Lookalikes
If one of us looks really familiar to you but you just can't place it ... check out our celebrity lookalike section! These are also our casting requirements for LSJ: the movie -- does anyone know why Vince Vaughn isn't returning our calls?
The Members
Sopranos
Altos
Tenors
Basses
The Bios
Oscar Alcantara
Oscar likes to do many different things, including composing music, eating
obscene quantities of food, and spending time teaching his sons the secrets
of an augmented 7th chord. Before gracing LSJ with his arranging skills,
outstanding musicianship, and congenial professionalism, Oscar has performed
with the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones,
The Harvard Glee Club, and the University of Michigan
Men's Glee Club. Oscar was also a member of the infamous Hasty Pudding
Theatricals. Oscar does some arranging now and again. His arrangements
have been performed by the Veritones,
Harvard Glee Club Lite, the Kenyon Kokosingers, the Kenyon Chasers, the
Cornell Cayugas Waiters, the University of Michigan Friars,
the University of Michigan's Amazin'
Blue, and the Michigan
Men's Glee Club.
Lisa Cardonick
Lisa leads a secret life as an undercover operative for a government agency
far, far more secret and powerful than the CIA. You may wonder why you
are being allowed to read this. The answer is simple: she knows who you
are, and where you live. She's so good that the second before you
think about blowing her cover, she'll take you out. Also she likes caring
for her babies (her youngest already has three successful missions under
his tiny belt), and daydreaming about fluffy bunnies and puppy dogs. She
may (or may not) have been in Lake Shore Jive (or Rockapella) since the
group started (or last week).
Hamilton Chang
Originally trained as a violinist, Hamilton was one of the youngest concert-masters
of the local Youth Symphony. He studied Violin at Interlochen-
Center for the Arts as a nine year old and played in the Junior Orchestra
there. Over his orchestral career Hamilton has played under the direction
of conductors such as Leo Ditmar, Rosemary Malachi, Leo Najar, and Leif
Bjaland; and has performed in places ranging from Membach, Belgium to
Flint, Michigan. As a teenager, Hamilton transferred his love of music
from the violin into voice performance. He has sung or soloed with groups
such as the Carman Youth Chorale, various choral groups at Interlochen,
The
University of Michigan Men's Glee Club, and the Boy Choir at Christ
Church, and has studied voice with Jerry McCoy, Willis Patterson, Ed Farran,
and Doug Wood. Over his classical voice career, Hamilton has sung under
the direction of C. Bruce Stevenson, Patrick Gardner, Bradley Bloom, Jerry
Blackstone, and Fred DeHaven, and has travelled to exotic locales like
Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Portsmouth, Ohio. Hamilton started
singing close harmony a cappella in high school, at first developing several
groups himself. In college he won a coveted spot in the Friars,
the longest active a cappella group at the University of Michigan, where
he served stints as both business manager and music director. (Hamilton
tells the younger members he sang a cappella "before a cappella was cool".)
He joined LSJ in 1995. As a middle-aged man, Hamilton has played and sung
with several different "dad bands" in the Chicagoland area. His TWO favorite
dad bands are PopRocks, with fellow Jiver Oscar Alcantara,
and East of Edens.
Emily Dillingham
Deep in the ancient forests of what is now the Indian state of Jharkhand,
there was a giant python that had lived for untold eons. Some said that
it was the avatar of a long-forgotten deity, others the embodiment of
the spirit of the forest. Few who saw it survived. While wandering the
forests on a 2nd grade school trip, Emily stumbled into a clearing where
the great snake was draped from limb to bough amongst the great trees
like tinsel. Its vast head wavered in front of her and she asked it what
it was. "What I am is no matter, for I am dying. But if you can grant
me one boon, I will tell you your life's calling." She nodded, her seven
year old throat unable to produce sound. "I would like that rice krispy
treat in your backpack. I have never had one and it smells delicious."
She handed over the confection, and the snake munched eagerly. When finished,
it sighed happily, and said, "You should probably be a lawyer or something."
Then it died.
Rebecca Ford-Paz
Rebecca
(Rivkah) was in Jive from about 2001-2005, and rejoined in 2008 after
returning from Boston with her doctorate. She is married to Rolando and
lives in Edgewater. Her day job is as Staff Psychologist at Children's
Memorial Hospital, where she coordinates an Anxiety and Mood Disorders
Clinic for kids. Rebecca is the Spanish-speaking, scatting Jive member
responsible for bringing "Chili con Carne"
to LSJ. Spring Singers might remember Rebecca for her navel piercing and
the fallout thereafter.
