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Board of Directors
The Board of the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis is comprised of both musicians and non-musicians, who volunteer their time and individual expertise to support the vision of the ensemble. Together, they help make the music possible.
If you have a passion for supporting music, consider joining our Board. We meet monthly throughout the year in work that is both purposeful and enriching.
David Ancelet, Board President is a freelance marketer and euphonium player in the Twin Cities. He graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in Marketing, Communication Studies, and Music. As a euphonium player, he has studied with Robert Yeats, Dr. David Spies, Dr. Aren Van Houzen, and John Manning. He has played with 62 ensembles, including chamber groups, concert and brass bands, and orchestras.
John Litch, Board Treasurer is principal percussionist of the orchestra. He’s a retired engineer from Honeywell. John is also a utility percussionist with the Saint Paul Civic Symphony Orchestra, principal cellist with the Northeast Orchestra in Fridley and occasionally steps in when another orchestra needs an extra percussionist. As a pit musician, John has performed in more than 150 theater productions over the past 35 years. He has served as treasurer for the orchestra since 2006.
Richard Lentz, Board Member of the Civic since 2020, is retired and working as a novelist. Prior to April 2014, he was a Consultant in Psychiatry at Park Nicollet Clinic and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He has served on the Governing Council of the Minnesota Psychiatric Society and the Board of Directors of MedCenters Health Plan. His wife is a violinist with the Civic and his son, Danny, has also played violin with the Civic. You’ll see his friendly face in the audience of Civic concerts, seated next to Danny and his other son, Andrew, also a musician.
Allison DiVerde, Board Member joined the orchestra as is violinist for the 2016-2017 season and returned for the long haul in 2019. She joined the board of directors towards the end of 2020. Allison has played the violin since the age of four. After graduating from college with a business degree and a music minor, Allison looked no further than the Civic Orchestra to continue her hobby of violin playing.
Joanna Imm, Board Secretary, studied English and History at Macalester College and The Johns Hopkins University, and earned a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Arizona. She worked as a freelance writer and editor for a number of years and currently teaches Language Arts at Two Rivers High School. Joanna has played in the first violin section of the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis since 2006.
Andrew Bates, Board Vice-President, graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in 2021 and joined the Civic Orchestra the same year as a violinist. He works in technology-related areas for U.S. Bank.
Mac Johnson, Board Member joined the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis as a violoist in 2021. Mac is a K-8 classroom music teacher at St. Paul City Charter School. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2021 with degrees in Instrumental Music Education and Viola Performance. Mac joined the board in 2022.
Mary Miklethun, Board Member, has been with U.S. Bank for 23 years. She is a Senior Vice President leading Business Segment Strategy Coordination and Support. Her team is responsible for targeted customer segmentation, data analytics, and strategic initiatives supporting small business clients of the bank. For 16 years she managed global commercial card products before moving into Consumer and Business Banking in 2016. Mary has a bachelor’s degree in English and Music from Gustavus Adolphus College and a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Iowa. She has played with the Civic Orchestra since 1994 and is a member of the viola section.
Charles Watt, Board Member, studied music at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, completing a Ph.D. in composition in 1988. Since 1977, he has been variously active as a composer, trombonist, pianist, and church musician in the Twin Cities area and the Upper Midwest. A set of twins with large and uncritical appetites arrived along with his doctorate, so a couple of years later he began a career as a software engineer, most recently with Travelers Insurance Companies from which he is recently retired. Chuck has been a member of the Civic Orchestra’s trombone section since 2008. In 2016 the Civic Orchestra premiered Whitman's Trumpeter, his composition for trumpet and orchestra .
Staff
The hard-working Civic staff continually work in the background on essential tasks necessary for the music to happen. Our manager, orchestra librarian and assistant conductor keep us organized, informed, and always prepared for both rehearsals and concerts.
John Ondich-Batson, Assistant Conductor
holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Olaf College and a Master's in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Along with being an aspiring conductor, John is also a violist as well as viola/violin teacher around the Twin Cities.
Rachel Hest, Manager
Rachel is the principal flautist with the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis. She is also an administrator in the Music Department at University of Minnesota and maintains a studio of private flute students. She is also a baroque flutist, and in her past life she was the Executive Director of Lyra Baroque Orchestra.
Steve Ecklund, Orchestra Librarian
Steve Ecklund joined the orchestra in the horn section in 1988 and has been Civic’s librarian since 1994. He performs with the Lake Wobegon Brass Band, the Metro Brass, and plays alphorn for various festivals in the area. Steve is retired from Honeywell after a career of 39 years in development and manufacturing of gyroscopes. He also enjoys reading, scuba diving, and playing with his two grandchildren.
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