Auditorium Theatre 2021-2022, Issue 2, Too Hot to Handel

18 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE :: 2021–22 SEASON Biographies Ireland’s Mother Jones; A Bridge Over the Troubles: The Peace Bridge telling the story of Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement; Make Them Hear You — John Riley, the San Patricios, and Chile’s Bernardo O’Higgins; Journey to Justice: the Story of Two Liberators — Ireland’s Daniel O’Connell and America’s Frederick Douglass; and The USS Mason in Derry, Northern Ireland. Bill has been Director of Chicago’s Too Hot Choir since its beginning. Singers are welcomed from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area — from Hoffman Estates to Crown Pointe and Gary, IN; from Broadview to Lakeview; from Hyde Park to Lincoln Park to Oak Park; from Aurora to Harvey to Joliet; from the west side of the city to the north and south sides. If you would like to be a part of this wonderful, hardworking group of singers or for more information on any of the programs Fraher is involved in, please contact him at BillFraher52@gmail.com. CHRIS MAHIEU, Rehearsal Pianist Chris Mahieu studied classical piano at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. Since then, his interests have led him to jazz and other styles of piano. He is an active performer in Chicago in both jazz and classical settings and has performed at venues including Chicago Jazz Fest, Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, and Symphony Center. Outside of music, Mahieu is also a Registered Nurse and the father of two wonderful kids, ages 3 and 4. MATT MILLER, Lighting Designer Based in Chicago, IL, Matt’s lighting portfolio includes a broad variety of projects in the industry including dance, theatre, music, corporate events, installations, filmed projects, and more. His design credits include work for such companies as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Yeager Design, The Joffrey Ballet, Microsoft, Ballet Idaho, Mercedes, Kurt Elling, Starbucks, Atlanta Ballet, Verizon, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Airbnb, and Google, to name a few. Matt has toured extensively throughout the US and internationally to over a dozen countries. During his time with Hubbard Street, he designed over 30 new works and had the honor to act as a cultural ambassador for the US State Department during Hubbard Street’s participation in Dancemotion USA. Matt is an alumnus of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, as well as a proud member of United Scenic Artists 829. mmiller-lighting.com MARIN ALSOP, Concept One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop represents a powerful and inspiring voice. The first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the U.S., South America, Austria, and Britain, she is the first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She holds positions as Chief Conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, first Music Director of the University of Maryland’s National Orchestral Institute + Festival, Conductor of Honour of Brazil’s São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and Chief Conductor and Curator of Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, where she conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer residencies. Later this year, after an outstanding 14-year tenure as its Music Director, she assumes the title of Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She is also the founder of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, which promotes and nurtures the careers of fellow female conductors. BOB CHRISTIANSON, Co-Arranger & Orchestrator Bob Christianson is a composer, arranger, keyboard player and conductor. Bob is the composer, arranger and executive producer of the WTTW-PBS Special A Christmas Carol — The Concert. The project, which was a three-year labor of love that he considers to be one of the highlights of his career, was nominated in 2014 for a Prime Time Emmy for Outstanding Music & Lyrics (lyrics and book adaptation by Alisa Hauser). He was honored to have the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra premiere A Christmas Carol — The Concert in December of 2011. This is the second of his orchestral works to be performed by the BSO, the first being Too Hot to Handel, which he co-arranged with Gary Anderson based on an original concept by Marin Alsop. His new musical, Take Me America (book and lyrics by Bill Nabel), recently had a two-month run at the prestigious Village Theatre in Seattle, which was the original home of the hit Broadway shows Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet. Bob was the most called-upon composer for the HBO series Sex and the City. He was nominated for an Emmy for his music for ABC Sports and has scored many series for the Discovery family of networks, including Secrets of the National Parks and The Blue Angels — A Year in the Life. His television credits also include Mysteries of the Museum (Travel Channel) and the iconic NCAA Basketball Theme for CBS. He has also scored Life is Wild (for the CW), The Equalizer (CBS), Gimme a Break (NBC), and The Winter Olympics (CBS). Bob has written over twenty-five award-winning sports themes for CBS, ESPN, and ABC.