Dr. Stan Hill, Artistic Director

Dr. Stan Hill became the Chorus’ sixth Artistic Director on August 1, 2000 after serving eleven years as the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His doctoral dissertation on the voice has been adapted for use by the music faculty at California State University, Fullerton. Portions of his thesis have also been published in the Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and have been used in two NATS symposia. A native of Southern California, Stan earned his BM and MM in conducting degrees from CSU-Fullerton, where he studied with David Thorsen and Harold Decker.

Stan, in his fourth decade as a choral director, has conducted in the public schools for eleven years, the University of Illinois for two years, CSU-Fullerton for five years, was previously on the voice faculty at CSU-Fullerton where he conducted all the choirs offered and has maintained a private voice studio in his home.

A dynamic conductor, arranger, clinician and vocal coach, Stan’s career spans the elementary, secondary, university, church and community choral spectrums at which he has conducted every configuration of vocal ensemble and chorus in concert with every combination of instrumentation from small ensembles to full symphony orchestra. Stan is a member of NATS, ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) and is well known in choral circles for his witty, humanist and iconoclastic approach to conducting.

Hill has commissioned some of GALA’s (Gay and Lesbian Choruses Association) most successful repertoire including NakedMan, Exile, ExtrABBAganza, Misbehavin’!, Metamorphosis and Through a Glass, Darkly. He has produced thirteen CDs, two videos, a DVD and countless arrangements for men’s choruses.

Hill is a major figure in the GLBT choral movement. He has the unique distinction of being the longest serving Artistic Director for both the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (11 years) and the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus (12 years). Dr. Hill will be retiring in 2012 and the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus has launched a national search for his successor.

Stan can be reached at: shill@tcgmc.org and 612-339-7664

Jeff Heine, Executive Director

Jeff Heine is in his third year as Executive Director of TCGMC. Prior to his current role he served two seasons on the Board of Directors as chair of Resource Development. Jeff arrived at TCGMC after a twenty year career with Carlson Companies, a global leader in the marketing, hospitality and travel industries. He was most recently director of customer strategy within the Hotel group and served as a trustee of the Marketing Science Institute. Jeff is also a relationship management and targeted marketing consultant.

Jeff traveled with the Chorus for their entire historic “Great Southern Sing Out Tour” in the summer of 2006, as part of the Chorus’s 25th anniversary season. After seeing the positive impact that the Chorus made on the audiences in the cities they visited in the deep South, Jeff decided that he needed to have a more active role in this organization. He started as a volunteer and then moved in to a board position in 2007.

A native of the Twin Cities, Jeff is a graduate of Macalester College. He resides in the North Loop district of downtown Minneapolis. You will also find Jeff working as a Specialist at the Apple Store Uptown.

Jeff can be reached at jheine@tcgmc.org and 612-339-7664.

Christopher Taykalo, Marketing and Development Manager

Christopher Taykalo has been with TCGMC 3.5 years as the Marketing and Development Manager. He has worked in Marketing and Communications at the Ordway in downtown St. Paul, as the Education Manager for the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, and as the Community Relations Director for Disney/ABC Radio (KQRS, 93X, Drive 105, and Radio Disney) in Minneapolis. Taykalo has volunteered his time to lead the PR efforts for and serve on the board of Twin Cities Pride and served 4 years on the Board of Directors for Pangea World Theater.

He is the President-Elect of  the Minneapolis University Rotary Club and is a graduate of the Leadership Twin Cities program through the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the National Arts Marketing Project’s advanced training. Christopher also enjoys acting and serving as a freelance voice over talent. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College with a BA in Speech-Theater and English. He and his partner, Michael-jon Pease, live in the Crocus Hill neighborhood in St. Paul with their three cats, Toast, Stanford and Hurley.

Christopher can be reached at: ctaykalo@tcgmc.org and 612-339-7664

Stephanie Gaw, Office Manager

Stephanie is now in her 9th season with the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, first as an Administrative Assistant, and now as the Office Manager (read: does a little bit of everything).  Prior to joining the Chorus, Stephanie worked for Target Corporation for 16 years in several financial departments and then became part of the support group to usher in email as we know it to the entire corporation.

