Music Department Faculty

Glenna Sprague, Coordinator
Professor of Music
Conductor and Director of the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble
Piano; Class Piano; Music Literature and History
B.M. Capital University Conservatory of Music (magna cum laude)
M.M. Ohio University
gsprague@oakton.edu
847.635.1905
Office: Room 1360, Des Plaines

Glenna Sprague teaches piano, class piano, music literature and history at the College, and directs and conducts the internationally acclaimed Oakton Six Piano Ensemble which she founded in 1980. An active performer, clinician, and adjudicator in the Chicago area, she has written numerous articles for national music journals, including American Music Teacher and Keyboard Companion. She has served as a panelist for the Illinois Arts Council, National Conference of Piano Pedagogy, National Group and Piano Pedagogy Forum, and Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Eileen Berman
B.M. Roosevelt University
M.M. Northeastern Illinois University
eberman@oakton.edu
847.635.1950
Office: Room 1356, Des Plaines

Eileen Berman has been a voice instructor at the College since 1987. She is noted for her success as a soprano in leading roles with the Chicago Opera Theatre. According to a Chicago Tribune music critic, Berman has the “right voice and presence.” She also has performed with many symphony orchestras, including the Halevi Choral Society, where she was a featured soloist on one of the group’s recordings. In addition to operas and symphonies, Berman has performed as a soloist at many churches and temples in the Chicago area.

Thomas Clippert
Guitar; Class Guitar; Guitar Ensemble; Choir
M.M. Yale University School of Music
clippert@oakton.edu
Office: Room 1352, Des Plaines
847.635.1937

Thomas Clippert teaches classical and jazz guitar and directs the guitar ensemble at Oakton. He frequently performs as both soloist and chamber musician throughout the Chicago area.  He has appeared with a variety of ensembles including L'Opera Piccola, Heartland Voices, CUBE, Northwest Chicago String Quartet, and the University of Chicago New Music Ensemble. Tom has performed as an artist-in-residence at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. In addition to his work at Oakton, Tom serves on the faculties of the Merit School of Music, and the Chicago High School for the Arts.

Dan Detloff
Voice; Theory and Aural Skills; Conducting; Fundamentals of Music
B.M.Ed. North Park College University
M.M.Ed. Northwestern University
ddetloff@oakton.edu
847.635.1907
Office: Room 1356, Des Plaines

Dan Detloff is professor of music and has been teaching at the College since 1972. He currently teaches music theory, aural skills, voice, and conducting. Throughout the Midwest, Detloff has been heard as a soloist and recitalist. From 1969 to 1974, he was a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he was understudy soloist with conductor Georg Solti.

Robert Evans
Director of the Oakton Jazz Band, Woodwind Ensemble, Applied Woodwinds
B.M.Ed. Northwestern University
M.M. Northwestern University
A.B.D. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
revans@oakton.edu
847.635.1937
Office: Room 1352, Des Plaines

Robert Evans directs the awarding-winning Oakton Jazz Band, the Woodwind Ensemble, and teaches applied clarinet, flute, and saxophone at the College. An accomplished performer, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout Illinois, Evans previously has been director of bands at LaSalle-Peru High School and Homewood-Flossmoor High School.

Daniel Golden
Violin; Viola, String Ensemble
B.A. University of Chicago
B.A. Indiana University
M.A. Indiana University
dgolden@oakton.edu
847.635.1937
Office: Room 1352, Des Plaines

Daniel Golden teaches violin, viola and directs the  String Ensemble. Principal Viola of the Lake Forest Symphony and a member of the Ars Viva Symphony and the Chicago Philharmonic, he serves on the faculty of the Merit School of Music, the Music Institute of Chicago, and the Algoma Music Camp.  For 25 years Golden was Principal Viola of Orchestra London, Canada. He was an active string teacher in Canada and founder and leader of the Hot Latkes Klezmer Band.  Active as a chamber musician, composer, and arranger, he is exploring diverse musical styles including klezmer and Balkan music, jazz, and hip-hop.

Mark Olen
Trumpet and Brass Instruments
B.A. Indiana University
markolen@oakton.edu
847.635.1937
Office: Room 1352

Mark Olen has been a trumpet instructor at the College since 1994. A celebrated recording artist with more than two decades of musical experience, he is a highly sought after professional lead, classical, and jazz trumpeter. The founder of Brassworks Brass, he has performed with many top entertainers, including Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, B. B. King, Bobby McFerrrin, and David Foster. He also has appeared with trumpet luminaries Arturo Sandoval, Maynard Ferguson, Jon Faddis, Doc Severinsen, and Roy Hargrove. Olen’s versatility is evidenced by his performances with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, American Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony, and Chicago Brass Quintet.Olen also teaches music at the University of Illinois at Chicago and College of Lake County.

Bret Sher
Percussion
B.M.Illinois State University
bsher@oakton.edu
847.635.1937
Office: Room 1352

A percussion instructor at the College since 1995, Bret Sher is a featured Chicago musician and recording artist who has opened for entertainers, including Bill Cosby, Jerry Goodman, and Gill Scott Heron.

A member of the Illinois Air National Guard 566th Air Force Band for 20 years, Sher has performed at Grant Park, Taste of Chicago, Disney World, Disneyland, and the Pentagon. In addition to his teaching and performing duties, Sher has given percussion clinics throughout the United States. He also is a music instructor at New Trier and Wheeling High Schools.