Arts Hall of Fame Inductees 2015
Edith Bigelow - Springfield High School Teacher 1947-1969
Miss Edith Bigelow graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and began teaching at Springfield High School in 1947 as a faculty member of both the English and Social Studies Departments. She continued to teach English throughout her 23 year career at Springfield, taught Latin beginning in 1956, and in 1959 was appointed the English Department head.
What qualifies Miss Bigelow as an easy choice for the Arts Hall of Fame is her dedication to hundreds of stage performers from the late 1940’s and throughout the entire next decade. She directed the Dramatic Club from 1947 through 1959, and the National Thespian Society from 1951 through 1959. She also worked with a third group of actors, the Footlight Performers, for several years while simultaneously managing the drama and thespian organizations.
Edith Bigelow was responsible for numerous plays and musicals, which not only thrilled the school population and community, but also provided a creative and artistic outlet to so many young people during the 1940’s and 1950’s. The outstanding theatre groups of today’s Springfield can thank Miss Edith Bigelow for paving the way for the fine performances we enjoy every year.
David Burkhart - Class of 1970
David was a member of the Springfield High School Bands, was selected to the PMEA District and Region State Bands and was the Student Director of the 1970 SHS World Music Festival Gold Medal Band. He also was a member of the Men’s Glee Club and Lower and Upper Choirs. Dave performed the role of Jud Fry in the 1970 SHS musical production of Oklahoma.
He was inspired by his fellow student musicians and the SHS music faculty to pursue a career as a music educator. He earned a Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees from Mansfield University. He taught music in the Interboro School District for 34 years, primarily as the High School Band Director. Dave’s marching bands won the Delaware County Marching Band Championship and his jazz bands were regular performers in the Essentially Ellington Regional Festivals. Dave also directed the Concert Band at Drexel University and was the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Delaware County High School All Star Big Band.
His daughter Alexandra and son Christopher were standout musicians at SHS, being selected to PMEA District, Region, All-State and MENC All East ensembles, and Dave stays active playing trumpet and cornet with the Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds.
Michael DeAngelis - Class of 1997
Michael first produced script as a writer at Springfield High School when he wrote and directed And God Spoke…, a thirty minute sitcom which earned Michael a national recognition, the Xerox Award for the Humanities.
After SHS, Michael studied acting and theater criticism at Goldsmith’s College University of London, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Muhlenberg in 2001 with a Theatre Arts degree, and soon embarked on his career as a writer, actor, and director.
His short play, Drop, was a winner of the 2009 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival. He has written or co-written the plays X/Y, Deep Fried Everything, Accidents Happen and Signs from God. He starred in and co-wrote the short film Tails Between Their Legs, which was a winner of the National Film Challenge. He shared the 2009 NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Original Play for Accidents Happen. His latest work, Antony & Cleopatra: Infinite Lives, sold out its entire run at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, followed the next summer by an acclaimed run at the New York International Fringe Festival. His works have been produced by theater companies as close as Philadelphia and as far away as Australia.
Currently, Michael is the Managing Director of The Porch Room, an independent film and theater company and for the last decade, he has been the senior performer and director with The Underground Shakespeare Company, an independent theater company resident at The University of Pennsylvania.
Michael V. D’Orazio - Class of 2003
Mike D’Orazio graduated from Springfield High School in 2003 where he spent most of his time in Mr. Trout’s Industrial Materials program building various projects such as guitars and furniture. As his artistic talents grew, so did Michael’s passion for guitar design and stringed instrumentation.
In 2004, he attended the renowned Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, one of only a handful of luthiery programs in the country where he learned instrument building and repair, specializing in electric guitars and basses. Since then he has worked for First Act Custom Guitar Shop in Boston, MA and Ken Smith Basses in Perkasie, PA. In true starving artist form, and being always industrious, Michael added another career to his resumé, earning his Master Plumber’s license in 2014 while still maintaining as many guitar design jobs as possible.
Most importantly, to the guitar-loving youth of Springfield, Michael has volunteered hundreds of hours in passing along the intricate details and musical passion of another fine art that is certainly not as commonplace as it once was. After a busy day, Michael works with as many as four young people simultaneously on the design, construction, and instrumentation of both electric and acoustic guitars and ukuleles.
Michael finds it both enjoyable and rewarding watching each student progress throughout the year and present their final product at “Celebration of the Arts."
