 Dr. Ted Reuter has lived in Waverly and has served as a music faculty member at Wartburg College for the past 28 years. Ted is a Professor of Piano and teaches music history.
Ted is an original member of the former Wartburg Castle Chamber Series and is excited to continue to help bring outstanding chamber music to the Waverly community as a member of the WCMS board. Ted looks forward to utilizing his friendships with many outstanding music professionals throughout the region and bringing his love and passion for chamber music to the board. Though Ted has too many favorite pieces of chamber music to choose just one, he is certain that the performances the WCMS has scheduled will provide an excellent, diverse musical experience for the Waverly and Cedar Valley community.
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 Dr. Jennifer Larson has lived in Waverly for the past 10 years and works as an Associate Professor of Music (Voice) at Wartburg College.
“As a performer/educator with a passion for the performing arts and their proven substantial benefit to individuals and communities, I am thrilled to be a part of an organization of professionals working to bring a steady offering of high quality musical experiences to the communities of the Cedar Valley,” said Jennifer. Jennifer’s favorite piece of chamber music is the one she’s working on at any given time! In general, she really loves and enjoys music that awakens the intellect and erases boundaries between people. About what she is most excited about with the WCMS, Jennifer said, “I get goosebumps thinking about the way these concerts will feed the seasoned lover of ‘classical’ chamber music. My vision and hope is that the WCMS concert experiences will lift individuals to a better version of themselves, and knit together the good people of Waverly and our surrounding communities as we engage in and strengthen human connections with one another.”
I am Pam Egli and am honored to be part of the Waverly Chamber Music Series board. I graduated from Wartburg College with an Elementary Education degree and taught in the Waverly-Shell Rock Community School district for 33 years teaching 6th grade, 7th and 8th grade language arts, and 4th grade. I currently serve as a substitute teacher. I earned my Master’s Degree from the University of Northern Iowa and am a National Board Certified teacher. While at Wartburg College, I sang with the Castle Singers. I have been involved in music throughout my life. I enjoy many varieties of music and am excited to be part of an organization that provides opportunities to our community to come together to enjoy music. I also enjoy golf, playing bridge, and getting together with friends and family. Living in Waverly, I appreciate the cultural opportunities and look forward to expanding our music experiences through the Waverly Chamber Music Series.
 I have lived in Waverly for 23 years during which I have raised two children and come to deeply appreciate the experience of living in a close-knit community. I have spent my career as a researcher and professor of ethnomusicology teaching at Wartburg College. Music is an amazing aspect of human expression, whether one is producing or listening to its performance. Being involved in a project where live music is offered to the community is deeply important to me and is an extension of the work I do every day.
Aside from my work in music, in 2011 I began a small business based on my graphic designs. Those skills and resources, as well as what I have learned from running a small business, allow me to contribute to the look and “face” of the series. I adore so many kinds of music. I love chamber music because it allows for a closer relationship between performer(s) and audience. The performance space is more intimate and the response to the music can be so different compared to a larger concert hall. I also love that chamber music can offer music played by an incredible variety of instruments/voices. I am excited that the first season of the WCMS will highlight this incredible variety. I am also so happy to be part of a project that features the incredible talents and generosity of professional musicians in the Waverly, the Cedar Valley, and our neighboring states. We are surrounded by world-renowned performers who, through the series, will be offering our community an amazing opportunity to experience great music and powerful artistry.  Hi! My name is Lori Nelson and I’m excited to be on the Waverly Chamber Music Series board. I moved to Waverly to attend Wartburg College in 1992 and never left! I formerly taught orchestra in the W-SR schools for 16 years. I now am a lawyer with The Sayer Law Group, P.C. in Waterloo, Iowa and occasionally perform with the Wartburg Community Symphony Orchestra.
I’m thrilled to serve on the board of the WCMS because I believe that our community is what we make it. This is a great addition to the quality of life in Waverly and the surrounding area. Chamber music is one of my favorite types of music to perform and listen to. The interaction among the musicians is what I love most about chamber music and that is best enjoyed live. I have a passion to share great music with new audiences. My favorite piece of chamber music is The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. I heard the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra perform the The Seasons and the interpretation was so fresh that it was thrilling! I believe that the WCMS will be a fabulous addition to the cultural offerings of Waverly. Chamber music allows for an intimacy that is currently lacking in our cultural offerings in our city. The WCMS will also bring music literature to Waverly that is new to many.  Hi! My name is Kate Huffman and I’m so proud to be a board member for the Waverly Chamber Music Series. I currently live in Boston, MA, making me the board’s only current long-distance member! I work in marketing for a music educational travel organization and am a clarinet player. I graduated from Wartburg College in 2015 with a degree in music. I also have an MA in arts administration and cultural policy from Goldsmiths, University of London. While at Wartburg, I was so lucky to have been taught by wonderful music teachers (some of whom also serve on the WCMS board!) who provided me with opportunities to see and listen to professional musicians. Being able to interact with high-quality musicians and know what I might sound like one day if I kept practicing and working hard was incredibly inspiring.
