Meet the Team
Wheeling High School Vocal Director Stephen Colella
Mr. Colella earned his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre performance from the Cincinnati-Conservators of Music. He received his Masters in Teaching from North Park University, where he studied under nationally acclaimed music educator, Dr. Rollo Dilworth.
Having been involved in the performing arts his entire life, Mr. Colella has been fortunate to have experiences performing on National tours in the United States, Canada, Asia, Germany, and the Ukraine.
Mr. Colella spent six years working on Broadway being mentored from the industry's top directors, composers, and actors. He had the honor of working with Mr. Stephen Sondheim twice, and also had the opportunity to be directed by Tony Award Lifetime Achievement Musical Director, Mr. Paul Gemignani.
Mr. Colella had the privilege of sharing the stage with Broadway Tony award winning actors Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris, John Mohoney, Sutton Foster, and Karen Olivo.
As an educator, Mr. Colella spent the first five years working at his alma mater, Elk Grove High School, directing plays, musicals, and coaching the speech team (State Championship, 2009). He then moved down the road to Prospect High School for four years, where he taught music and humanities, as well as coaching speech team and directing in their theatre department. While at Prospect, not only did he get an opportunity to direct the award winning all girls show choir, Company, but he was part of the Grammy Award (2012) winning Fine Arts Department. He is very thankful for his time at Prospect.
At Wheeling, Mr. Colella is the Fine Arts Coordinator, as well as the Director of the Vocal Department, as well as the Musical Theatre Department. He also started the D214 Summer Musical Program where he gets to collaborate with colleagues and students across the District. He is beyond proud to continue to call D214 his home.
Stephen Colella
Director of Vocal Music
Fine Arts Coordinator
Musical Director
Stephen.colella@d214.org
847-718-7067
Mr. Colella earned his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre performance from the Cincinnati-Conservators of Music. He received his Masters in Teaching from North Park University, where he studied under nationally acclaimed music educator, Dr. Rollo Dilworth.
Having been involved in the performing arts his entire life, Mr. Colella has been fortunate to have experiences performing on National tours in the United States, Canada, Asia, Germany, and the Ukraine.
Mr. Colella spent six years working on Broadway being mentored from the industry's top directors, composers, and actors. He had the honor of working with Mr. Stephen Sondheim twice, and also had the opportunity to be directed by Tony Award Lifetime Achievement Musical Director, Mr. Paul Gemignani.
Mr. Colella had the privilege of sharing the stage with Broadway Tony award winning actors Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris, John Mohoney, Sutton Foster, and Karen Olivo.
As an educator, Mr. Colella spent the first five years working at his alma mater, Elk Grove High School, directing plays, musicals, and coaching the speech team (State Championship, 2009). He then moved down the road to Prospect High School for four years, where he taught music and humanities, as well as coaching speech team and directing in their theatre department. While at Prospect, not only did he get an opportunity to direct the award winning all girls show choir, Company, but he was part of the Grammy Award (2012) winning Fine Arts Department. He is very thankful for his time at Prospect.
At Wheeling, Mr. Colella is the Fine Arts Coordinator, as well as the Director of the Vocal Department, as well as the Musical Theatre Department. He also started the D214 Summer Musical Program where he gets to collaborate with colleagues and students across the District. He is beyond proud to continue to call D214 his home.
Stephen Colella
Director of Vocal Music
Fine Arts Coordinator
Musical Director
Stephen.colella@d214.org
847-718-7067
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Wheeling High School- Accompanist
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Starting with a classical background from Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music, Andrew has been performing professionally in and around Chicagoland for more than 20 years. His wide-ranging career includes piano bars (Davenport’s, Howl at the Moon, The Signature Room), musical theatre (Marriott Lincolnshire, Drury Lane), a cappella (Navy Pier Players, Harmony Sweepstakes), and private events for every occasion. |
Wheeling High School- Private Voice Lessons Staff
Patricia Toledo holds a M.M. in vocal performance from UNC at Greensboro and a B.M. in vocal performance from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. She has performed a diverse group of leading ladies both in musical theatre and in opera including the title role in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with Opera Ft. Collins.Ms. Toledo was an intern for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, where she trained in teaching both classical and music theater styles. She is also trained as an early childhood music specialist through Music Together. She has worked with adults, teens, and children- most notably children touring with Broadway in Chicago in Shrek and Billy Elliot. Her students have done consistently well in local and state competitions and have gone on to top classical, commercial music, and musical theater university programs in the nation. This will be Ms. Toledo’s 2nd year at Wheeling and her 12th year teaching voice in D214 high schools.
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Rini Cory is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Champaign- Urbana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. Her focus of study was in vocal performance. She has been teaching private voice lessons to students in District 214 for over the past 15 years.With her versatile styles ranging from Classical to Pop, she knows this experience invaluable when explaining concepts to her students.
Currently, she directs both the preschool and youth choirs at First United Methodist Church in Arlington Heights. Most recently, she has expanded her studio to Wheeling High School and is excited to be working there. She can reached at lorenacory@gmail.com |
Nick Falco is a graduate of Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, IL with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. His focus of study was in vocal performance and music education. He’s studied vocal techniques and opera in Italy, and is in his twelfth season as a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Nick has also performed as a member of the Chicago Symphony Singers and The Grant Park Symphony Chorus and is also one of the founding members of the a cappella vocal jazz ensemble, An Octave Above which records and performs locally throughout Chicagoland. In 2007 Nick won a special award for his arrangement of “Tico Tico” at the national a cappella competition Harmony Sweepstakes, and continues to arrange for An Octave Above. He has been teaching high school voice for District 214 for the past 13 year. Nick has a very strong love for music of all kinds. His lessons cover classical art songs and arias, musical theater, jazz, and pop/rock. He feels music is a diverse and constantly growing and changing subject that covers the entire span of world history through art. He feels it is highly important to know the past as well as the present and to never forget the many different musical styles that have developed from ancient times to what’s current in our present culture.
His long term goals as a teacher are to teach his students to identify within themselves the different practices of singing in different styles, and to educate diversity in vocal music to help his students find which musical genres voices are best suited for. In turn, he hopes that they will learn to appreciate the incredible diversity music has to offer with an opened mind and ear. As a vocal teacher he will work on skills to improve range, technique, foreign language diction, performance styles, breathing, and how to use vocal instrument properly. He will also help students to prepare for contests, auditions, and/or concerts. He can reached at nmf5@aol.com |