Glen J. Greenberg (stage name Glen Gilbert) - Class of 1970
Glen has directed over 260 shows at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse since moving to Arkansas in 1983 and then becoming Artistic Director in 1986. In addition to designing the sets and lights for many of those productions, Glen is best known for his work on stage in everything from “Tevye” in Fiddler on the Roof to his zany Christmas show antics.
Before moving to Arkansas from his native Philadelphia (by way of New York), Glen has appeared in films such as Ghostbusters, Stayin’ Alive, Falling in Love and Fighting Back, and has been seen in television shows like the CBS Movie of the Week, The Good Sport as well as many local and national commercials.
He has been seen on many stages throughout the country, having done national tours of the musicals Teddy Roosevelt and Freedom Train.
Mr. Greenberg is also one of the top voiceover talents in Arkansas lending his voice to thousands of commercials, and can be heard throughout the country in spots from everything like the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, to malls in Florida to cars in Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Illinois. He is even the English voice in a museum in Indonesia. In Little Rock, you may have heard him as the voice of Baptist Health Systems, Bank of the Ozarks, Hank’s Fine Furniture, and, of course, Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, among many others.
In 2005, he played “Burnin’ Bob” on the popular Landers Cars and Trucks television commercials.
In 2015, Glen was most proud to become a member of his high school’s Springfield Arts Hall of Fame. He considers this honor truly a gift as he nears the end of his performing career.
Timothy McFadden - Class of 1982
Timothy McFadden, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earned his Bachelor of Music from Duquesne University before doing graduate work at Bowling Green State University. His past teachers include Roger Sherman, of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and Edwin Betts.
Tim is currently principal trumpet with the Tulsa Symphony, and is also Orchestra Manager of this newly formed, self-governing professional orchestra. In addition, Tim is also principal trumpet with the Tulsa Opera Orchestra, and has served as principal trumpet for the Tulsa Philharmonic, and the Charleston Symphony. Tim was a featured soloist on all of the Tulsa Philharmonic's series. For the past fourteen years, Tim has served as principal trumpet for the Breckenridge Music Festival in Breckenridge, Colorado. Tim has been a featured soloist at the festival as well, performing the Haydn Trumpet Concert, and Bach's Second Brandenburg Concerto.
Tim has also performed with the Mexico City Philharmonic, the Symphonies of Ann Arbor, and Lansing, Michigan, and the American Wind Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to performing, Tim is currently on faculty at the University of Tulsa and has also served on the faculty at Oklahoma State University, the University of Michigan-Flint, Bowling Green State University, Findlay (Ohio) University, and Langston University.
In addition to orchestral playing, Tim is one of the founding members of Bravo Brass Quintet. Bravo has been performing chamber concerts throughout the state of Oklahoma for thirteen years.
CHARMION H. PETERMAN - Class of 1965
Guided by an enthusiastic new Minister of Music and the discovery of handbells in a closet at First UMC in Clovis, NM, 1979, Charm Peterman began her joyous journey into the handbell ministry. Since then she has formed and directed over 60 handbell choirs and given workshops in Belgium, England, Germany, and all over the United States. She founded the European Hand Bell Festivals in 1985 for American military stationed overseas and the European Guild serving US military in Europe in 1989. She is a workshop clinician, massed ringing conductor, solo handbell ringer, directs the Monumental Ringers and rings with the award-winning Tapestry, a community handbell quintet that focuses on daytime ministry and outreach.
While stationed in the U.K., Charm was an active member of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain. She gave clinics, hosted and directed a regional rally, and was on the committee for the 1988 Exeter International Handbell Symposium. Her choirs appeared several times on Armed Forces Network (AFN) in the U.K., Europe and the United States. Her handbell choir, the Liberty Belles, performed for her majesties, Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother at their Sandringham Estate.
A Bachelor of Music from DePauw University, a Master’s in Adult and Continuing Education from Kansas State University, and over thirty-five years working with handbells give Charm a strong foundation for performing and teaching this beautiful instrument. As a member of the Handbell Musicians of America, she served as Chair for Area, Festival Chair, instructs in Spring and Youth Festival Conferences, Director’s Seminars and taught at the 2004 International Handbell Symposium.
Carol Weldy Portice - Class of 1971
Carol Weldy Portice, is a professional pianist, organist, conductor, and music educator. She earned a Bachelor of Music in music education from the Eastman School of Music.
