Our Advisory Board
The advisory board members of the Madison Memorial Performing Arts Campaign hail from many different corners of life. Some are performing artists and recording/production experts. Others are prominent alumni and parents, educators, and arts supporters. All have a deep interest in helping the students at Memorial High School get access to quality facilities that will serve their community, as well as their academic and future goals.
Michael Bartlett
"Music has been the driving force and passion in my life for as long as I can remember. As a young boy in Madison at Midvale Elementary, I had the good fortune of taking piano lessons with a teacher just down the block in our Westmorland neighborhood. Her name was Liza Bliss; she indeed encouraged me to “follow my bliss” and I was inspired and encouraged through my studies with her as a young boy. I continued my studies through high school in Madison studying under Dolores Mittler Fredrickson. Later piano studies included St. Olaf College and the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where I accompanied a multitude of classical vocal artists and earned a Master’s Degree in Vocal Accompanying. Following my collegiate and graduate studies, I pursued further professional activities as a pianist and vocal coach including work at the San Francisco Opera, The Santa Fe Opera and other U.S. Opera Companies and performing as accompanist for a vocal recital at Carnegie Hall. After 8 years working for the premiere musical artist management company in New York City, IMG Artists, I then served as Artistic Administrator for the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. My highest honor there was as Producer of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd in Concert” starring Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Neil Patrick Harris, & Company. Mr. Sondheim learned of our production, and wanted it filmed for posterity and television on PBS. The telecast was then nominated for, and won, the Emmy Award in its category.
Now living back in Madison, I am still playing piano for local events and businesses. Music has enriched my life more deeply than anything else, and my goal is to enrich others’ lives with my playing."
https://www.michaelbartlettmusic.com/
Betty Harris Custer
Betty Harris Custer is a lifelong resident of Madison WI, and part of a three-generation family of Madison Metropolitan School District students. Her father was Robert “Boomer” Harris who coached and taught at three Madison High Schools: West, Central and Memorial. Betty is a graduate of Central as was her late older sister, Ruth, who later taught in the district, and younger brother Bob.
Betty and her husband Corkey Custer have two children who both attended Jefferson Middle School and Memorial High School, Genevieve Custer Weeks and Jamie Custer. Both children were involved in the performing arts while attending school. Betty has been the founder and
financial planner of Custer Financial Services, having worked in the profession for 50 years and with her husband for the last 32 years.
She served on the Foundation for Madison Public Schools, chaired the campaign to build the Lussier Community Education Center on school property and has served on numerous boards involving education, social justice and the arts, including Overture. Her commitment to the Memorial School district, in particular, and the arts specifically, has led her to join the Advisory Board for the Memorial Performing Arts Campaign.
Roy Elkins
Roy Elkins is a visionary entrepreneur and a veteran of MI Industry. In 1999, he founded Broadjam.com, which is one of the longest running websites serving musicians; The company currently hosts 200,000 members, and provides free profiles, web hosting, song contests, licensing, reviews, Top 10 charts, playlists, musician’s marketplace and an active social network where musicians get connected. Prior to Broadjam, Elkins was the VP of Sales and Marketing at Sonic Foundry and responsible for the launch of several products, including the groundbreaking Acid and Sound Forge product lines. He began his career at Ensoniq Corporation where he was the Director of Training and Artist Relations. The Ensoniq School, which he founded, is still regarded as one of the best training programs in the instrument business. Recently he launched the Between the Waves Conference and Festival in Madison, WI which provides musicians the knowledge to make a living making music. A natural connector, he has a massive database of 6,000 professionals and his past/present client list includes some of the biggest names and businesses in the industry. He continues to be passionate about music instrument technology, always exploring the newest developments, and has a thorough understanding of its foundations. He currently serves on The Midi Manufacturers Association advisory board. He has also served on numerous community and educational boards, but is most proud of his work as Chairperson of the Madison Area Music Association which provides instruments for kids, scholarships for students and helps musicians in need. He is in demand as a presenter, has lectured all over the world and continues to share his vast experience and the lessons he has learned in the music business. Elkins’ career has been dedicated to empowering artists.
Sharol Hayner
Sharol grew up in Pasadena, California, before attending Wellesley College where she majored in music. She met her husband, Steve, in Boston and after marrying, moved to Seattle, WA, where Sharol continued to study and teach piano. The Hayners moved to Madison in 1988 where their children attended John Muir Elementary, Jefferson Middle, and Memorial High schools. Emilie and Chip were both involved in the music programs in middle and high school and Chip was active in theater at Memorial. While music has been important throughout Sharol’s life, she also felt called to ministry and began seminary graduate work while living in Madison. She finished her MDiv. and D.Min. degrees at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Having moved back to Madison in 2018, Sharol currently serves as Parish Associate pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church and on the board of her condominium association. She also volunteers with Madison International Partners, building relationships with spouses of international students from the U.W. Madison. Sharol believes in the importance of providing opportunities for exploration and growth for all students, particularly those students who have often been overlooked or are hesitant to enter into the music or arts arenas.
Buzz Kemper
Buzz began his career at Minnesota Public Radio, working with the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and engineering Leigh Kamman’s late night show "The Jazz Image". He served as technical director for Garrison Keillor’s "A Prairie Home Companion" for which he won a national award for excellence. His work has won praise from artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Yo Yo Ma, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and the Chicago, Dayton and Milwaukee symphony orchestras, and for over 25 years he has served as principal sound designer and engineer for Madison Symphony. As voice talent and narrator, Buzz’s voice is heard on audiobooks, websites, TV and radio ads, film narrations, live performances, conventions and awards shows, including serving as live events announcer for American Family Insurance. An amateur rock climber, Buzz has climbed Devils Tower, Half Dome and High Exposure while managing to avoid any uncontrolled plummeting. Buzz is the original owner, having started Audio for the Arts in 1996.
