The Theater Musicians Association (TMA) is an official player conference of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), formed by musicians in order to unite theater players throughout the United States and Canada (full-time, part-time, local and traveling), so that we will be better equipped to address concerns that affect our industry. These issues include collective bargaining agreements, working conditions, virtual replacement by recordings and electronics, and non-union musicians/theatre productions.
The Chicago Area Chapter was formed in 1996 to organize local theater musicians to actively engage in addressing the professional needs of pit musicians in accordance with the standards of the industry and to assist the Chicago Federation of Musicians (CFM). The TMA Chicago Area Chapter works in collaboration with the CFM to create systems, structures, and collective bargaining agreements that support the professional needs and concerns of local theatre musicians.
Through this website we inform our membership (and other interested musical theater enthusiasts) of local theater news, links to our current and upcoming productions, glimpses into our world through our social media feed, opportunities to network and connect with our members, and important articles of interest. We invite you to join us in solidarity for a better future for theater musicians!
TMA Executive Board
Below you will find our dedicated board members who are excited to serve the needs of our local Chicago Chapter. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to reach out. You can email and connect with our local board members by clicking on the icons at the end of the biographies.

Heather Boehm
PRESIDENT
Heather is honored to have the opportunity to serve the membership of TMA as President. She has also served on the Board as Secretary-Treasurer and Director. As a violinist, she has played in and contracted pits for numerous theatre productions in downtown and suburban theaters. Heather lives in Chicago where she is an active freelancer and looks forward to working with everyone to advance the goals of Chicago Theatre Musicians.

Valerie Maze
VICE PRESIDENT
Valerie is honored to serve as Vice President. She currently is on the First National Tour with Six: The Musical. Valerie is a pianist, conductor, music director, vocal coach, and an active music theatre educator. She has had the opportunity to play in theatres and opera houses across the country, including Chicagoland theatres such as Drury Lane Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Writers Theatre, Marriott Theatre, and Music Theater Works. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, in addition to serving as Assistant Conductor and Dance Pianist for numerous operas over the past 15 years, Valerie has served as Assistant Conductor for Lyric’s Music Theatre Initiative on My Fair Lady, The King and I, Carousel, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma! and Showboat. Active a recitalist, she has had the opportunity to perform on WFMT as part of the Dame Myra Hess Series and on WGN TV, playing for artists such as Kate Baldwin, Paolo Montalban, Billy Zane, and Steven Pasqual. Valerie is grateful to be serving the theatre community in this way.

Trevor Jones
SECRETARY / TREASURER
Trevor Jones is the house bassist and orchestra contractor at the Marriott Theatre located outside Lincolnshire, IL, an NW suburb of Chicago. In addition to playing dozens of productions at the Marriott Theatre, Trevor’s Broadway in Chicago credits include Hamilton, The Music Man, and White Christmas. Trevor’s group Molehill has toured the country and, over the past decade, has compiled a body of work featured in the Chicago Tribune and the international press. Trevor is 1/2 of the creative force behind the double bass podcast Contrabass Conversations and Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog. His compositions are licensed exclusively through Deep Sounds.

Paul Mutzabaugh
DIRECTOR
Based in Chicago, Paul Mutzabaugh has worked for over 20 years in both live and studio settings, enjoying a variety of genres and disciplines. Versatile in a myriad of keyboard instruments – acoustic & electric pianos, Hammond B3 organ, synthesizers, and accordion – he has also developed a unique voice on the electric bass. Additional doublings include acoustic & electric guitars, as well as auxiliary percussion.
Paul also works consistently as a producer and audio engineer in service of a wide range of artists. Assisting others to realize their creative vision in recorded form is a particularly fulfilling aspect of his music-making.
Paul is grateful and honoured to be on the TMA executive board and looks forward to serving its membership.

Chuck Webb
DIRECTOR
Bassist, writer, producer and educator Chuck Webb has toured the world many times performing with such notable artists as Aretha Franklin, Grover Washington Jr., Ramsey Lewis, Bill Withers, David Sanborn, Al DiMeola and many others.
As a first call studio musician with over 30 years experience in the Chicago area, Chuck has performed on hundreds of records, commercial jingles, sound tracks and theater productions including Hamilton, Wicked, Jersey Boys and Motown the Musical.
Chuck is an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago and the owner of Earth Tone Enterprises production company through which he has produced and composed scores for motion pictures, educational programs, popular music CDs and his own solo and band projects.
Chuck is excited to join the TMA executive board and looks forward to working with members and the larger Chicago music community.
2023 TMA Members