Carol has served as a church musician in churches in Pennsylvania and New York. She is currently the Director of Music and Organist at University Presbyterian Church in Rochester Hills, Michigan where she directs a graded choir program with five singing choirs from kindergarten through adults and a hand bell choir. UPC’s high school age choir, the Agape Singers, has toured nationally and internationally for the past 10 years.
Carol is an active accompanist for choral groups, vocal soloists and instrumentalists - a skill she learned while a student at Springfield. She was the staff accompanist for 13 years at Adams High School in Rochester and was music director for many musical theatre productions in the Rochester area. Carol has also taught private piano and organ students throughout her career.
She is an active member of several professional organizations including American Guild of Organists where she served as dean of the Nassau Chapter, American Choral Directors Association, Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and Choristers Guild.
Matt Radico - Class of 1984
After graduating from Springfield in 1984, Matt Radico attended Cabrini College to study Communications and Political Science. Matt began his career in the television business as the Remote Production Coordinator for American Cablevision in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and by 1987 he was producer and writer for General Video Productions, a full-service production company in Paoli, PA.
Over the next eight years, Matt had over 400 industrial video, television commercial and programming credits often working with large crews of camera, sound and lighting technicians. In 1991 Matt joined forces with Richard Glassman and merged General Video into VATv and Matt became one of the most sought after producers of corporate and industrial video in the Philadelphia area. VATv was one of the first companies to utilize the internet for distribution of video through the new technology known as webcasting. In 1998, VATv started The Philadelphia Visitor’s Channel which promotes Tourism and Hospitality in the Philadelphia region.
Today, Matt Radico continues to be one of the leading Directors of Photography on the East Coast. His credits include ABC News, CNN, HBO, Bank of America, Prudential and a number of Fortune 500 companies. Matt and VATv have been recipients of 13 national Telly Awards for creative and technical excellence.
Miku Shiota-Rosenbaum - Class of 1991
Miku Shiota-Rosenbaum received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory, majoring in vocal and instrumental music education and minoring in piano performance.
Miku was concertmistress of the Springfield High School Orchestra during all four years there, drum major of the Springfield High School Marching Band during her senior year, and a member of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra for six years. She participated in the Pennsylvania Music Education Association Orchestra and Choral festivals, achieving state ranking in both areas. She was also awarded a full scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts.
At Oberlin, she was a piano student of Peter Takacs and Sedmara Zakarian Rutstein, as well as a voice student of Richard Anderson. She participated in the Oberlin College Choir, the Musical Union, and the College Community Strings.
In the Philadelphia area, she has sung with the Choral Society of Montgomery County and the Pennsylvania Academy of Performing Arts Ariana Women’s Choir, and played violin with the Delaware County Symphony. Miku taught music at the Springside School in Philadelphia, New Hope Academy in Yardley, and the Broad Street Academy in Philadelphia.
Currently, she is the Music Director and Organist for the Springfield Baptist Church, Music Director and Conductor of the Montgomery County Youth Orchestra, co-Conductor of the Delaware Valley Young Musicians Orchestra, and the string instrument teaching artist at the Freire Charter Middle School for the organization Play On, Philly! She lives in Wayne with her husband and daughter.
Diane Winters - Class of 1962
Diane Winters was born to parents who were both artists – her father was the head artist at Wanamaker’s and her mother’s paintings were exhibited at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904! You then might have expected that Diane would follow in their footsteps, but her wide ranging interests led to a life path of twists and turns.
After graduating from SHS in 1962, she attended the University of Chicago for two years intending to major in biology. Several years later, however, including six months in Europe, she returned to the Philadelphia area and attended what was then The Philadelphia College of Art, now part of the University of the Arts, from which she received a BFA in Sculpture. She then moved to New York City, and to support herself, worked as litigation paralegal and later as coordinator of the paralegal program for a large corporate law firm.
During a two year break from the world of corporate law, Diane transformed into a full-time free-lance textile designer in the home furnishings field. Finally, after studying at Parsons School of Design and wanting to leave the concrete of Manhattan for a greener, warmer environment, she moved to Oakland, California and set up an artisan tile making studio in Berkeley. She designed, made and sold handcrafted stoneware tiles in the tradition of the Craftsman or Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century for eighteen years before retiring in 2010. Most of her tile work is in private homes and collections, but some can be seen at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim in the hearth rooms and family restaurant.
In addition to tile making she has spent time exploring the mediums of photography, collage and mosaic, and has also had her research paper on the decipherment of one of the Mayan hieroglyphs published by the University of Oklahoma Press.