THE BJSO Board of directors
President: Larry Arft is the former City Manager of Beloit, having served from 2003 – 2015. He is the recipient of the Ken Hendricks Community Spirit Award presented by the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce, and the Beloit Daily News Headliner Award. Larry is an active member of his community, and is a member of long-standing of the Beloit Rotary Club.
Vice-President: Mark Preuschl is a member of the Beloit City Council. A lifetime hobby of volunteering to help improve and promote the Greater Beloit area now manifests itself through his photographs and online contributions. This community champion attends numerous community events, taking photographs, documenting and sharing Beloit’s modern renaissance.
Secretary: Kara Purviance was born in Janesville, WI and has resided in Rock County for most of her life. She has had a love of music since she was a child. She began performing in Spotlight on Kids at the age of 8 and continued to perform in various musicals through high school. As a senior in high school, she began to study classical voice through a private teacher. As a Beloit College music major, she continued her training in voice and piano. Kara enjoys performing choral music and has done so with numerous academic and professional groups. Some of her favorite pieces she has performed include: Brahm’s Requiem, Faure Requiem, and Russian Liturgical pieces. Ms. Purviance is currently teaching Science at McNeel Intermediate in Beloit, WI. She enjoys serving on the BJSO Board and supporting the Arts in our community.
Treasurer: Yuri Rashkin is an Instructor in Communications at UW-Whitewater. A former City Council Member of Janesville, he currently serves on Rock County Board of Supervisors representing District 15, which includes Beloit College and downtown Beloit area. Yuri is affiliated with many community organizations and community development efforts in Rock County.
Musicians' Representative: Joe Kania is the BJSO Principal Clarinetist. Joe has played with the BJSO since 2004. He plays in numerous regional orchestras and music groups. He is a resident of Avalon, WI and is currently employed by Dannon North America.
Vice-President: Mark Preuschl is a member of the Beloit City Council. A lifetime hobby of volunteering to help improve and promote the Greater Beloit area now manifests itself through his photographs and online contributions. This community champion attends numerous community events, taking photographs, documenting and sharing Beloit’s modern renaissance.
Secretary: Kara Purviance was born in Janesville, WI and has resided in Rock County for most of her life. She has had a love of music since she was a child. She began performing in Spotlight on Kids at the age of 8 and continued to perform in various musicals through high school. As a senior in high school, she began to study classical voice through a private teacher. As a Beloit College music major, she continued her training in voice and piano. Kara enjoys performing choral music and has done so with numerous academic and professional groups. Some of her favorite pieces she has performed include: Brahm’s Requiem, Faure Requiem, and Russian Liturgical pieces. Ms. Purviance is currently teaching Science at McNeel Intermediate in Beloit, WI. She enjoys serving on the BJSO Board and supporting the Arts in our community.
Treasurer: Yuri Rashkin is an Instructor in Communications at UW-Whitewater. A former City Council Member of Janesville, he currently serves on Rock County Board of Supervisors representing District 15, which includes Beloit College and downtown Beloit area. Yuri is affiliated with many community organizations and community development efforts in Rock County.
Musicians' Representative: Joe Kania is the BJSO Principal Clarinetist. Joe has played with the BJSO since 2004. He plays in numerous regional orchestras and music groups. He is a resident of Avalon, WI and is currently employed by Dannon North America.
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Stacey Bodnar is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Visit Beloit. Prior to holding this position, she was Marketing Director at IDS in Janesville. She has been published in 5IVE FOR WOMEN Magazine.
Carol Fosshage is a Janesville resident and a former elementary school vocal music teacher. She was a music copyist and executive assistant for BJSO’s conductor Dr. Crawford Gates. Her community affiliations include the MacDowell Music Club, the AAUW, and the Sigma Alpha Iota. Carol hold a Lifetime Membership on the Board.
Cori Olin is currently the Development director for the YWCA of Rock County in Janesville, WI. Previously, she held the position of Resource Development Director of the Beloit Boys & Girls Club, and prior to that, was the Executive Director of the Milton House Museum.
