Staff
Stephen C. Edwards
Artistic Director: Windy City Performing Arts
Stephen C. Edwards is a highly accomplished, versatile and multi-faceted musician and choral director. He has been teaching and working with choirs and vocal ensembles for more than 15 years. In addition to leading the choral ensembles of Windy City Performing Arts, he is currently the Director of Music and Worship at Community United Methodist Church where he conducts three choirs. Stephen also serves as the Associate Director of With One Voice, a newly formed chorus that partners with charitable organizations to bring awareness and support to their causes. Additionally, Stephen is in demand as a guest clinician and adjudicator for various choral symposiums and competitions.
Outside of conducting, Stephen is an accomplished performer in his own right and a much sought-after voice teacher. He has sung with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Symphony Chorus and was a featured tenor soloist with the Chicago Symphony and Chorus in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. You can also see Stephen in performance on occasion in cabaret shows in the Chicago area!
Madelyn Tan-Cohen
Accompanist: Windy City Gay Chorus and Aria
Originally from Malaysia, Madelyn Tan began her musical studies at the age of 5 when she was enrolled in the Junior Music Course at the Yamaha Music School. After graduating from JMC, she was accepted into the Junior Special Advanced Course where she continued to develop her piano performance, improvisation and composition skills. By the age of 13, Madelyn completed the 8th grade examination by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and passed the Associate Trinity College of London (ATCL) diploma the following year.
Madelyn was accepted to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy (MI) at the age of 15, majoring in Piano Performance and studying under Benjamin Yu. After high school she attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL on a music and academic scholarship where she majored in Keyboard Performance, studying under Ivan Davis.
During her years as an undergraduate student, she discovered her passion of accompanying soloists and choirs. After receiving her Bachelors in Music in 1998, Madelyn received a graduate fellowship in Chamber Music and Accompanying and graduated in 2000. During her years at UM, she studied with Ivan Davis, Dr. Paul Posnak and Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe.
Prior to moving to Chicago, Madelyn was the Principal Accompanist for the Ft. Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus and the MCC Sunshine Cathedral for 6 years. In her free time, Madelyn works as a Project Manager at the Ravinia Festival’s Education and Community Partnerships Department.
