Mim Eichmann

Known almost exclusively as the artistic director and choreographer of Midwest Ballet Theatre and as the director of its home, Midwest Ballet Academy, Mim Eichmann has also quietly pursued a small alternative career as a vocalist, working alone or with various ensembles, singing for weddings, funerals and small parties when time permitted.  Occasionally her two loves would joyously overlap, such as when she recorded her original kid songs’ CD in 1999 “Wander Down Beyond the Rainbow” (arranged by Trillium’s Lofstrom), which included many  tunes she’d choreographed for her tiniest ballerinas, and  “Ayne Mairead”, one of MBT’s most popular repertory programs, which includes live music. 

A few years ago, while rehearsing for a Celtic-themed program, Mim stood next to a musician playing the hammered dulcimer and fell in love with the weird trapezoid-shaped instrument on the spot!  She began studying with Dona Benkert, later supplemented by work with Bill Robinson, and credits her playing style to Dona’s razor-sharp precision with a wild dash of Bill’s extemporaneous interpretations.  Other HD influences include Kendra Ward and Tony Elman and vocalists Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, Loreena McKennitt and Enya.
 

Doug Lofstrom

Doug Lofstrom has been playing bass for more years than he can remember and in just about every possible genre imaginable!  His extensive experience in composing and arranging serves Trillium well when conjuring up new material for the group’s eclectic repertoire. 

Over the years, among his many music-related credits, he has been musical director for Chicago’s Free Street Theatre and composer-in-residence for the Evanston’s Symphony of the Shores.  He teaches bass, music composition and music theory at Columbia College Chicago.  His group, Doug Lofstrom and The New Quartet, which performs extensively in the Chicago area, recently released its newest CD entitled One Voice.

For more information about Doug, visit his web site at: www.DougLofstrom.com

Ed Hall

Born in Paducah, Kentucky, and raised in various locations like Pittsburg, PA and Calumet City, IL, Ed Hall at first wanted to play the accordion, mostly because he was crazy about a girl in his fourth grade class who played it.  Then came the Beatles and every young boy wanted a guitar, but Ed had to spend the next two years pretending on a tennis racquet and borrowing guitars from friends, until he finally got one for Christmas while in the sixth grade.  Ed soon discovered that it was not hard for him to teach himself to play by figuring out notes and chords off of records and the radio.

Then while working as a staff member at a Boy Scout camp after high school graduation, a friend talked him into buying some finger picks, and a whole new world of guitar playing opened up to him.  Fingerpicking guitar became an obsession, learning as much about this style as he could.  Ed’s early guitar influences were the Beatles, John Denver, Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Stefan Grossman, and Ed’s guitar hero Gamble Rogers.

Ed’s approach to fingerstyle guitar has always been to try to arrange pieces for guitar that are not typically played on one guitar, difficult pieces, arranged as accurately as possible by ear.  Instrumentals like The William Tell Overture, Hoedown from Rodeo by Copland, The Hungarian Rhapsody II by Liszt, and The Theme From Peter Gunn are now part of the classic arrangements in his repertoire

The pinnacle so far in Ed’s career came in September 1991 when he won the coveted National Fingerpicking Championships at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.

Ed performed with Jeff Friedlander from 1973 to 2003 as the acoustic music duo “Friedlander and Hall”.  Friedlander now resides in Denver, CO and he and Ed occasionally play together.  Ed currently tours as a solo guitarist and plays guitar and banjo with the eclectic, Celtic, ragtime, swing, and folk band “Trillium”.

Jonathan De Souza

Jonathan De Souza has played the violin for as long as he can remember. He started lessons at the age of three, following the Suzuki method. Growing up in Ontario, Canada, Jonathan and his family made music at living-room singsongs, at church, and around the campfire. He enjoys playing many instruments and many styles, including traditional fiddling, jazz, and classical chamber music.

For his BMus, Jonathan attended the University of Western Ontario in his hometown of London, Canada. Here he led the university orchestra’s viola section and majored in theory and composition. His compositions range from choral/orchestral concert works to experimental electronic sound installations to musicals for schoolchildren.

Jonathan has written extensively for the stage, as both a playwright and a composer. He has toured the Canadian fringe theatre circuit, getting warm reviews and a few awards: The Devil Loves to Haggle (2003, co-written with Peter Cavell) and You Kiss by the Book (2005) each won Best Musical at the Brickenden Awards for Excellence in London (ON) Theatre.

Paul Russell

When Paul Russell was five years old, his dad took him by the hand and they went on a walk.  Paul asked where they were going, but his dad said that it was a surprise.   They came back with a violin, which was the beginning of Paul’s exciting musical journey.

During high school he spent three years in Chicago’s Protégé Philharmonic where he studied violin with director Joseph Glymph.  Simultaneously he spent many hours jamming with friends on bass and guitar.  At age 14 he discovered the mandolin and was drawn to bluegrass and Irish music.  He is currently studying composition at Columbia College Chicago and is an often featured performer in Columbia’s New Music Ensemble.