associate director of the Revolution Ensemble and maintains an active freelance career throughout the Chicago region, performing repertoire that extends from Baroque and classical trio sonatas to newly composed contemporary works. She belongs to the chamber ensembles Parallax Ensemble and Quinto di Chicago. A regular participant with the Symphony of the Shores, she also champions new music through premieres presented by the Goethe Institute, American Women Composers Midwest, New Music DePaul, and the Chicago Composers Consortium. Live radio broadcasts on WFMT in Chicago and WFUO in St. Louis have featured her playing. Recordings include appearances with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, Poi Dog Pondering, and, alongside her husband Collins Trier, the original-music album Rain. She produced the original rock video “TV Sages,” which received airplay on MTV.
Jim Gailloreto, the Revolution Ensemble’s saxophonist, was born and raised in Chicago. His command of jazz, blues, fusion, and funk allows him to move fluidly among styles. Beyond performing his own compositions, he has devoted substantial professional time to recording commercial music and albums for both national and local artists. Solo appearances include engagements with the Chicago String Ensemble, Symphony of the Shores, Arts Center Jazz Ensemble, and Chicago Jazz Ensemble. With the Chicago Jazz Ensemble under William Russo he performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. He toured Italy and appeared at the 1998 Sant’Ann Arresi Jazz festival in Sardegna. Additional collaborations encompass the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Mills Brothers, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Roy Hargrove, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Manhattan Transfer, Mel Tormé, Kurt Elling, Diane Schuur, and Michel Petrucciani. Jazziz Magazine named him a finalist in its Woodwinds on Fire talent search, and his playing appears on the CD accompanying the August 1996 issue of that magazine. The Midwest Arts Council cited him in 1996 as an artist deserving wider recognition. In 2001 he served as associate professor at Roosevelt University, teaching improvisation and jazz saxophone studies.
Ben Wedge performs as violist and supplies original material for the Revolution Ensemble. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University, where he studied with Peter Slowik. Following graduation he spent three years in Lisbon, Portugal, as co-assistant principal viola of the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa and as violist of the Fidelio Quartet. While there he presented numerous solo recitals and taught chamber music at the Conservatory. He has held the principal viola chair for the Spoleto and Sarasota Opera festivals and for the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. Displaying equal versatility, he also serves as guitarist and singer-songwriter for the rock bands Biker Swig and Stanley and the Gentleman Farmer and performs banjo and guitar while writing for a bluegrass ensemble.
Jill Kaeding, cellist with the Revolution Ensemble, maintains an active career noted for its breadth across musical mediums. As cellist of the West End String Quartet she has collaborated with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, whose distinctive fusion of blues harmonica, piano, string quartet, and percussion appears on the debut Alligator Records CD and in performances at Orchestra Hall, the Aspen Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. She also belongs to Trio Elan, a flute-violin-cello ensemble whose CD Premiere has been released, and has worked with the Kithara Trio, devoted to music for flute, cello, and harp. In addition to solo performances, she performed with the acclaimed and innovative Metropolis Symphony, formerly known as the Symphony of the Shores.
Mark Agnor, violinist for the Revolution Ensemble, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and received a bachelor of music degree in violin and euphonium from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1982. He earned a master of music degree in euphonium from the University of Michigan in 1985. From 1992 to 1997 he served as concertmaster of the Sarasota Opera, and in 2000 he freelanced year-round in the Chicago area. A founding member of Ambrosia Chamber Music, he has devoted considerable energy to chamber-music performance in varied settings. Frequent appearances include those with the Metropolis Symphony, Chicago String Ensemble, Lake Forest Symphony, Ars Viva, Quinto di Chicago, and other ensembles, together with frequent solo engagements for the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. Extensive touring in the United States, Europe, and Asia with the Mantovani Orchestra led to his appointment as its concertmaster in 1988.
Rob Kassinger, bassist for the Revolution Ensemble, ranks among Chicago’s most sought-after players. Maestro Barenboim appointed him to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1993. Despite a demanding orchestral schedule he has remained active as a chamber musician, performing with Ars Viva, the Art Institute of Chicago chamber series, the Symphony Center chamber series, and on WFMT broadcasts. His jazz experience began in his early teens and has included performances with Woody Herman’s band, Conte Candoli, Charlie Rouse, Charles Brown, Art Lande, Richard Stoltzman, Gary Burton, Alex Acuña, Laurence Hobgood, and Bobby Lewis. In 1998 he toured India with the Chicago Jazz Express, appearing on their recording Voyage to India, and can also be heard on Bobby Lewis’s CD Just Havin’ Some Fun. He was featured on Daniel Barenboim’s Teldec recording of Brazilian music released in spring 2000. As an educator he served on the music faculty at DePaul University while maintaining a private studio and has acted as coach and master clinician for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Juilliard School, and the Mannes School of Music. In August 2000 he taught at the West-East Divan workshop in Weimar, Germany, an innovative program uniting young musicians from Israel and Arab countries to study orchestral repertoire with Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma, and members of the Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and Staatskapelle Berlin.
Jeff Stitely, drummer and percussionist for the Revolution Ensemble, has performed in Chicago since 1984, following completion of a percussion-performance degree at the University of Illinois in Champaign. His collaborations encompass Eddie Harris, “Groove” Holmes, Chick Corea, Randy Brecker, Slide Hampton, Wynton Marsalis, Lew Tabackin, Oliver Lake, Sheila Jordan, Zoot Sims, Billy Harper, Larry Coryell, Wallace Roney, and Bob Belden. The Jeff Stitely Quartet has issued three CDs, toured Europe, and placed among the four finalists in the 1995 Hennessy Jazz competition. He has also performed and toured worldwide with the Patricia Barber Trio and has studied West African drumming extensively with Abubakari Luna and Gideon Foli Alorwoyie. He serves as assistant professor at Northern Illinois University and holds an additional faculty position at Northeastern Illinois University.
Gingi Lahera, vocalist for the Revolution Ensemble, is acknowledged as a leading figure on the Chicago music scene. She performs with equal authority in intimate cabaret venues and in high-energy jazz and swing presentations. Her repertoire spans classic jazz and swing standards as well as Brazilian songs delivered in both Portuguese and English. She has appeared as an a cappella vocalist at the Poetry Slam and launched the Late Night Torch Singing series at Chicago’s Green Mill. Since 1995 she has been featured on, and recorded, four CDs with Bradley Williams and his Original 21st Century Review; she and Bradley Williams continue to perform regularly as a duo.
Albums
