Roger Bennett passed away March 17, 2007 after a courageous twelve year battle with leukemia. Bennett began his career in Gospel music many years ago when he joined the prestigious Cathedral Quartet, becoming one of Gospel music''s favorites. In 1994, 1995, and 1996 he won the Favorite Instrumentalist award from the Singing News Magazine. He was named Favorite Gospel Instrumentalist by the Gospel Voice Magazine in both 1995 and 1996. After The Cathedrals retired, Roger was part of the group Legacy Five. He contributed two inspirational collections of piano solos to the Lillenas keyboard library. Roger is survived by his wife, Debbie, and their two children, Chelsea and Jordan. Marilynn Ham is a college professor as well as widely admired arranger.
She received her Bachelor of Music at Northern Michigan University and her Master of Music at the University of Wisconsin. She is active as a concert pianist and clinician. She and her husband, Bob, have one son and one daughter. Leading published works include, Ivory Exaltations; Making Spirits Bright; and One Faith, One Lord. Residing in Moorhead, Minnesota, Melody Bober is actively involved in musical activities, including conducting ensembles and teaching music at an elementary school, teaching private piano lessons, and playing at church. In addition, she has accompanied many singers and instrumentalists in public performances and has been a featured soloist at numerous regional events. Ms. Bober graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois (Champagne-Urbana), studying music education and piano performance.
She later earned her master''s degree in piano performance at Moorhead State University in Minnesota. Bill Wolaver, with his wife, Robin, have been involved with Christian music over 20 years, with songs, musicals, and arrangements published by a number of leading Christian publishers. Together, they composed Make His Praise Glorious, recorded by Sandi Patty and nominated for Dove Award for ''Song of the Year.'' In addition, they have received an ASCAP Award for ''Inspirational Song of the Year.'' Bill is a nationally celebrated pianist and arranger; Robin works as a lyricist and writer, and also homeschools their six children. With a skillful and energetic approach to keyboard styling, Jeff''s writing and recordings have made him one of the most respected pianists, arrangers and recording artists in the country. Not only a writer of church music, Jeff has performed on a recording for Disney and has arranged for artists like Marvin Hamlisch. He is the creative mind behind the four piano recording and concert tour, A Festival of Keyboards!, with Stephen Nielson, Ovid Young and Mark Hayes.
His publications include over 200 arrangements published in instrumental collections throughout the nation.Bennett combined his musical interests with his college studies and earned a Bachelor of Music from Ouachita Baptist University in 1985 and a Master of Arts Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1987. Throughout the year, he leads master classes in arranging and keyboard skills and performs concerts throughout the United States. Victor Labenske is professor of music at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, where he teaches piano and music history. A summa cum laude graduate of PLNU, he earned his master''s degree in piano performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music where he studied with Joanne Baker. He also earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance at the University of Southern California studying piano with Stewart Gordon.Dr. Labenske has been honored with such distinctions as playing in the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games and being an Academic All-American Scholar.
His compositional output includes a number of sacred piano collections written at a variety of difficulty levels. He remains active as a concert artist both as soloist and as a collaborative performer. He enjoys presenting keyboard workshops and also performs sacred concerts with his wife, Judith Spaite Labenske. The Labenskes have two children, Karlin and Kristofer. Barny Robertson was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. His college education was done at Sacramento State University and U.C.L.
A. Barny has worked as a keyboardist for numerous artists, including Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. He has produced and arranged over 50 albums in the contemporary Christian music field, inluding 17 albums in the ''Kids Praise'' series featuring Psalty. In 1992, he was awarded a Grammy for the children''s album ''A Cappella Kids.'' He has also been nominated for five different Dove awards over the years.Barny, along with his wife, Carter, have arranged several musicals for Lillenas and other publishers. They live in Franklin, Tennessee, with their three daughters. Barny continues to work as a session player, producer and writer.
Ed Hogan received a degree from Florida State University, where he studied music education and composition. He was a high school band director for eleven years before founding EHF Productions, Inc., a full-service music and audio production company. Besides serving as Instrumental Editor and Consultant for Lillenas, Ed arranges, orchestrates, and does Finale engraving for several church music publishers. He frequently serves as a clinician at reading sessions, workshops, and conferences. He and his wife, Carol, live in Carrollton with their daughters, Katie and Caroline.