Calumet Chamber Musicians


Home About Us Performer Bios Our Services European Tour Repertoire What People Are Saying About Us	2008–2009 Season Participating Musicians
		John Wachala, flute The leader of the Calumet Chamber Musicians was awarded a 2007-2008 grant through the Individual Artist Program of the Indiana Arts Council, making it possible for him to study last summer with esteemed English flutist William Bennett. John earned a Licentiate diploma (LRSM) from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, a master’s in music from Roosevelt University, and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Purdue. He was for many years co-owner of Wachala Music in Hammond. He teaches flute privately and at Puzon’s Music in Lansing, and is an adjunct faculty member at Prairie State College and Purdue University Calumet. He freelances with groups in the region, and has recently appeared as one of four soloists with Valparaiso University’s Bach Institute.
		Enrique Llama, clarinet A native of Spain, Enrique earned his bachelor's degree at Bilbao Conservatory, where he studied clarinet and saxophone with Florian Popa, Principal Clarinettist of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. He continued his education in San Sebastian with Juan Navarro, Principal Clarinettist of the Basque Country Symphony. In 1993 he moved to Freiburg (Germany) and studied at the Musikhochschule with Professor Dieter Klöcker, who, as a founding member of the Consortium Classicum, opened the door to the vast variety of clarinet chamber music to Enrique. In 1996 Enrique continued his learning adventure by moving to Chicago, where he took private lessons from Larry Combs, now retired Principal Clarinettist of the Chicago Symphony, and at Roosevelt University, where he studied with the orchestra's second chair Gregory Smith. Thanks to a university scholarship he was able to earn his master's degree at Roosevelt. Between 2004 and 2008 he lived in Paris (France), where he took private lessons with Phillipe Cuper, Principal Clarinettist of the Opera de Paris. During his stay in the aforementioned countries Enrique has always tried to learn the languages and absorb the culture of each one of them, in an ongoing attempt to gain understanding of the deep connection between human beings of all places and art of all types. Enrique has freelanced in several orchestras and chamber music groups in Europe and the USA since 1985, like the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the Basque Country Symphony, the Institut für Neue Musik Freiburg, the American Opera and Theater Orchestra and the Calumet Chamber Musicians. He has taught clarinet since 1986, when he began as his professor's assistant in Bilbao. Enrique has being playing with the Calumet Chamber Musicians since 2003, and lives in Spain, where he teaches and freelances.
		Amy A. Wurtz, pianist, composer Amy Wurtz studied Piano and Creative Writing at the University of Redlands in her native California before completing Master’s degrees in Musical Composition and Piano Performance at the University of Minnesota. She studied piano with Alexander Braginsky and Louanne Long, and was a composition student of Judith Lang Zaimont and Alexandra Pierce. During her studies Wurtz was the recipient of various scholarships and stipendiums and held positions as a lecturer and teaching assistant in Minneapolis. Since completing her studies, Wurtz has worked as a freelance pianist, accompanist, composer, music copyist, and teacher. Among her accomplishments are performing the American premiere of Armenian composer Beatrice Ohanessian's "The Dawn," and winning first prize in the 2001 Beyer National Federation of Music Clubs Composition Competition. In 2004, Wurtz studied piano with Master Teacher Inés Gómez-Carillo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2005, Wurtz moved to Germany, to focus on presenting her work, Message from the Soul in various cities throughout Europe. Wurtz moved to Chicago in December 2007, where she composes, teaches and performs throughout the city and surrounding areas.
		Timothy Jones, horn Tim has been active in the Chicago region as a hornist and private brass teacher for over twelve years, and has served on the music faculties at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights and South Suburban College in South Holland. A resident of Park Forest (IL), he completed degrees in Music Performance at Murray State University and the Eastman School of Music, studying with Verne Reynolds, Eldon Matlick, and John Hancock.
		Elif Allenfort, piano Elif began studying piano at the age of seven. At nine, her precocious talent earned her early admission to the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory in her native Turkey. Elif remained at the conservatory until she was nineteen years old, studying under the noted teacher Banu Perk. She gave her first major concert with the symphony orchestra in Ankara at the age of thirteen, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto, K.488. While a student, she performed throughout Turkey, appearing on stage, radio and television. On graduating from Ankara Conservatory in 1993, she earned the rare honor of being top graduate in both the conservatory and the university at large. She studied further as a scholarship winner in Brussels and at Roosevelt University in Chicago (where she was awarded the Artist Diploma as a student of Ludmila Lazar), and in master classes with the leading pianists in Europe such as Radu Lupu and Idil Biret. Elif is the piano division head at the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She is also the pianist for the Lake Shore Unitarian Society in Winnetka, Illinois and has performed in concert with musicians such as the members of The Music of the Baroque, the Rembrandt Chamber Players, members of the CSO, Chicago Lyric Opera and Roosevelt University Orchestra. She formed a piano duo in 2005 with pianist Sevgi Giles, and the Metropolis-Duo with violinist Christie-Keiko Abe, with whom she has performed a series of recitals. Elif regularly returns to Turkey to perform solo recitals and with several state symphony orchestras.
		Joseph Bognar, piano and harpsichord Dr. Joseph Bognar is Associate Professor of Music at Valparaiso University where he teaches piano, harpsichord, and music theory. He has premiered piano solo works of composer Stephen Wilcox throughout the US, including a performance at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and has recorded Wilcox's work for the Capstone record label. He has served on the faculties of the Maud Powell Music Festival, Lutheran Summer Music, and the Stamford International Music Festival. As a member of the Castillon Piano Trio, he has toured the United Kingdom, receiving acclaim for "his superb technique....one could only marvel at this talented performer." (Evening Telegraph, UK) As a performer-scholar, Dr. Bognar has presented lecture-recitals on the works of Faure and Schubert. His doctoral research explores Schubert's compositional self-borrowing in the construction of operatic arias. His article, "J.C. Bach's Temistocle: Detecting the Reform Spirit in Eighteenth Century Opera Seria," appears in volume XIV of the Music Research Forum.
		Lynn D. Suh, violin Lynn is a part-time freelance musician. In college, he played with the University Symphony Orchestra at U.C. Berkeley, serving as co-concertmaster during his freshman and sophomore years before relinquishing his chair. He was also musically active in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, performing with such groups as Bay Area Classical Harmonies (B.A.C.H.), the Baroque Sinfonietta and the Orinda Opera Company. He has been a student under Cyrus Forough at Roosevelt University and Virginia Baker at U.C. Berkeley. He recently completed a masters program in the social sciences at the University of Chicago and is presently working in the Loop.
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