Orchestra Member Profiles
LINDA KELLER, 2nd clarinet
How long have you played with the ESO (including this season)?
I’m not sure exactly – about 40 years.
What brought you to the orchestra?
The 2nd clarinetist had resigned suddenly before a concert.I was acquainted with some ESO members who recommended me to Frank Miller (the conductor at the time)… and the rest is history!
Who was/were your favorite music teachers?
I loved my first teacher, George Landon, in Peoria, IL. He was the principal clarinetist in the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and my idol!
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
I wanted to play flute, but the 3-4th graders ahead of me chose to play flute.No more flutists were wanted so my 2nd choice was clarinet.
What is your favorite memory with the ESO?
Frank Miller’s stories about his experiences with Toscanini and other music legends.Also his CSO stories.
How far is your commute to ESO rehearsals and concerts?
I drive about 15 miles (30 round trip) from Deerfield.
What do you do for a living?
I am a Human Resources Coordinator for a company in Northbrook that makes active ingredients for pharmaceutical products.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Flower gardening. My garden—a real challenge as it is totally shady.
Also I am a catophile. I love cats and volunteer at Orphans of the Storm one day a week, grooming and socializing the cats so they are more adoptable. And as a volunteer, I foster kittens and cats at home. That involves feeding them, giving medicine to some, and socializing/manners training. Sometimes they are newborn kittens whose mother wasn’t found or is unable to feed them. These kittens require around-the-clock feeding. Fortunately I’ve not had many newborns. I’ve fostered 40 kittens so far, as well as a few adults.
What is your favorite food?
Italian – just plain traditional spaghetti with lots of sauce!
Do you have a special routine to get yourself ready for a concert?
Not really, although, as the concert approaches I spend more time “fine tuning” my reeds.
What is one unusual thing about yourself (that you feel comfortable sharing!)?
A collection of Halloween witches.As my birthday is at the end of October, family and friends often gave me witches as gifts.Soon I began to “collect” and have 47 as of now.My smallest is 1” high the largest 38”.
Greg Malovance, Trombone
How long have you played with the ESO (including this season)?
This is my second year.
What brought you to the orchestra?
Don Cagen, principal trumpet of the ESO, and I played together as founding members of the Chicago Brass Band ; Don let me know of an opening in the trombone section and spoke highly of the orchestra as a whole, and of the brass section in particular.
Who was/were your favorite music teachers?
My father played trombone in the Army band during World War II and had his own big band for quite some time thereafter…Russ Vance and His Band of Renowns!!! He had me playing trombone before my arm was long enough to reach 5th position and taught me all of the basics . He continued to play up until the day he died at age 70, showing by example how this can be a lifelong passion. More recently, just when I thought I could do some things reasonably well, I started studying with Jay Friedman who has given me a whole new understanding of what I should be trying to do with my sound . One time he actually said I had played the perfect note--yes, one note--but quickly tempered my joy by telling me that if I could just play every note like that, I would sound like him!
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
As I often tell my younger son who dishonored the family by deciding to play the trumpet, I play the trombone because it has the most beautiful sound and is the most flexible of all the instruments in terms of dynamics, range, articulation and style ( he does not concede this point )…or maybe just because there was an extra trombone in the house when I was growing up.
What is your favorite memory with the ESO?
My first concert at Pick Staiger…for quite a few years we enjoyed coming to Pick when our son played with the Midwest Young Artists orchestra and I often thought how nice it would be to play in that venue…I was right!
How far is your commute to ESO rehearsals and concerts?
I work in Chicago and live in Barrington, so my commute to rehearsals is only about 30 minutes…going to and from Barrington is another story…the roads weren't built with that trip in mind.
What do you do for a living?
I am a Partner and a labor and employment relations attorney with a large, Chicago based law Firm .
What are your favorite hobbies?
I enjoy cooking, landscaping, playing with our golden retriever and just hanging out with my wife of 29 years and my three grown children ( as well as my brand new son-in-law ).
What is your favorite food?
My mother's holupki ( stuffed cabbage ); my wife's meatloaf and Maryland chicken; and most recently, my son's bean and pumpkin soup with curry. That last one sounds dreadful, but it is really, really good!
Do you have a special routine to get yourself ready for a concert?
Other than going through a normal warm-up routine, the most important thing is to resist the temptation to play too much , especially in a start/stop kind of way during the downtime during the hour or so before the concert starts.
What is one unusual thing about yourself (that you feel comfortable sharing!)?
Well…according to my family, there isn't much about me that isn't unusual…not quite sure just how they mean that!!!
Liza Berger, viola
How long have you played with the ESO (including this season)?
One
What brought you to the orchestra?
I was looking for a new challenge musically. I have found it!
Who was/were your favorite music teachers?
Sally Didrickson and Rhoda Gena
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
I started playing the violin. I switched to the viola in high school (New Trier High School) because I liked the rich tone of the instrument. I also knew there was more demand in orchestras for violas than violins.
What is your favorite memory with the ESO?
Each concert has been really interesting so far. I really enjoyed the festive spirit of the Christmas/holiday concert.
How far is your commute to ESO rehearsals and concerts?
10 minutes
What do you do for a living?
I work in journalism. I currently work as an associate editor for McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, a news magazine for the nursing home field. It is located in Northfield.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I like to read, exercise and learn foreign languages (I currently know French). I also took a sewing class last summer, but I am still trying to figure out how to thread the machine.
What is your favorite food?
Asian cuisine.
Do you have a special routine to get yourself ready for a concert?
I practice!
What is one unusual thing about yourself (that you feel comfortable sharing!)?
I worked as an au pair in Normandy, France, after college. At my family’s urging I brought my viola with me overseas. I actually played for a while in the student orchestra of the University of Caen.