John Rapp is an emeritus professor of Political Science at Beloit College, having retired in May 2019 after 33 years of teaching comparative politics at Beloit. A son of two professional musicians, he has had a lifelong love for classical music. He designed and constructed the website in honor of his late father’s life in music, at robertmrapp.org, including posts of his father’s choral and vocal recordings (including duets with John’s mother, Dorothy Davies Rapp), compositions, and scholarly works. John has also presented talks on works by Sergei Rachmaninoff for concerts in Beloit, Washington D.C., and Evansville Indiana. He also produced and hosted summer radio programs on WBCR on the music of Rachmaninoff. He has sung with the Beloit Masterworks Chorus in Rachmaninoff’s Vespers and in the BJSO concert presentation of Puccini’s Turandot. He has an extensive classical music collection on vinyl, cassettes, and CD’s and DVD’s and has been privileged to hear concerts of some of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists, including Andre Previn and the LSO, Leonard Bernstein guest conducting the National Symphony Orchestra, Sir George Solti and the CSO, Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic in Berlin, and the second to last recital of Arthur Rubinstein, plus numerous soloists and conductors at concerts at Ravinia and elsewhere.
Adam Taylor is a lifelong resident of Rock County who after the being a pipe fitter/tradesman at General Motors was forced to reinvent his life after the plant closing. Moving to Beloit in 2012, he became the co-director of Frontline Youth Initiative and served over 100 young people weekly for 5 years. Adam founded and organized the Stateline Peace Rally in 2016 and has unique connections with the local music scene in Rock County. Adam is currently the Branch Lead for Evoqua Water Technologies in Madison. Adam is looking forward to helping to facilitate a stronger bond between the Orchestra and the general public. Adam is passionate about community and issues that bring us together and has looked actively for other ways to get involved.
Carol Fosshage is a Janesville resident and a former elementary school vocal music teacher. She was a music copyist and executive assistant for BJSO’s conductor Dr. Crawford Gates. Her community affiliations include the MacDowell Music Club, the AAUW, and the Sigma Alpha Iota. Carol hold a Lifetime Membership on the Board.
Cori Olin is currently the Development director for the YWCA of Rock County in Janesville, WI. Previously, she held the position of Resource Development Director of the Beloit Boys & Girls Club, and prior to that, was the Executive Director of the Milton House Museum.
John Rapp is an emeritus professor of Political Science at Beloit College, having retired in May 2019 after 33 years of teaching comparative politics at Beloit. A son of two professional musicians, he has had a lifelong love for classical music. He designed and constructed the website in honor of his late father’s life in music, at robertmrapp.org, including posts of his father’s choral and vocal recordings (including duets with John’s mother, Dorothy Davies Rapp), compositions, and scholarly works. John has also presented talks on works by Sergei Rachmaninoff for concerts in Beloit, Washington D.C., and Evansville Indiana. He also produced and hosted summer radio programs on WBCR on the music of Rachmaninoff. He has sung with the Beloit Masterworks Chorus in Rachmaninoff’s Vespers and in the BJSO concert presentation of Puccini’s Turandot. He has an extensive classical music collection on vinyl, cassettes, and CD’s and DVD’s and has been privileged to hear concerts of some of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists, including Andre Previn and the LSO, Leonard Bernstein guest conducting the National Symphony Orchestra, Sir George Solti and the CSO, Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic in Berlin, and the second to last recital of Arthur Rubinstein, plus numerous soloists and conductors at concerts at Ravinia and elsewhere.
Adam Taylor is a lifelong resident of Rock County who after the being a pipe fitter/tradesman at General Motors was forced to reinvent his life after the plant closing. Moving to Beloit in 2012, he became the co-director of Frontline Youth Initiative and served over 100 young people weekly for 5 years. Adam founded and organized the Stateline Peace Rally in 2016 and has unique connections with the local music scene in Rock County. Adam is currently the Branch Lead for Evoqua Water Technologies in Madison. Adam is looking forward to helping to facilitate a stronger bond between the Orchestra and the general public. Adam is passionate about community and issues that bring us together and has looked actively for other ways to get involved.
ADVISORY BOARD
Melissa Dunn is a Beloit native with family ties to the community dating back over 100 years. She is currently the Senior Global Director of Human Resources for Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global science company.
Derek Hahn is an Assistant Vice President with BMO Wealth Management, where he works as a Senior Financial Advisor. This Clinton native’s appreciation of the arts was nurtured by his orchestra directors, longtime BJSO musicians Kay Schultz and the late Ann Harsevoort.
Derek Hahn is an Assistant Vice President with BMO Wealth Management, where he works as a Senior Financial Advisor. This Clinton native’s appreciation of the arts was nurtured by his orchestra directors, longtime BJSO musicians Kay Schultz and the late Ann Harsevoort.