Lynette Lamb
Lynette Lamb (Memorial ’75) was a magazine writer and editor for more than 30 years, including at Utne Reader and Minnesota Monthly magazines. She also taught journalism at the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas. Now retired, Lamb lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Robert Gerloff (Memorial ’79). They are the parents of two adult daughters.
David Stark
David Stark is a 1972 graduate of Madison Memorial High School. During his time as a high school student he studied piano and also played the bassoon in band and WYSO. He is well known as a realtor and president of the Stark Company Realtors. He has held national, state, and local leadership positions in realty organizations. Stark is a champion of philanthropic causes and has held positions in United Way, Madison Community Foundation, Meriter Foundation, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Madison Civic Music Association, YMCA of Metropolitan Madison, Downtown Rotary Club, Dane County American Heart Association, and Nakoma Golf Club. He has also participated in work with the Madison Urban League and Wisconsin Business Alumni.
Kristen Tinglum Friedman
A Memorial ‘75 graduate, Kirsten got her BA and JD degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She practiced law in Anchorage, Alaska and Bremerton, Washington for 25 years. She has been practicing experiential psychotherapy since receiving her MA in mental health counseling in 2015. She and her husband Rick have a blended family of five children and six grandkids. They live in Silverdale, Washington with their three dogs.
Kenya Tolbert
Kenya Tolbert (Memorial 1997) is Chief Executive Officer of FelzSoGood Entertainment, Building Manager of Sony Music Publishing Studio, Studio Manager for Triangle Sound Studio & Sessions ATL in Atlanta, the legendary studios owned by Tricky Stewart, Grammy-winning producer of Beyonce´, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, and many more. In addition to her executive roles, she is also Chief Engineer to Tricky Stewart for Recording and Mixing.
Kenya is a graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta and was president of AIA Records (Art Institute Audio Club) and Grammy U.
In this video, Kenya shares her own Memorial High School experience and, as an industry leader, the need and her support for digital studio space as part of a 21st century arts education.
https://youtu.be/DehUU5Fi-KQ
Opal Tomashevska
In her current role, Opal is dedicated to leading and advancing the efforts of the Multicultural Center of Expertise (MCOE). The MCOE exists to help CUNA Mutual Group understand multicultural consumers, identify business opportunities, develop action plans, and execute those plans to better serve customers and generate substantial business growth. In 2020 she was named as one of Wisconsin’s 51 most influential Black Leaders by Madison365 Media.
Opal is a JMM Graduate (class of 1998), she received her bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Edgewood College.
Opal is also a spoken word artist and emcee. She has been performing poetry nationally since 2016, and released a full-length studio spoken word album called "My Name Is Opal" in 2019. The album has been streamed in over 30 countries certifying Opal as a Spotify Verified artist. You can stream the album on all major streaming platforms including Apple Music, Tidal, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more. The album is also available for purchase on iTunes.
Opal is featured on the 2021 single "The 90's" which is a collaboration between her, Rob Dz, Remedy Born Muzik, and DJ VPS. She recently released the single “Anti-Anxiety (Slow Down)” produced by DJ Pain 1 and mixed by fellow JMM alumni Kenya Tolbert. Opal is also a co-host of Black Currency, a financial literacy podcast available on all platforms. She serves on the board of directors for UCAN (Urban Community Arts Network), and The Midwest Chapter for the African American Credit Union Coalition.
www.opalellyse.com
Butch Vig
"Artist" is the single word which best describes producer, mixer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Butch Vig. Born in Viroqua,Wisconsin, his parents Doc and Betty exposed Butch to a variety of music and fine arts culture during his youth. While attending the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he received a degree in filmmaking, Vig focused on experimental music composition – an area that would serve him well into the future. While at the UW, Butch jumped into the local music scene and joined the band Spooner as its drummer. Unlike most drummers, content to bang out the rhythms, Vig pursued music composition with the band and stepped behind the studio glass to shape the recorded sound as a producer.
After graduating from the UW, Butch co-founded Smart Studios and began producing and mixing albums. His perseverance as an independent producer in Madison carried far beyond Wisconsin's borders, as artists from around the country began to hear the clear, edgy, hard rock sound shaped by Butch's productions. His work with Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and Soul Asylum in the 90s has been hailed by music critics and authors who have placed his work at the top of the decade’s best recordings. Additionally, Vig has created many exciting remixes for such prominent artists as U2, Beck, Korn, Alanis Morissette, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails.
In 1995 Vig returned to performing and writing with a band he formed that goes by the name of Garbage. The multi-platinum, Grammy Nominated band has achieved worldwide critical and commercial success as it ushered in yet another new direction for rock music. Recently, Vig has produced critically acclaimed albums for Against Me, Green Day, and The Foo Fighters, winning a Grammy for their album "Wasting Light." In 2015, Butch produced The Foo Fighters HBO documentary "Sonic Highways." In 2019 Butch produced the soundtrack for Puppy Love, featuring Portugal The Man, LP and Kurt Vile. In 2021 Garbage released their 7th album, the critically acclaimed No Gods No Masters. He was recently ranked #9 on NME's Top 50 Greatest Producers Ever.