Marion Anderson-Peat

Trustee

Marion Anderson-Peat is a retired secondary school educator, having spent 35 years teaching Global Studies, African Studies, and Asian Studies in Barrington, Illinois. She has also worked in curriculum development and teacher training. Her background includes Masters Degrees in U.S. History and Asian Studies, as well as, extensive international travel and study. Marion now spends her summers in Spread Eagle, Wisconsin (near Iron Mountain) and joined the PMMF Board in 2004.

She treasures the experience of high quality classical music in the intimate settings of the UP venues. The greatest reward is when she hears people exclaim, "that's the best concert I've ever been to!"

Marion's favorite PMMF moment was an evening at the opera when a small boy slowly crept onto the edge of the stage and remained there, transfixed and unmoving, for the entire act.

Ellen Ann Bechthold

Trustee

Ellen Ann Bechthold divides her time between homes in Chicago, Illinois, and Florence, Wisconsin, with occasional trips to other interesting places. She is a retired vice president for Harris Bank, where she worked in trust administration with high net worth individuals and various charitable organizations. 

Ellen has always enjoyed attending Pine Mountain Music Festival concerts in the Dickinson Count y area, which led to her being invited to serve on the Festival's board.  She joined the Board in 2008, and is also a member of the Festival's Endowment Committee. 

She says PMMF adds another welcome dimension to the great Upper Peninsula. Not only does it have a great physical beauty, but it now has beautiful music to match.

Diane Eshbach

Secretary, Board of Trustees

Diane Eshbach  graduated  from L'Anse High School and attended Northern Michigan University majoring in Art.  She is married to Charles Eshbach and they have  lived in the Houghton area for 41 years.  They have one daughter and two sons, all married, and nine grandchildren. 

Diane has been active in many different volunteer positions including  women's ministry director, Sunday school teacher, worship team, Christian Women's Board,  jr. hockey auxiliary president,  Pine Mountain Music Festival Gala chair and volunteer chair for the Keweenaw.

Diane has been a Mary Kay Consultant, Tupperware Manager and for the past 19 years owner and manager of Celebrations Bridal and Formalwear in Hancock.

"Eight years ago Norma Nominelli asked if I would like to help with the PMMF Gala and  Auction by gathering a few items for the auction. That was my introduction to being an active part of the Festival beyond attending events. 

One of my favorite features of the Festival has been the opportunity to have such accomplished musicians be a part of our lives here in the Keweenaw.  I have appreciated participating in Christine Seitz's workshops as an observer as well as a singer.  The Festival expands our experiences in music without having to travel to metropolitan areas."

Karen Fredrickson

Staff, Office Manager/Bookkeeper

Karen's love of classical music began as a girl growing up in Delaware. Blessed with parents who listened to classical music in their home, Karen was instilled with an appreciation that grew over the years. A recording of Madama Butterfly was her introduction to opera, which is probably why she still loves Puccini today.

Karen holds bachelors degrees in both Art History and Early Childhood Education. After she raised her family, life brought her to the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 1999, she attended PMMF's production of Carmen and later that summer she moved to the U.P.

While seeking a full-time teaching position, she met Kathy Tompkins (Executive Director 1995-2005). Karen joined the Festival in February, 2001 and has truly loved every minute of it. On her first day on the job, she met Trustee Ted Fredrickson. One thing led to another and Karen and Ted were married in 2002. They make their home in Hancock. When Ted and Karen aren't working, they're traveling from lower Michigan to Delaware, Arizona, and Oregon to visit family -- especially their four new grandchildren! 

Marilee Harrison

Trustee

Hailing from the Midwest by way of Wisconsin, Marilee is pleased to call the U.P. home.  Now retired from a career in psychotherapy and clinical management, she finds it rewarding to invest her time and energy in the Pine Mountain Music Festival.  Her appreciation of music was developed at an early age when she was allowed to stay up late if she listened to classical music.  Although it could be argued there were ulterior motives for her appreciation of classical music at that age, she solidified her enthrallment with it as an adult while attending an opera.  Since then, she has taken every opportunity to experience opera nationally and internationally.  So it was an unexpected and astounding pleasure to find a local source of opera and classical music in the PMMF!  In fact, it played a role in the decision she and her husband made to move to the U.P. and settle in the Crystal Falls area, where he grew up.  Marilee invites everyone to take advantage of all the wonderful music the PMMF has to offer, and thanks everyone who makes it possible!

