In this rehearsal lab, Dr. Chung Park will demonstrate rehearsal strategies and concepts with an emphasis on practical pedagogy that you can implement in your ensemble rehearsals as early as tomorrow. The rehearsal lab will feature the wonderful musicians of the Sycamore High School Orchestra under the direction of Ken Tonaki.
Chung Park
- Biographical Information
Dr. Chung Park
is an internationally-recognized conductor, music educator, and
editor. He serves as the conductor of the award-winning St. Olaf Orchestra and
began conducting the St. Olaf Philharmonia in the fall of 2023. Park maintains
an active schedule as a guest conductor in both the professional and
educational realms, with engagements including the Sarasota Orchestra, Orlando
Philharmonic Orchestra, and student honor orchestras throughout the United
States. His recently published transcription of the Cello Suites of J.S. Bach
for Bärenreiter-Verlag is used by students and faculty at top institutions
internationally. He is currently working on a viola edition of the Violin
Sonatas and Partitas of J.S. Bach for Bärenreiter, to be released in the
fall of 2025. Park earned his doctorate in instrumental conducting from the
University of Miami, and holds M.M. degrees in orchestral conducting
(University of Illinois) and viola performance (Western Michigan University),
and a B.M. in viola performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Deeply
engaged in the life of the American music education community, Dr. Park has
given hundreds of clinics in schools throughout the United States for all levels
and ensemble types. He is an ardent believer in the value of a liberal arts
education, the breadth and depth it provides, and the possibilities inherent in
its ability to address the whole person.
Ken Tonaki is in his 30th year of teaching orchestra in the Sycamore (IL) Community School District. Ken and his wife and colleague, Amy Lestina Tonaki, collectively teach students grades 4 to 12. Mrs. Tonaki assumes the role as the middle school orchestra director, while Mr. Tonaki directs the high school orchestras. At the elementary level, they teach their specialty instruments, with Amy providing cello and bass lessons and Ken providing violin and viola lessons for students in all five elementary schools. Ken Tonaki’s high school orchestras have performed multiple times at the Illinois-Music Educators “All-State Conference,” the University of Illinois, and the Northern Illinois University Orchestra and Chamber Festivals. In 2016, the SHS Chamber Orchestra served as a demonstration ensemble at the Midwest Clinic. Ken has served as a guest conductor/clinician for youth summer music camps at the University of Illinois and the University of Wyoming along with many district & regional honor festivals throughout Illinois, Indiana & Iowa. Ken has also presented clinics at the Illinois All-State Conference and served on a discussion panel at the Midwest Clinic in 2023. In addition to his regular teaching duties, Ken has served as a High School Orchestra Division Representative in the NW Illinois Music Educator Association. Ken has also served as a marching instructor for several high schools in the Chicagoland area, thanks to his experience marching with Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps and Northern Illinois University Marching Band. For ten years, he was the Visual Caption Head for the Northern Illinois University Marching Band. He also wrote drill for Sycamore HS Marching Band and several other HS bands. Outside his teaching duties, Ken plays violin with the Kishwaukee Symphony Community Orchestra and performs music with his family, Amy (cellist), Evan (cellist), and Mia (violinist). Ken Tonaki earned his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music Education from Northern Illinois University. He is a member of the Illinois Music Educators Association, the American String Teachers Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America. He was a finalist for the DeKalb County Excellence in Education award and the recipient of the Outstanding Chicgoland Music Educator award.