Artistic Staff
Dr. Ardis Faber, Artistic Director, Community Choir
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Ardis received her B.S. in Music Education, Grand Valley State University; M.M. Trumpet Performance, Northwestern University; and a Doctor of Arts – Music Education, Orchestral Conducting, Ball State University. Currently, Ardis conducts the Lancer Chorus at Grace College, as well as the Lakeland Community Choir and Youth Chorale. She is the Music Director at Trinity United Methodist Church, and is the owner and lead instructor of Northern Lakes Music Studio, Winona Lake, IN.
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As a writer, she writes, arranges, and edits for Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass, serves as a musician and writer for the Worship Team at Valley Springs, and is co-writer with Adriana Contino on the Lyrical Scale project. As a conductor, she has toured with choral and instrumental performance groups throughout the United States and the countries of Germany, Ecuador, Mexico, and South Korea. As a professional trumpet player, she has played with the Grand Rapids Symphony while freelancing as a soloist and as an orchestral musician.
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While at Ball State, she served as an Assistant Conductor of the Ball State Symphony Orchestra. She assisted the late Dr. Fiora Contino as an assistant conductor with the 2007 BSU opera presentation, Madame Butterfly. She was privileged to have conducted the world premiere performance of 53rd Street, The Opera by composer Jody Nagel. She studied conducting with Maestros Kirk Trevor, Dr. Leonard Atherton, Bohuslav Rattay, and Dr. Jan Harrington, and has studied with other conductors while participating in conducting seminars in the States. She resides in Winona Lake, IN. where she enjoys reading, riding a bicycle, writing and arranging music, and enjoying the lake.
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"John Rutter, composer, conductor, and a strong advocate for the importance of music and singing commented, 'Music brings together all the different bits of us in a way that I don't think any other art quite does. It speaks to everybody in a different way. I can't imagine one single day of my life without it'. To have the opportunity to express thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and passions through music with others, is a gift. I too, echo Rutter’s thoughts—I can’t imagine my life without music!
Singing together offers a place for healing, encouragement, acceptance, and genuine friendship. During my tenure as conductor, I have personally experienced each of these benefits with this group. This group has provided space for me to grow as a choral conductor, musician, and person, while experiencing, performing, and offering great music together to our community! "
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- Dr. Ardis Faber
Dr. Judie Meulink, Artistic Director, Youth Chorale
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Judie received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan; a Master of Music Education degree with an emphasis in Instrumental Conducting from the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut; and a Doctor of Arts degree in Music Education from Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. In her undergraduate and Master’s programs, Dr. Meulink’s major instrument was the clarinet. For her doctoral degree, Dr. Meulink focused on piano study, earning a minor in Piano Accompanying/Chamber Music.
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After completing her undergraduate studies, Dr. Meulink taught band, choir, and general music at the high school and elementary level. She has operated a private teaching studio and has been an accompanist for many years.
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After moving to the Warsaw area in 1993, Dr. Meulink worked in the music department of Grace College for 16 years in various roles including piano instructor, accompanist, and Director of Piano Studies. While at Grace College, Dr. Meulink taught private piano lessons, piano classes, and piano pedagogy. She performed numerous times in collaboration with students and faculty, and she performed solo works in various recitals. She has been a member of the Grace College Community Orchestra and the Grace College Wind Ensemble, playing clarinet and piano in both groups and being the guest soloist with both groups.
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Dr. Meulink is also the Music Director at Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church where her duties include directing the choir, praise band, and orchestra and planning worship services, accompanying, and overseeing the artistic activities of the congregation. She enjoys using her creative and musical talents to worship God and to help others worship Him. Judie lives in Warsaw, IN with her husband, children, and one grandchild.
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"Music is an activity like no other; it reaches that part of us that other things can’t speak to. Being involved in music can create a sense of camaraderie with other singers, a feeling of accomplishment in learning and performing a variety of musical genres, and an outlet for getting rid of the stress of the day. I’ve been privileged to be part of this community's music-making endeavors for the past 25 years.
Classic Arts Programs is in a unique position, bringing a variety of live choral and instrumental chamber music to our audiences; as we continue to create, the quality we bring to our community continues to improve. Through my experience serving with Classic Arts Programs, I have learned to embrace and care for the members and families represented in our choirs."
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- Dr. Judie Meulink