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Director
John Patrick Rakes has been the director of the Faith
Elmhurst Choir since the beginning of 2004. His musical accomplishments span the areas of piano, organ, conducting, and music education. Mr. Rakes serves as part of the music
department of Elgin School District U-46, where he teaches kindergarten through sixth grade general music and conducts
extra-curricular choirs. He has also taught as a part of
Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, IL. Currently, Mr. Rakes is the conductor of the West Suburban Choral Union, a chorus reorganized for a fall 2008 performance of David Van Schouwen's oratorio, The Christ. He is also pursuing a Masters of Music from Northern Illinois University, specializing in music education. A native of Portsmouth, VA, Mr. Rakes was a long time member of the Virginia Children’s Chorus as well as a singer in the Virginia Symphony Chorus. While in high school, he was an active church and school musician. Mr. Rakes attended the Conservatory of Wheaton College, IL, graduating with a Bachelors of Music Education (BME) as a member of the class of 2003. While at Wheaton, he studied piano and organ under John Zimmerman and Ed Zimmerman respectively, while becoming a section leader in both the college’s Men’s Glee Club and Concert Choir. Mr. Rakes also has performed actively as a collaborative pianist, accompanying the Men’s Glee Club and collaborating with both vocalists and instrumentalists regularly. |
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