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Meet Our Board – Peter Zehren

Peter Zehren grew up in a household filled with music, where evenings often stretched late into the night with his father playing guitar and the family singing together. From his earliest days in various choirs through grade school, junior high, and high school, singing has always been central to his life. In high school he was part of “Afro Choir” and throughout his professional career he performed with Bel Canto. He has also had the honor of singing at Carnegie Hall. For Peter, singing is the perfect bridge between math and emotion, discipline and expression.

In addition to choral work, Peter brought his voice to the airwaves as a performer on the award-winning children’s radio show “Secret Clubhouse.” He created and performed character voices, which often included singing (in character). The program was syndicated and earned both state and national recognition and produced international shows.

Alongside his musical pursuits, Peter has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. He has held senior development roles in New York and Wisconsin, including at Riverside Church in New York City, home to a world-famous organ and professional choir. His career has also taken him abroad, serving as an ambassador for the nonprofit sector and meeting with organizations in India to share ideas and strengthen cross-cultural connections.

Peter is currently the Executive Director of the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum. He is delighted to bring his lifelong love of music, combined with his extensive nonprofit leadership, to the board of the Master Singers of Milwaukee.

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Meet Our Board – Jayne Latva

Jayne Latva is an established free-lance keyboard player. Aside from her work with the Master Singers, she performs as an orchestral keyboardist and plays synthesizer parts for Broadway Across America tours. She was the harpsichordist in Bach and Beyond, an early music ensemble, and enjoys accompanying individual artists. Jayne is the staff organist at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church. She holds a doctorate in Piano Literature and Pedagogy from Indiana University.

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Meet Our Board – Alex Heiting

Alex Heiting is a Milwaukee-based Baritone originally from the Fox Valley. He graduated from Carthage College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science with a minor in Music. During his time at Carthage, Alex performed with the Carthage Choir, participating in the 2019 Spittal International Choir Competition, in which the choir took first place overall. While studying under Dr. Gregory Burg, Alex took second place in his category at the Wisconsin NATS competition in 2018. After singing in many international choir tours, he now sings as a baritone/bass in the Master Singers of Milwaukee and has been a featured soloist in past seasons. When not performing music, Alex can be seen behind a camera as a semi-professional photographer, tinkering with computers, and fixing up classic cars.

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Meet Our Board – Wendy Traeger

Wendy Traeger, soprano, has been a music educator since 1984 and retired in 2024, spending 34 years as the Director of Choirs at Wauwatosa East, Whitman and Longfellow. A graduate of UW-Milwaukee, she earned her BFA in Choral music education and in vocal performance. In 1994 she earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from Marian College.  

Wendy also spent a great deal of time involved in musical theatre as a vocal director and conductor as well performing with professional companies in the area including Milwaukee Opera Company and Music Under the Stars. She has been a guest artist with the Sullivan Chamber Ensemble, Pillow Pops orchestra, the Waukesha and Racine Symphonies and the Lakeside Pops orchestras. 

She currently conducts the Adult and Children’s Choirs at Mt Carmel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee and the Adult Choir at Congregation Shalom in Fox Point. She has been a member the Master Singers of Milwaukee since 2020. 

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Meet Our Board – Molly Pagryzinski

Molly has been immersed in music since childhood, beginning with Kindermusik and church choir and continuing with piano and voice lessons, handbell choirs, and even a brief detour into French horn. In high school, she was selected for district and state honor choirs, experiences that deepened her commitment to ensemble singing.

She graduated from Butler University in 2014 with degrees in Vocal Music, Mathematics, and Middle/Secondary Mathematics Education. While at Butler, she sang with the Butler University Chorale, Chamber Choir, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and had the unique opportunity to perform in the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show with Madonna.

Since graduation, Molly has taught high school mathematics and was honored to serve as a Hollyhock Teaching Fellow at Stanford University from 2019 to 2021. Alongside her teaching, she has remained active in Milwaukee’s choral community, singing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Chorus (2019–2023), APERI ANIMAM (2021–2023), and the Master Singers of Milwaukee (2023–present). She joined the MSM Board in 2025.

Molly lives in Milwaukee with her husband, Adam, and their two dogs, Nimbus and Ellie. They are season ticket holders for Broadway at the Marcus Center and enjoy exploring the city’s vibrant food scene.

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Meet Our Board – Robert Stevens

First introduced to the Master Singers of Milwaukee in 2014, Robert immediately recognized the tremendous value of this long-standing Milwaukee tradition and its integral place in the vibrant arts community it serves. Over the years, he has had the pleasure of working with the amazing musicians and leaders of the MSM on a variety of projects, both as a singer and volunteer, solidifying his passion for the awe-inspiring work the organization has done since its founding to advance the arts and foster diversity and inclusiveness throughout the community.

For over two decades, Robert has provided expert leadership and guidance to a multitude of nonprofit organizations throughout southeastern Wisconsin by capitalizing on his diverse background in arts advocacy, organizational development, and public relations/marketing. Robert’s passion for helping organizations to realize their full potential and implement dynamic new methods for marketing and fundraising is praised by his contemporaries for rethinking the way nonprofits engage their community.

With a passion for embracing diverse cultural influences and fostering an inclusive working environment, Robert hopes to bring that cooperative spirit to his new role. Robert is honored to join the Master Singers of Milwaukee’s talented and diverse team of leaders and is looking forward to the challenge of advancing their time-honored organization to ever-new heights. 