Frank Babbit
Violin, Viola

Andy Baker
Trombone, Bass Trombone

Amy Barwan
Oboe, English Horn

Dave Belden
Violin, Viola, Mandolin, Concertina

John Blane
Bass Trombone, Tuba

Heather Boehm
Violin, Viola

Chuck Bontrager
Violin, Viola, Electric Violin

Peter Brusen
Bassoon, Saxophone, Clarinet

Alan Bukowiecki
Piano, Keyboards

Madeline Capistran
Violin

Ricardo Castañeda
Oboe, English Horn

William Cernota
Cello, Trombone

Matt Comerford
Trumpet

Paul Dallas
Bass (Electric & Acoustic)

Rich Daniels
Saxophone, Conductor

Jo Ann Daugherty
Piano, Conductor

Jocelyn Davis-Beck
Cello

Randy Deadman
Piano, Keyboards

Carey Deadman
Trumpet

Austin Deadman
Piano, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion

Ethan Deppe
Drums, Percussion

Nicholas Donatelle
Cello

Darlene Drew
Flute

Steven Duncan
Trombone, Bass Trombone

Lisa Fako
Violin

Buddy Fambro, Jr.
Guitar (Electric & Acoustic)

Jed Feder
Drums

John Floeter
Bass (Electric & Acoustic)

Jeremiah Frederick
Horn

Roberta Freier
Violin, Viola

Ron Friedman
Trumpet

Jim Gailloreto
Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet

Karla Galva
Violin, Viola

Bob Garrett
Drums, Percussion

Loretta Gillespie
Viola

Michael Green
Percussion

Jeff Handley
Percussion

Tom Hipskind
Drums, Percussion

Marc Hogan
Bass

Elizabeth Huffman
Violin

Katherine Hughes
Violin

Terry Jares
Violin

Pete Jirousek
French Horn

Trevor Jones
Bass (Electric & Acoustic)

Andy Jones
Drums, Percussion

Sharon Jones
French Horn

Michael Joyce
Trombone

Jill Kaeding
Cello

Jeremy Kahn
Piano, Keyboards

Carmen Kassinger
Violin, Viola

Michael Keefe
Piano, Keyboards, Accordion, Conductor, Orchestrator, Arranger, Synth Programmer, Music Director, Contractor

Kara Kesselring
Piano, Vocal

Sarah Kim
Violin, Viola

Kevin Kizer
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute

Debbie Katz Knowles
Percussion, Drums

Steve Leinheiser
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute

Mark Lekas
Cello

Michèle Lekas
Violin, Viola

B.J. Levy
Trumpet

Betty Lewis
Violin, Viola

John Ling
Violin, Viola

Art Linsner
Trombone

Tom Logan
Guitar

Janice MacDonald
Flute, Piccolo

Linda Madonia
Piano, Conductor

Phil Martin
Drums, Percussion

Valerie Maze
Conductor, Piano

Stacy McMichael
Bass

Sean McNeely
Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone, Oboe

Lisa McQueen
Keyboards, Piano

Tom Mendel
Bass

Desiree Miller
Cello

Ryan Miller
Trombone

Jered Montgomery
Trumpet

Karl Montzka
Piano

Nick Moran
Woodwinds

Dave Moss
Viola, Violin

Leo Murphy
Drums, Percussion

Paul Mutzabaugh
Piano & Keyboards, Electric Bass, Guitars, Percussion

Susan Nigro
Contrabassoon, Bassoon

Felton Offard
Guitar

Vance Okraszewski
Drums, Percussion

David Orlicz
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon

Talia Pavia
Violin

Howard Pfeifer
Piano, Keyboards

Brandon Podjasek
Drums, Percussion

Robert Reddrick
Drums

Corey Richardson
Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin

Brent Roman
Drums, Percussion

Dean Rolando
Piano

David Saenger
Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin

Greg Sarchet
Bass

Christopher Sargent
Piano

Lerryn Schaefer-Donatelle
Viola

Nick Sednew
Trumpet

Brian Shannon
Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet

Jocelyn Shoulders
Cello

Larry Sidlow
Guitar

Michael Sinclair
Bass

Sara Sitzer
Cello

Audrey Snyder
Cello

Rick Snyder
Piano, Keyboards

Joe Sonnefeldt
Drums, Percussion

Shawn Stengel
Conductor, Piano

Zack Thomas
Trumpet

Richard Trelease
Drums, Percussion

Dominic Trumfio
Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Piano

Christie Twillie
Piano, Keyboards, Synths

Linda Van Dyke
Clarinet, Saxophone

Paul Vanderwerf
Violin, Viola

Benton Wedge
Violin, Viola, Mandolin

Neal Wehman
Drums, Percussion

Tahirah Whittington
Cello

Jim Widlowski
Drums, Percussion

Matt Wifler
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute

Patrick Williams
Bass

Andy Wilmoth
Drums, Percussion