Ari Schiller is the Director of Operations at Harvard OCTAVE. In 2024, she was selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association's District 7 Senior Music Festival as an Illinois district-wide top trumpet player. Additionally, she has been selected in both 2023 and 2024 to participate in the McHenry County Honor Band. In February 2024's IHSA Solo and Ensemble Contest, she was awarded "Best of Day" in two ensembles: a clarinet choir, and a trumpet duet, an unprecedented honor in the history of Harvard High School.

She is Vice President of Tri-M as well as a member of NHS. Her desire to learn multiple instruments initiated District 50's dual band program, creating even more playing opportunities for student musicians. She currently plays the trumpet, clarinet, and baritone saxophone.

Christie Schiller is the Administrative Director at Harvard OCTAVE. She has served on the community boards of Harvard Lady Sting and Harvard Jr. Hornets and has coached and volunteered in our community since moving here in 2009. She is a member of Harvard HARMONY and devotes many hours to District 50's band programs.

Christie grew up playing the piano and singing in choir but had never tried out being in a band ensemble. With the creation of OCTAVE, coupled with her love and passion for music, she decided to take on more than administrative duties, and began learning a new instrument, the euphonium. She has learned quickly, been an example to other members, and has demonstrated to all of us that it is never too late to follow your passions or learn something new. She hopes her journey will encourage other community members to be a part of our ensemble.

Janet received her Bachelor's of Music in classical vocal performance from the American Conservatory in Chicago and her Master's in classical voice from the American Institute of Musical Studies, a training ground for opera singers, in Graz, Austria.

Janet's musical pedigree includes: Donna Harrison; voice(ACM); Kathy Kaun, vocal coach(Northwestern University), Martin Rich, conductor (Metropolitan Opera), Donna Brumsma, diction & language (Lyric Opera of Chicago), and Dick Jones, artistic direction (Metropolitan Opera).

A lyric soprano, Janet has performed in numerous operas, operettas, musicals and choral works in the US and Europe but her favorite role was that of Goldilocks in a school play at the age of seven.

She was the first assistant director for the Mendelssohn Chorale, the chorus for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra (Rockford, Illinois).

Today she is the director for the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Harvard, Il.

Janet also holds a degree in visual art (experimental photography); you can find her at her house in her (rare) free time annoying various subjects with a camera.

Katie began studying music at the age of 4, with her mother as her very first teacher. Notable classical instructors have included Stephanie Preucil (Schaumburg), June De Forest (Chicago), and Dr. Kathreen Ryan (EIU). Katie began teaching under Dr. Ryan at Eastern Illinois University in 1999 while pursuing a degree in violin performance. She also studied briefly with Irish master fiddler Kevin Burke, who helped to develop her Sligo style on the fiddle.

Katie has performed, arranged and recorded music in the Chicagoland area since 2007. She recorded two full-length albums and toured with Chicago’s 9-piece folk/punk/americana band Elephant Gun from 2011-2015, and has written and recorded original string parts for some 20 other independent music artists.

For over 25 years, Katie has taught Suzuki & traditional private lessons, and currently enjoys a full studio of violin, viola, guitar, piano, & ukulele students ranging in age from 5 years old to “old enough to know better.”

Katie is a pre-OT student at MCC and can be found most often with her nose in the books, but during her downtime she enjoys family time with her husband and 4 kids, as well as puttering around barefoot in the garden.