Corey Greendale
Corey
used to live in Scotland until a bizarre series of misunderstandings and
comic mishaps led to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. He relocated
to Romania, and was forced to leave when the local peasants thought he
was a vampire (he was known as Lord Dracula back then, so the mistake
is somewhat forgivable). He then spent some time in backwoods Canada (Sasquatch),
Tibet (Abominable Snowman), and L.A. and Miami (Shaquille O'Neal). The
rumor that he was the second gunman on the grassy knoll is false, but
the other rumor that one time he kicked Vin Diesel's ass is totally true.
Nate Hole
On June 2, 2000, Nate Hole -- the greatest player in the history of hockey -- was introduced by Phoenix Coyotes Owner & Chairman Steve Ellman as the managing partner of the Coyotes in charge of all hockey operations. The Great One did not officially begin his new role until February 15, 2001 -- the date Ellman's ownership group completed the purchase of the Coyotes. Wait a second -- this is Wayne Gretzky's biography, with the name changed! Nevermind.
Whitney McCall
Whitney's been singing since her parents thrust a microphone into her
hand at the age of 4, and she hasn't been able to let go of it ever since.
In her spare time she plays doctor at a practice in Naperville. She previously
set the record for longest LSJ commute by coming in from Milwaukee for
a few years while she finished her residency. Whitney's idea of a perfect
night would be reading a good book by candlelight while sipping a glass
of Red Zin, with her husband by her side and their 2 kitties warming her
feet.
Geoff Mogilner
Geoff's name, translated into Sanskrit, is an ancient phrase of power that, if spoken in the correct location, will raise the city of Atlantis and unleash the fury of all its warriors on the world. This Sanskrit phrase is phonetically identical to the English: "I would like a number four, supersize, with a Diet Coke" -- proof that the global expansion of McDonald's is actually the first phase of a sinister plot for world domination. Also, he likes ice cream.
Eric Pomajzl
Eric
is the newest member of LSJ. He is from Nebraska and is an alumni of Doane
College. Eric works at the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra and also at a neighborhood bar. Which one? Go find
him, and win a gig-worn fedora. More info to come as soon as Eric's dossier
is unclassified.
Judi Riley
Design
Consultant by day (RileyCreative, Inc.), aspiring songwriter by night,
Judi truly thanks LSJ for the opportunity to share in the love of singing,
laughing and oh yeah....THOUSANDS of humorous weekly email blasts (can
you say gmail?). Judi has always had music in her life, from harmonizing
with her barbershop-loving dad on family summer car trips, to performing
in musical theatre, including Candlelight's long-running production of
Annie, Marriott Lincolnshire's USA premier of Windy City,
and Baby, directed by Richard Maltby Jr. She is an original member
of LSJ. If she could have one super power it would be either to have a
photographic memory, to be able to dance like Michael
Flatley, or to actually get 8 hours of sleep every night. Her favorite
current TV show is House. Her favorite word to say is arugula!, and her
biggest current desire would be to either sing with Keith
Urban or...heck, while we're wishing...
Melissa Shubalis
Melissa is a product marketing manager by day, and a singing machine by
night. She's been in LSmfJ since the turn of the century, and is in a
package deal with Corey. (Hey, you get what you paid
for.) Aside from this extremely talented a cappella group that rocks her
world, Melissa sings in two other groups in her "spare" time. She's in
a classical choir called the Apollo
Chorus, and is the frontwoman for a rockin' cover band called Wingman.
Melissa's Greek name means love, and she has many - some of which are:
Easy
Cheese, American Idol, sushi, Chimay,
Nip/Tuck, Sudoku, a certain man who's never cold, her iPhone, and Chandler
Bing.
Jason Sperling
Jason is an actor/singer/improviser around town. He recently appeared
in Enter the Guardsman with Illinois Theatre Center. Other theatres
Jason has worked with locally include Marriott, Drury Lane Water Tower,
Theatre at the Center, Noble Fool, Apple Tree Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook,
Northlight, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Jason is a proud original
company member of Barrel
of Monkeys, a children's writing and theatre program, and he also
tours the country with Wavelength,
a company that does comedy for educators. He has been with Jive since
April of 1995, when he had more hair and no beard, and sings bass. He
tends to bounce when he sings, especially doing vocal percussion. No really,
watch for it. Jason really likes the Buffalo
Bills, Chicago
Cubs, pop culture, and crossword puzzles, and he loves GCH.