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Meet Our Board – Bill Lieven

Mr. Lieven is in his 40 th year of Music Ministry for Catholic Parishes. He has served as Director of Music and Liturgy at St Killian Church, Harford WI, St. Patrick Church, Madison WI, St. Joseph Church, Grafton, WI, St. Eugene Congregation Fox Point, WI and Christ King Parish in Wauwatosa, WI. Mr. Lieven is currently Director of Liturgy and Music at St. James Parish in Menomonee Falls, WI. Mr. Lieven holds a B.A. degree in Secondary Choral Music Education from Carthage College, Kenosha, WI, and a M.M. Degree in Organ Performance from UW – Madison. Under his direction the St. Eugene Adult and Bell Choirs have toured Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Ireland. At Christ King parish Mr. Lieven oversaw the selection and installation of the new 53 rank Juget-Sinclair pipe organ. In addition to singing with the Master Singers of Milwaukee, Mr. Lieven is currently on the Board of the Master Singers of Milwaukee, a Member of the American Guild of Organists and the National Pastoral Musicians Association.

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Meet Our Board – Ross Greinke

Ross Greinke is the son of Master Singers of Milwaukee founder Marlys Greinke and sang with the group for 30 years. He joined the MSM Board in 2002 and served as the President from 2014 to 2019. He has also served on the MSM Artistic, Nominating, Marketing, and Grant committees. Ross attended St. Olaf college for 2 years, singing in the Viking Chorus. He transferred to the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Computer Science. Beginning in 1985, he wrote software for the healthcare, asset management, and hospitality business sectors. He retired from the software industry in 2024 from Infor, the world’s largest deployer of cloud-based software.

Ross had intended to complete his 30 th season singing with the Master Singers in 2020 for a Bach St. John Passion concert. Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Ross suggested that his donation for that concert be used to commission a piece of music for the Master Singers’ 50th anniversary season, 2022-2023.

Ross participated in concert tours to England, Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic. He moved to Tampa in the fall of 2021 and continues to serve as a board member for the Master Singers. He sang and played handbells at Grace Lutheran in Thiensville, WI and now sings and plays handbells at Hyde Park United Methodist in Tampa.

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MSM Seeks Artistic Director

Master Singers of Milwaukee (MSM) has a strong history of music mastery that has transcended social trends: founded and directed by women at a time that was groundbreaking; thriving while other performance-based organizations floundered; we remain collaborative and community focused. Founded in 1973 MSM will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023.

MSM IS SEEKING AN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR WHO WILL:

  • Develop an annual season of a maximum of four concert series, that appeals to audiences across race, culture, and age with support from the MSM Artistic Committee.
  • Determine programming for each concert with support from the MSM Artistic Committee.
  • Serve as principal conductor for all programs and rehearsals.
  • Choose repertoire that is within the capacity of the choir to perform at highest level.
  • Recruit new singers with attention to diversity and inclusion.
  • Audition new members and continuing members as needed.
  • Determine qualifications and suitability of accompanying instrumentalists and other collaborative musicians.
  • Enhance the musical integrity of the Master Singers of Milwaukee and contribute significantly to the fulfillment of the organization’s artistic mission: “to perform the finest choral music and set the highest performance standards while engaging and educating audiences in Southeastern Wisconsin, while inspiring joy and fellowship, affirming that music is essential to the human spirit.”
  • Be a brand Ambassador of the Master Singers of Milwaukee through Community Engagement and outreach.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced director of choral organizations, who is committed to the artistry and joy of choral singing with a demonstrated record of diversity in selecting repertoire and recruiting singers.

Please contact secretary@mastersingersofmilwaukee.org to apply.

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Meet Our Board – Norman A. Wahn, C.P.A.

Norman Wahn is a life-long resident of the Milwaukee area.  He is married and has three grown sons.  He joined the Master Singers’ board as treasurer in 2016. He is a 1980 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a major in Accounting.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and was recognized by the Wisconsin Institute of CPAs in 2024 for 40 years in the profession.  He has 28 years of accounting experience in the areas of wholesale distribution and manufacturing.  In 2001, he was ‘downsized’ out of the corporate world after 23 years with the same company. In 2003, he purchased an existing small accounting and individual tax preparation business, Tosa Accounting & Tax Service, a natural expansion of the client base that he had established before, as a home-based business.  He sold the business in 2013, receiving an offer he couldn’t refuse in anticipation of retirement.  But that plan changed.

Norm has served at the board level as treasurer, doing the accounting work, including payroll and filing of IRS Form 990, for several local musical groups:

  • Community Chorus of Hales Corners (Informal community choral group)
    Treasurer from 2008-2017
  • Great Lakes Baroque, Ltd. (Early music group)
    Treasurer from 2014-2018
  • Ensemble Musical Offering (Early music group)
    Treasurer from 2006-2014
  • Milwaukee Choristers, Inc. (70-voice chorus
    Treasurer since 2012
  • Master Singers of Milwaukee, Inc. (70-voice chorus)
    Treasurer since 2016
  • Aperi Animam, Inc. (Early Music Choral Group)
    Treasurer since 2021
  • Jazz Unlimited of Greater Milwaukee (Jazz Music Scholarship Grantor) Treasurer since 2023.

He sang as a tenor with the Community Chorus of Hales Corners from 2002 to 2017, Bel Canto Chorus 1999-2002, travelling with that group to New York City (Carnegie Hall), and to England and Wales where he performed at an International Music Festival in Wales.  He also sang with the Milwaukee Choristers from 2014 to 2019. He has volunteered in a variety of other capacities for several community organizations with which he was personally involved, including a condominium homeowners’ association, a youth sports league, and his local neighborhood association. He continues to do a considerable number of tax returns out of his home.

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