A native of the Philadelphia area, she is a graduate of the University of Minnesota earning a BS in Agricultural Economics, with a Marketing emphasis.  Stephanie and her partner of 27 years, Wendy, live in Brooklyn Center and enjoy escaping to their cabin in Ely all year round.

Stephanie can be reached at: sgaw@tcgmc.org and 612-339-7664

Timothy De Prey, Principal Accompanist

The holiday concert begins Timothy’s 21st season as Principal Accompanist for the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus. Throughout his career with the Chorus, he has been in demand as an accompanist for GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses). In the summer of 1998, he was chosen to be the accompanist for the Festival Chorus at the Gay Games in Amsterdam and in the summer of 2000 was chosen to be the accompanist for the Festival Men’s Chorus at Festival 2000 in San Jose, under the direction of Grammy winning director, Vance George.

De Prey can be heard on 7 of the TCGMC’s CDs, on Proud and Peaceful, a CD of solo piano music from pianists with GALA and on his own solo CD, in the evening air, a collection of nocturnes, lullabies and night songs. In 2010, De Prey released I Love a Piano, in celebration of his 20th anniversary as principal accompanist of the Chorus. The CD also features the world premiere of A Quiet Place, written by Craig Carnahan in loving memory of Mary Ellen Sarafolean, an extraordinary woman of quiet grace and beauty.

Timothy is the Director of Individual Instruction and Music Therapy at the MacPhail Center for Music, a position he has held since 1995. De Prey has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Music Therapy from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, is a board certified – music therapist and has a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota. His many credits include the role of the accompanist in Park Square Theatre’s production of Master Class, the Minnesota Opera, Opera 101, the College of St. Catherine’s, The Calhoun Beach Club, Bryant Lake Bowl and the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire’s Statesmen Men’s Chorus under the direction of Morris Hayes.

Bob Schlidt, OutLoud! Director

Bob has been a member of the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus since the fall of 2000. He joined the staff of the Chorus in 2002 when he started as Assistant Director of OutLoud! and chorus choreographer. The following year he assumed the position of Director of OutLoud! and continued in that role until 2007, when he resigned to go back to Graduate School (which he is still waiting to start).

Bob received degrees in both choral and instrumental music education from UW-Eau Claire, with emphasis in voice and bassoon, and a minor in piano. He currently teaches at Centennial High School where he is one of two directors in a program consisting of 270 students comprising ten choral ensembles. His duties also include teaching approximately 50-60 private voice lessons per week.

TCGMC Board of Directors

Mary Schwind, Board Chair– Attorney, U.S. District Court

Jeffrey D. Bores, Board Vice Chair - Attorney, Chestnut & Cambronne, P.A.

Stephanie Meredith, Secretary - Oncology Clinic Manager, Fairview Health Service

Joyce Bengtson, Treasurer – Director of Treasury, Medica

Jason Schuck, Chorus President – Director’s Assistant, David Lee Funeral Home

Paul Blom, Chorus Vice President - CEO, Right at Home

Scott Azbill – Healthcare IS Project Manager, Fairview Health Services

Michael Brown – Project Architect, RSP Architects, Ltd.

Larry Bussey – Director of Communications, Medica

Martyn Crook – Sr. Manager of International Consumer Insights, General Mills

Steve Dahl – Behavior Analyst/Program Director, State of Minnesota

Shawn Frank – Attorney, Jacobson, Buffalo, Magnuson, Anderson & Hogen

Jan Frisch – Consultant, Human Resources

Susan Grelling – Vice President Risk Management, Land O Lakes

David Hoang – Pharmacist, State of Minnesota

Steve Humerickhouse – Director of Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity, University of St. Thomas

Nancy Kluver – Executive Communications Consultant, Xcel Energy

Ryan Mayer – Senior Technical Project Manager, AT&T Mobility

Chris Mellin – Senior Production Artist, Peterson Milla Hooks Advertising

Todd Nesgoda – IT Consultant, Fairview Health Services

John Salisbury – Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts

Kerry Serverson – Midnight Sun Enterprises