Faculty

Dr. Anderson, a Judson alumnus (’86), serves as Director of Judson’s Demoss Center for Worship in the Performing Arts, with responsibilities that include directing the Judson University Choir and teaching in the Worship Arts and Music departments.

Flutist Jean Bishop has been a member of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra since 1979 and its principal flutist since 1982. She also serves as the principal flute of the Light Opera Works orchestra and the Park Ridge Fine Arts Symphony.

Robert is a 1980 graduate of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. While at N.I.U. he performed with the 2 O’clock Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Ron Modell. He earned his M.M.ed. in 1988 from VanderCook College of Music. He was privileged to study clarinet with Clark Brody, Larry Combs, J. David Harris, and Stan Davis.

Daniela is the principal second violin with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, plays for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and regularly performs throughout the Chicago area.

Michael Folker is an active member of the musical scene in the Chicago area. He performs in a variety of groups, including the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Chicago Opera Theater, the Joffrey Ballet Company, and the Chicago Sinfonietta. Some of the classical artists with whom he has performed include Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Sir George Solti, Pierre Boulez, and Daniel Barenboim.

Violinist Tara Hayes earned her BME in Music Education with Instrumental Emphasis from Oberlin College Conservatory in 2002, and her MM in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from Northwestern University in 2004. She is a former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and served as co-concertmaster of the Trinity International University Symphony Orchestra and adjunct faculty at Trinity International University.

An active pianist, dedicated educator, and ardent advocate of community outreach in music, Sojung Lee Hong has performed extensively in the Chicagoland area and has taught at summer music festivals and workshops in South Korea.

Classical guitarist Adam Huff joined the Judson faculty in the winter of 2009 as an adjunct professor of guitar and ensemble coach. As the son of missionaries to the former Soviet Union, Professor Huff began his studies at age twelve in the country of Belarus with Alexander Leonidavich Ivanov. He later went on to study with Clare Callahan at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, where he received his BM and MM in guitar performance.

As a performer, Josh is active in recital and concert performances throughout the Chicagoland area.  Most recently, he has been heard as a guest soloist with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, DuPage Opera Theater, the DuPage Chorale & Orchestra, the Northwestern University Orchestra, the University of Illinois-Chicago Chorus, and the V.O.I.C.Experience. 

Dr. Kania has performed as a piano recital soloist and accompanist on three continents: Europe and North and South America. His recent appearances include performances at the Wexford Opera Festival in Wexford, Ireland; the Academy of Music in Poznan, Poland; Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.; and Berea College in Berea, Oh.

Pianist Nancy Lemons received a Bachelor of Music Degree, and pursued Graduate Studies, at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. She also received the Diploma in Church Music from Moody Bible Institute and has most recently studied with Katherine Glaser, herself a former student of Artur Schnabel and Pablo Casals.

Cheryl Richardson started serving in the Demoss Center for Worship in the Performing Arts as the Office Manager in January 2011, coordinating the community music school and the music camp, and providing administrative and hospitality support to the newly formed Demoss Center for Worship in the Performing Arts.  In 2021, she became the Executive Assistant to the Director of the DCWPA, assisting the Director as the Center grew from originally encompassing the Music and Worship Arts Departments, the University Choir, and other ensembles to also including JU Theatre,  Communication Arts, the Christian Ministries Department, and the English Department. Today, she also serves as the Judson University Community School of Musical Arts Coordinator and Fox Valley Music Camp Coordinator.

Cellist Robert Weber has been a member of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra since 1988. He is a native of Villa Park, Illinois, and has lived in Elgin, Illinois since 1984. His primary teachers include Gilda Barston, DePaul University School of Music, Cassell Grubb, Depauw University and the Interlochen Arts Academy, and Charles Wendt of the Stradivari String Quartet at the University of Iowa.