ABOUT THE BEAVER DAM AREA ORCHESTRA
Our History
The Beaver Dam Area Orchestra is a nonprofit, community-oriented orchestra that has been providing quality music for over 60 years. In 1988, the Beaver Dam Recreation Orchestra was incorporated as the Beaver Dam Area Orchestra, which was founded in 1954 by Mr. Glenn Wood.
Our Mission
The mission of Beaver Dam Area Orchestra is to bring quality music to Beaver Dam and the surrounding area, as well as provide a platform to musicians who are passionate about performing. While promoting the arts in the Beaver Dam community, we strive to provide engaging and educational experiences for our audiences. As a community, we are extremely grateful for the ongoing support and donations that we receive for the music we produce.
Musician Roster
Musical Director, Ms. Erin Ebersole
The outstanding talent we have in our ensemble is truly something to marvel at. From 25 different communities, there are over 60 talented musicians who make up our roster!
Lakeisha Heeringa
Judy Heffron
Gayla Ninmann
Georgia Heinemeier
Laurie Eisenga
Margaret Babicz
Rachel Faust
Crystal Kuzniewicz
Candy Weitner
Kevin Luebke
Hannah Braaksma
Aubryn DeJager
Nikki Durni
Sarahy Garcia Lugo
Jenny Harris
Barbara Heil
Catherine Juhl
Becca Larson
Nancy Osterhaus
Karissa Redman
Michaela Rupnow
Michelle Denruiter
Robert Toomey
Lillian Westergaard
Claire Thiel
Daryn Thiel
Dawn Gaylord
Kristen Bahr
Lisa Weisensel
Audrey Oien
Owen Ferree
Drew Norenberg
Emily Gutknecht
Racquel Burnett
Susan Lanier
Lisa Amport
Julie Larsen
Ann Junkin
Emily Kastner
Isabella Rupnow
Adriana Schaalma
Mitzi Soldner-Schulz
Kristie Ely
Aurora Rincon
Ed Budde
Carrie Tietz, principal
Amanda Luebke
Cathi Wilson
Sandy Polcyn
Alexis Conkey
Kristen Anderson-Hereth
Henry Westergaard
Robin Kasparek
Jennifer Tunks
Ann Lemmenes
Seva Ziegler
David Hoffmaster
Jason Bernhagen
Abby Gutknecht
Colin Galitz
Tom Irwin
Mary Irwin
Laurie Loomans
Alicia Rake
Todd Halverson
Steve Schultz
Jeff Kasparek
Ed Budde
Jennifer Bowser
Ryan Brueske
Kevin Buxton
Bill Gergen
Tristan Kittel
Lisa Weisensel
Board of Directors
Executive Committee:
President: Marge Jorgensen
Vice-President: Kevin Luebke
Treasurer: Mary Vogl-Rauscher
Secretary: Darby Hintz
Not pictured: Mary Vogl-Rauscher (Treasurer)
Musician Roster
Musical Director, Ms. Erin Ebersole
The outstanding talent we have in our ensemble is truly something to marvel at. From 25 different communities, there are over 90 talented musicians who make up our roster!
Lakeisha Heeringa
Judy Heffron
Gayla Ninmann
Georgia Heinemeier
Laurie Eisenga
Margaret Babicz
Rachel Faust
Crystal Ellcey
Zoe Lord
Kevin Luebke, principal
Aubryn DeJager
Bailey Strahota
Barbara Heil
Bridget Kelley
Catherine Juhl
Hannah Braaksma
Rebecca Buxton
Kyle Henrickson
Nancy Osterhaus
Michaela Rupnow
Michelle Denruiter
Robert Toomey
Ryan Tietz
Matt Werbelow
Nikki Durni
Dawn Gaylord
Emily Gutknecht
Kristen Kasparek
Lisa Weisensel
Isabella Rupnow
Susan Lanier
Julie Larsen
Daelen Johnson
Jeff Mroz
Kristie Ely
Carrie Tietz
Carrie Tietz, principal
Sarah Chambers
Cathi Wilson
Sandy Polcyn
Alexis Conkey
Kristen Anderson-Hereth
Rachel Tolkinen
Jennifer Tunks
Ann Lemmenes
David Hoffmaster
Jason Bernhagen
John McDonald
Tom Irwin
Mary Irwin
Laurie Loomans
Alicia Rake
Ridley Mullenbach
Todd Halverson
Steve Schultz
Jeff Kasparek
Ed Budde
Jennifer Bowser
Ryan Brueske
Kevin Buxton
Bill Gergen
Natalyn Nelson
Board of Directors
Executive Committee:
President: Marge Jorgensen
Email: bdaomusicdirector@gmail.com
Vice-President: Kevin Luebke
Email: bdaomusicdirector@gmail.com
Treasurer: Mary Vogl-Rauscher
Email: bdaomusicdirector@gmail.com
Secretary: Darby Hintz
Email: bdaomusicdirector@gmail.com
Members At-Large:
Lori Bartruff
Greg Gassen
Marty Jindra
Alicia Rake
Marilyn Thomas
Devon Cournoyer: Coordinator
Cities Represented:
Beaver Dam
Columbus
Fall River
Fond du Lac
Fox Lake
Friesland
Hartford
Horicon
Hustiford
Juneau
Madison
Marshall
Randolph
Sun Prairie
Watertown
Waupun
West Bend
Windsor
Glenn Wood, Beaver Dam Area Orchestra Founder
1915 – 2007 Originally written in December of 2005 to honor Glenn’s 90th Birthday