During summer 2015, I worked for the City of Waverly as a cultural planner. I was fortunate to be able to help organize the Gentlemen of the Road stopover in June of that year and had a blast getting to know all of the other cultural organizers in the Cedar Valley area. I’m so excited to be part of the WCMS, an organization that is adding amazing cultural opportunities for people in Waverly and the Cedar Valley.  Dr. Eric Wachmann was one of the original founding members of the organization and currently serves as the WCMS’ Artistic Director. Eric is a Professor of Music at Wartburg College where he teaches Clarinet, Shakuhachi, and Music Theory. He and his family have lived in Waverly for the past 24 years.
Eric had this to say about his involvement and excitement about the WCMS, “As a musician, and avid chamber performer, I have a unique interest in having a chamber series in the Waverly community. A chamber series focused on engaging the Waverly and Cedar Valley community will add greatly to the arts offerings already in place.” About what he is most looking forward to in the upcoming WCMS season, Eric said, “I am most excited about having The WolfGang perform. They are a baroque ensemble from St. Paul, MN and this will be the first time that I can remember any performance of baroque music or baroque instruments taking place in the Cedar Valley!” Finally, about his favorite piece of chamber music to perform or listen to, Eric said, “The Mozart Clarinet Quintet. Cliche, yes. But also beautiful music!”  Hi my name is Chuck Kepford and I’m the treasurer for the Waverly Chamber Music Board. I’m currently the Finance Manager for Bossard North America, which includes our locations in the US, Canada and Mexico. I moved to Waverly with my family back in 2005 when Bossard consolidated its North America Administration operations in Cedar Falls. We chose Waverly because it was my wife's home town and a great place to raise kids.
I have joined the board as treasurer after being asked by my neighbor who is one of the founding members of the WCMS. I don’t have a musical background, but with 30 years in accounting I enjoy helping with treasury. I don’t have a favorite piece of chamber music that I would like to listen to but I do enjoy listening to all types of music. If I had to pick some music to listen to it would have to be a little Jimmy Buffett or Bob Marley. I looking forward to the new WCMS because of the learning experience of listening to different types of music I would not normally be exposed to.  Dr. Penni Pier is the WCMS’ board Secretary and also teaches a variety of communication courses at Wartburg College where she also serves at the Grant L. Price Endowed Department Chair. Penni and her family have lived in Waverly since fall 2000.
“I love music, though am not very musically talented myself,” said Penni. “I love the idea that the WCMS is making music accessible to everyone and anyone in the community who would like to attend.” Penni loves to help organize and brainstorm ideas for making the WCMS successful and to help inform the Waverly community of these opportunities to enjoy chamber music. When asked her favorite piece of chamber music, she said she couldn’t pick a favorite if she tried! Though she does have a fondness for strings. When asked why she believes the WCMS will be a fabulous addition to the cultural offerings of Waverly and the Cedar Valley, Penni said, “I am really looking forward to reaching out to the youth in our community and sharing the [WCMS] experience with them. We have such talent and dedication in our public schools with regard to music and I think this will be a great addition to their education.”  Travis Toliver is the Vice Chair of the Waverly Chamber Music Board. Currently serving as Executive Director for the Waverly Chamber of Commerce and the Waverly Main Street program, Travis uses his almost 20 years of hotel hospitality experience to help better the Waverly business community and the Cedar Valley of Northeast Iowa. As a lifelong singer, Travis is no stranger to the stage having performed multiple major operatic and musical theatre roles throughout his singing career. He is a highly sought after vocal soloist, motivational speaker, narrator and voice-over artist. Travis can be heard narrating the “Voice of God” each year at Wartburg College’s annual Christmas with Wartburg production. In addition to the WCMS, Travis proudly serves on the board of directors for the Iowa Chamber of Commerce Executives, Waverly Area Development Fund, Waverly Economic Development Commission and Waverly's Sister City organization which helps to foster and maintain relations between Waverly, Iowa and Eisenach, Germany.
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