Susan Hooker

Trustee

Susan grew up in Houghton,  then went away to attend college. For thirty three years she lived and worked in Germany, Tokyo and Washington D.C.  After all  that big city living, she welcomed a return to the different pace and lifestyle of the Upper Peninsula.

Susan returned to Houghton. She says the arts, including the Rozsa Center and Pine Mountain Music Festival, guided her decision to return to this area. Susan initially was a patron to the Festival before becoming involved in painting the sets for PMMF opera's La Bohème, Cinderella and The Magic Flute.  Working on those shows gave her insight into how an opera production is created from start to finish.

Susan is currently working as a decorative painter and is still involved with the Rozsa Center as well as serving as a PMMF trustee.

Joy Ibsen

Vice-President, Board of Trustees

Joy lives in Trout Creek, MI.  She is a writer, editor, piano teacher and lay minister as well as a musician. She is the editor of the monthly journal Church and Life, and the author of "Songs of Denmark; Songs to Live By."  Joy has a book "Unafraid" which will be published this spring by Wipf and Stock.   

Joy and her family began attending Pine Mountain Music Festival events even prior to moving to the Upper Peninsula 8 years ago.  Perhaps their greatest concern in moving to the North Woods from the Chicago area (Evanston) was missing the Lyric, so they were thrilled to learn of PMMF and very impressed with the quality of events.  A friend, Kay Linquist, approached her about serving on the board.

Joy's favorite PMMF opera was Candide!  Every time they go to PMMF Joy is grateful for the performances!

Angela Irwin

Staff, Operations Manager

Angela has worked for over 20 years as a corporate planner, organizer, and financial manager. She has spent most of her life involved with theatre and music both on and off the stage. She recently joined the staff of PMMF as Operations Manager where she can apply both her artistic and organizational skills. Though she has only lived here for four years, she has strong family ties the area and has been a part of the community for many years. She is pleased to be working for Pine Mountain and would like to thank Marilee Harrison and her husband John for their support.

Candace E. Koski Janners

Trustee

Candace is a native of the Upper Peninsula. She grew up on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior, following in the footsteps of her ancestor who arrived in the early 1800's. She has lived in the Copper Country for over thirty years, working in various capacities as a cardiovascular Registered Nurse.

Music has always been a big part of her life. She and her husband Sigurds attended as many musical performances in the area as they could. The PMMF opera was always the "big draw" for her, although she has enjoyed all the additional music offered by the festival.

Candace has enjoyed introducing her children to live opera. As adults her children still remember the first production they saw. It is a fond memory for the whole family. The Janners  family encourages friends and family to investigate all types of music, to enjoy it as much as they do.

Sigurds Janners

Trustee

Sigurds was born in Riga, Latvia and he arrived in the U.S. via Germany in the years following WWII. He grew up on the East Coast near New York City. There Sigurds began his steady diet of opera while in high school, attending performances at the "old" Met. After moving to the Houghton area 35 years ago to establish a medical practice, he realized the ease of attending operas was severely diminished.

Enter the Pine Mountain Music Festival. He and his wife Candace have been attending opera performances ever since. The festival provides an opportunity for the audience to interact with the singers, musicians and other professionals in a relaxed atmosphere.

Sigurds remembers an early PMMF opera performance of La Bohème in Iron Mountain where the singers were "freezing to death" in an attic apartment, while in real life the actors had sweat dripping off their faces in the 100 degree heat. The misery, at least, was real.

