May 2025 | The Monthly Note

More MUSIC, More COMMUNITY.

    In January of 2025, Artistic Director Tony Kelley met with two inspiring local musicians, Janet Gaffney and Katie Chivari. Together, they worked to create what is now known as the Harvard Community Chorale and Harvard OCTAVE's String Orchestra.

    Tony says on the subject "This expansion of OCTAVE is tremendous for not only our performers, but also the Harvard community. For the first time ever, we can officially call ourselves a "fine arts organization". We were never just a community band, we've always been more than that. This is a great way for us showcase that to the community. Harvard used to be known as a music town, and we feel like it's our responsibility to bring back that title. I am excited to see what's to come from these fabulous ensembles!"

    While these new ensembles are starting small, you can catch them at Harvard OCTAVE's Stars and Stripes Fest as they perform as a symphony orchestra combining all three ensembles performing BYU Vocal Point's "Nearer, My God to Thee". 

Happy ANNIVERSARY!

    This May is Harvard OCTAVE's second official season (unless you want to count the summer before we became OCTAVE, then it's three!). As a thank you, we would like to give a shoutout to all of our members who have been with us since our first concert in May 2024.

• Macie Norgard - Clarinet
• Ren Elliott - Clarinet
• River Medley - Clarinet
• Ludwika Martinez - Alto Saxophone
• Ari Schiller - Trumpet
• Connor Kingzette - Trumpet
• Justin Oerkfitz - Trombone
• Christie Schiller - Euphonium
• Jacob Schiller - Tuba
• Carrick Casey - Percussion
• Jason Lee - Percussion
• Sean Lee - Percussion
• William Schiller - Percussion

    Thank you for your patience and dedication to making Harvard OCTAVE the best it can be, your hard work and motivation has not gone unnoticed. We cannot wait to continue making music with you this year!

JANET GAFFNEY - Choral Director

Janet received her Bachelor's of Music in classical vocal performance from the American Conservatory in Chicago and her Master's in classical voice from the American Institute of Musical Studies, a training ground for opera singers, in Graz, Austria.

Janet's musical pedigree includes: Donna Harrison; voice(ACM); Kathy Kaun, vocal coach(Northwestern University), Martin Rich, conductor (Metropolitan Opera), Donna Brumsma, diction & language (Lyric Opera of Chicago), and Dick Jones, artistic direction (Metropolitan Opera).

A lyric soprano, Janet has performed in numerous operas, operettas, musicals and choral works in the US and Europe but her favorite role was that of Goldilocks in a school play at the age of seven.

She was the first assistant director for the Mendelssohn Chorale, the chorus for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra (Rockford, Illinois).

Today she is the director for the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Harvard, Il.

Janet also holds a degree in visual art (experimental photography); you can find her at her house in her (rare) free time annoying various subjects with a camera. 

KATIE CHIVARI - Orchestra Director

Katie began studying music at the age of 4, with her mother as her very first teacher. Notable classical instructors have included Stephanie Preucil (Schaumburg), June De Forest (Chicago), and Dr. Kathreen Ryan (EIU). Katie began teaching under Dr. Ryan at Eastern Illinois University in 1999 while pursuing a degree in violin performance. She also studied briefly with Irish master fiddler Kevin Burke, who helped to develop her Sligo style on the fiddle.

Katie has performed, arranged and recorded music in the Chicagoland area since 2007. She recorded two full-length albums and toured with Chicago's 9-piece folk/punk/americana band Elephant Gun from 2011-2015, and has written and recorded original string parts for some 20 other independent music artists.

For over 25 years, Katie has taught Suzuki & traditional private lessons, and currently enjoys a full studio of violin, viola, guitar, piano, & ukulele students ranging in age from 5 years old to "old enough to know better."
Katie is a pre-OT student at MCC and can be found most often with her nose in the books, but during her downtime she enjoys family time with her husband and 4 kids, as well as puttering around barefoot in the garden.