“Mr. Wood was born and raised in the small southwestern Wisconsin town of South Wayne in 1915. With just 50 students in the entire South Wayne School, Mr. Wood graduated with the Class of 1934. There were only 10 members in the whole senior class. (That certainly is one way to graduate in the top 10 of your class!) At his mother’s insistence, Mr. Wood attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison. As long as he was going to school, his father insisted that he learn to play the violin. As a UW freshman, Wood auditioned for and made both the University of Wisconsin Orchestra as a violinist and the second UW concert band as a cornet player.
Graduating from UW Madison in 1939, Glenn married his childhood sweetheart Marion. This year marked 66 years of marriage for the Woods. After World War II and service in the army, Glenn worked as the band and orchestra director in Belleville, Wisconsin. In 1953, he was offered a job teaching music in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. It was a position that he would hold until his retirement in 1975. During his career in Beaver Dam, Mr. Wood developed a reputation for disciplined and talented ensembles. When the University of Wisconsin Orchestra director Marvin Rabin contacted Glenn about the creation of the new Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, eight Beaver Dam High School string players became a part of the very first WYSO Orchestra.
During his first year in the Beaver Dam district, Mr. Wood was asked by the city to create a community orchestra that could meet during the winter months opposite the summer community band. The Beaver Dam Recreation Orchestra (now the Beaver Dam Area Orchestra) was created in the fall of 1954 and Mr. Wood remained its music director for 37 years.
Former students look upon their time with Mr. Wood with fondness and gratitude and even though he has been out of the teaching profession for 30 years, they still call him up or visit him in his home on a regular basis. Many of them still meet with Glenn on Tuesday nights for a weekly “jam” session. Glenn always remembers their names and can vividly recall stories of their time in his bands and orchestras. Glenn is a humble man and is constantly amazed when these former students, now in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, express to him their gratitude for the years they had him as a teacher. It is a fitting and wonderful tribute to a man who has touched so many lives during a public career that spanned more than 35 years.”
– Richard Zeman
Richard Zeman, BDAO Musical Director 1991-2021
When Richard Zeman stepped onto the podium as music director of the Beaver Dam Area Orchestra, saying he had big shoes to fill would be an understatement. His predecessor was Mr. Glenn Wood, the founder of the BDAO, and described by a member as “the heart and soul of the orchestra since its beginning.” Many would say Rich carved his own path into the hearts of BDAO musicians and audience members alike during his time on the podium.
Mr. Zeman’s entire 34 teaching career was in Beaver Dam, beginning in 1983. He taught orchestra, band, marching band, and jazz band – teaching beginning, middle school and high school students during that time. He was involved in the high school musicals, Key Club, and the popular Big Band dances.
Active as a music educator in the state, Rich is an adjudicator for WSMA Solo/Ensemble and Concert Band/Orchestra festivals. In 2010-11, he served as a section coach for the Wisconsin Honors Jazz Ensemble. Rich was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu fraternity of band directors in 2010, which honors outstanding band directors at the state level.
Rich’s presence in the community was as impactful as in the school. He was a member of AM Kiwanis for 23 years, including time as President and Treasurer. At Grace Presbyterian, he was in the choir, and served as an elder and property manager.
He and his wife, Cheryl, were active in the Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre for decades, serving on the Board of Directors as President and Member-at-Large. His musical talents were shared with the local music groups Loco Vocals, the Beaver Dam Community Band, S4 Saxophone Quartet, and the Little Big Band. As the first director of the Seippel Center for Music and the Arts, his work was critical to creating a common space for private music lessons in Beaver Dam as well as launching the Summer Concert Series on the lawn of the Seippel Center.
-Erin Ebersole