Bill Leder

President, Board of Trustees

Bill Leder grew up near Detroit and was a student at Michigan Tech in the 1960s. He and his wife moved to Houghton in 2003. He is an adjunct professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Tech. Bill became a PMMF Board member in 2004. He has had a life-long interest in classical music for which he can thank his parents. As a teenager Bill remembers hearing a live recital by Artur Rubinstein. He is glad his mom and dad "made him go." The arts are an essential part of our culture, and Bill gets a lot of gratification from working with his fellow PMMF Board members to bring inspiring music to this part of the Upper Peninsula.

Joshua Major

Staff, Artistic Director

Toronto-born Joshua Major (Artistic Director) began his opera stage directing career at the age of 23 with La Cenerentola for Opera Omaha. Soon after, Mr. Major worked as an assistant to Rhoda Levine at Juilliard, Cynthia Auerbach at both Chautauqua Opera and New York City Opera and William Gaskill at the Welsh National Opera. Mr. Major has worked as a stage director for over 25 years throughout the United States and Canada developing an impressive repertoire of productions. Recent engagements include The Cunning Little Vixen for the Cape Town Opera; Lucia di Lamermoor for the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, L'Impressions de Pelleas in Tel Aviv, La Traviata for the Jacksonville Symphony; L'elisir d'amore for Cleveland Opera; The Tales of Hoffmann and Lucia di Lammermoor for Indianapolis Opera. Mr. Major is in his 18^th year on the faculty of the University of Michigan where he oversees the Opera Program, both teaching and directing. Recent productions at the University of Michigan include, Armide, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Eugene Onegin, L'Amico Fritz, and Postcard from Morocco. He continues to be a stage director and faculty member with the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, where he has directed annually since 1993.  Mr. Major currently resides in Ann Arbor, MI.

Kathy Maynard

Trustee

Kathy and her husband, Fred, moved to Marquette in 1999.  Their love of music naturally drew them to PMMF.  While living in Ann Arbor and raising their two children, Kathy taught piano to children in her home.  They also lived in Cleveland for a number of years, a city justly famous for its music, and were able to attend many fabulous concerts and operas.  Now they appreciate the varied and high-quality music that the Festival provides to the Upper Peninsula.  They have both volunteered for the Festival in several capacities since settling in Marquette, and have enjoyed getting to know the artists and others who support PMMF.  

Nicole Nason

Trustee

Nicole Nason grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and has lived in Marquette for the past 10 years. Nicole serves as the Arts and Culture Coordinator for The City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center. She received a B.S. in Theatre from Northern Michigan University and also served as the Youth Arts Education Director for the City of Marquette. She is the director of the City of Marquette Youth Theatre Program and also serves on the Board of Directors for Lake Superior Theatre. Nicole is involved with several arts organizations around Marquette. 

Nicole values the quality that Pine Mountain Music Festival brings to the Upper Peninsula. She also appreciates that PMMF gives the youth in the area exposure to opera and other forms of classical music. Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, attending the symphony was one of her favorite childhood memories. Nicole also cherished attending the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Concert in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The greatest thing for Nicole is that her first live experience with opera was through PMMF. To have this experience in her own backyard is a treasure that she holds dear to her heart.

Nicole continues to educate youth through the MACC but hopes to get more youth involved in PMMF.

Michael Neuman

Trustee

Mike Neuman is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After college he took a position on the faculty at Case Western Reserve University where he worked for thirty-two years. He eventually found his way to Houghton and Michigan Technological University, where he is the chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Neuman was in Houghton interviewing for his position with the college and went to a Pine Mountain Music Festival Opera, where he liked what he heard.  The Festival was a strong positive factor in choosing to move to the Copper Country.

Mike lives with his wife Judy, whom he credits with getting him personally involved with the Festival. He also shares his space with two dogs, two cats, eight goats and three horses on his hobby farm just outside of Houghton.

