Biography.

Mary Jo Neher, was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and left the last frontier after high school to pursue her love of music. While working on her BM in Boston, Mary Jo had the pleasure of performing with the Boston Philharmonic, Masterworks Chorale, and the New Bedford Symphony. Since moving to Chicago in 1999 she has been an active freelance and chamber musician, performing in the Chicagoland area with Ars Viva!, Lake Forest Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Light Opera Works, Chicago Arts Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic, New Philharmonic, Chicago Philharmonic, Midwest Mozart Festival and the Chicago Sinfonietta.  Outside of Illinois Mary Jo has worked with the Green Bay Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra the Milwaukee Ballet and the Milwaukee Symphony. Mary Jo has performed in Miami, Florida with the New World Symphony Orchestra and has toured across Japan with the Pacific Music Festival where she worked with Academy Award winning composer, Tan Dun.

 

An active chamber musician, Mary Jo has recorded and produced two holiday albums with PolyKrome Brass. Mary Jo is a regular member of the Millar Brass Ensemble and can be heard on their most recent album In Memoriam.  As a founding member of the Über Horn Quartet, Mary Jo performed in concert at the 2014 IHS Mid-North Horn Symposium and has presented numerous educational concerts in Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas and Wisconsin. An avid lover of all Broadway and movie music she has performed on countless operas and shows, including touring with The Phantom of the Opera and the 2010 North American Tour of Star Wars in Concert.   Mary Jo has performed in concert with Zelda, Symphony of Goddesses, Video Games Live! and recorded the PBS special, A Christmas Carol, Live in Concert, which premiered Christmas 2013. Mary Jo can be heard on a wide range of CD’s, including, Sam Winch’s Senator!,  the Grammy nominated Hotel Lafayette with Denise Brigham, and The C.O.W.L. Sessions, an album of Jazz nonets by composer Joe Clark. Most recently Mary Jo had the privilege to record Requiem by Russell Schulz-Widmar under the GIA label. 

 

Through her academic endeavors Mary Jo has studied under the guidance of Seth Orgel, Rick Menaul, Eric Ruske, Bill Barnewitz, Gail Williams, Oto Carrillo and Jon Boen. Mary Jo's academic credits include a BM Cum Laude from Boston University, a MM from Northwestern University, and a Certificate of Performance from DePaul University.

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When not tooting her horn Mary Jo enjoys sewing, home DIY projects and learning new tricks for photography and videography.  She resides in Chicago’s historic Portage Park neighborhood on the northwest side with her musician/educator husband and their two children