Bette Premo

Trustee

Bette Premo, Ph.D., is a scientist and owner of the environmental consulting firm, White Water Associates, Inc. that provides environmental lab testing services and natural resource studies.  Bette plays viola with the Marquette Symphony Orchestra and the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra.  She loves music and with her family band, called White Water, performs many concerts each year with their folk and traditional music recorded on eight albums. Bette sings and plays fiddle, mandolin and hammer dulcimer.  Since 1985 Bette and her husband Dean have been organizers of The Second Sunday Folk Dances and School Performances program that serves to bring in top quality folk performers for an evening of entertainment at Fortune Lake Camp (Crystal Falls) and daytime performances and workshops at local schools. The programs begin each year in October and are held once each month until April. Bette Premo and her family have developed and organized this event since inception, providing the opening act for each program, and supporting the program with promotion, funding, securing performers and school venues. 

Jon Pryor

Trustee

Jon and his wife, Paula, attended the first Pine Mountain Music Festival event at the Pine Mountain Resort. They have hosted musicians, and sponsored the Chippewa Gala for the last ten years.  They are residents of Iron Mountain, where Jon is Regional President for Northern Michigan Bank & Trust. 

Jon joined the Festival board in 2007, and serves on the Finance and Endowment Committees.  A business graduate of University of Michigan, he also holds an MBA from Northern Michigan University.  His career in banking covers more than 30 years. 

Besides his enthusiastic support of the Festival, he is active in many organizations, including Bay College-West, and Rotary International. 

Karlyn Rapport

Trustee

Steve Soltis

Treasurer, Board of Trustees

Steve Soltis of Iron Mountain joined the Festival board of trustees in 2008 and was immediately cajoled into becoming treasurer.  He is a retired township manager, construction project manager and registered land surveyor. 

He holds a degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati.  As a long-term resident of Cincinnati, he and his wife Sandy held season tickets to the Cincinnati Pops, and he complemented that with 19 years of refereeing high school soccer games. 

For years, he and Sandy have attended Festival concerts, and they have opened their home to house Festival artists and to held post-concert receptions. 

Dan Truckey

Trustee

Daniel Truckey is the Director/Curator of the Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center, a new Upper Peninsula history museum on the campus of Northern Michigan University.  He is also the coordinator for the NMU International Performing Arts Series.  Dan has over two decades of experience working in the museum and history field beginning with his work as a student at NMU in the University Archives.   After graduating from NMU with a Bachelors in History, Dan attended Bowling Green State University where he received an M.A. in Popular Culture and then the Cooperstown Graduate Program where he earned an M.A. in History Museum Studies.  

Professionally Dan has worked as a curator and administrator for many large and small history museums including: the Grand Traverse Heritage Center in Traverse City, Sioux City Public Museum in Iowa, the Connecticut Historical Society, Simsbury Historical Society (Connecticut), Litchfield Historical Society (Connecticut), Noah Webster House, Catskills Entertainment Hall of Fame, Michigan Historical Museum, Father Marquette Museum and Fort Wilkins State Park.  His professional affiliations have included the Michigan Museum Association, Iowa Museum Association, American Association for State and Local History, the Traverse Area Arts Council, Traverse City Cultural Coalition, and the Northern Michigan Songwriters in the Round. 

Peter Van Pelt

Executive Director

Mr. Van Pelt considers PMMF an essential part of life in the U.P., bringing a dimension of life that was not here before.  He loves orchestral and chamber music, and loves to make it available to others. Peter really loves opera, which he calls the most comprehensive of all art forms, and he wants everybody to share that enthusiasm.  He was in his mid-30s when he saw his first opera, and would like everybody else to start earlier!

Peter has served on the Festival's Board of Trustees for seven years, two of those as president. He has also served on the board of the Calumet Theatre and the Keweenaw County Historical Society. Peter earned a certificate in nonprofit management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Peter and his wife, Patricia, received the Laura Jean Deming Award from the Festival in 2007. He enjoys working with the Festival's volunteers and staff, and meeting the artists.  

Peter spent his childhood summers in the Keweenaw, but was otherwise brought up in Illinois and Ohio. He met his wife, Patricia, at Swarthmore College.  They have three children, and several grandchildren and step-grandchildren.  In 1985 they built a retirement home in Eagle Harbor, and commute between there and their condo in Hancock.