Meet the four voices

Vocal quartet biographies.

The stories behind Jazz Spectrum’s soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

Soprano

Jan Salvadorini

Jan discovered her love of the stage at Buffalo Grove High School, where she starred in musicals and performed with the award-winning Expressions Show Choir. After earning a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Illinois, she spent five years singing with Diversion, a vocal trio performing nightly in Chicagoland clubs.

During college, Jan also performed alongside professional Equity actors in repertory theater at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. As a high school senior, she sang the national anthem solo on national television at Wrigley Field before the Cubs–Dodgers game on June 5, 1981.

Jan is married and has three sons. Her professional background includes dentistry and work with the College of Lake County’s dental hygiene program. After a long break from performing to raise her family, she returned to music with Jazz Spectrum following Peggy Conniff’s retirement in 2014. A mutual friend’s introduction brought Jan to the group.

Alto

Stacy Eifert

Stacy is both a singer and an accomplished percussionist. At just 16, she auditioned for and earned a place on the University of Illinois Marching Illini snare drum line as an incoming freshman. She became the first woman in the ensemble’s history to play snare drum for all four years. Although she majored in business, she also played percussion in the university’s Symphonic Band, a position normally held by a music major.

Stacy met her husband John, Jazz Spectrum’s drummer, while they marched beside each other in the Illini snare line. They have two children, both musicians. After working in sales and raising her children, Stacy earned a master’s degree in education and began a second career teaching fourth grade at Fremont Intermediate School.

Her volunteer work has included Mare In Heaven, an organization that brings miniature horses to people seeking comfort and to those with special needs.

Tenor

Dan Maher

Dan began singing in community groups at age 10. While performing with Jerry Traxler’s Choral Dynamics, his clear high range drew attention as an ideal fit for the rich, wide-ranging harmonies of a new vocal quartet. He agreed to “give it a try” and joined Jazz Spectrum in 1994.

Dan retired after a 43-year career as an electrical engineer at Underwriters Laboratories. He and his wife live in Grayslake, Illinois. Their daughter teaches physical education, and their son served nine years in the Navy, including service in Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay and Bahrain. Their youngest son, a U.S. Marine, was killed in action in Iraq in 2005. The Jazz Spectrum family continues to honor his memory.

With rehearsals keeping him busy, Dan’s wife affectionately calls herself “the singing widow.” Dan also has an unusual method of reading music called the “arrow” system. Ask him about it when you see him.

Bass

Steve Smith

Steve brings energy, entertainment and fun to Jazz Spectrum’s original arrangements of classic jazz favorites. He joined the vocal quartet in 2016, taking over the bass chair from Tim Laud. His range of styles broadens the group’s repertoire with vocalese solos and classic Joe Williams-style blues.

Steve’s love of music began at age seven, singing in the children’s choir with Gerry Traxler’s Choral Dynamics. As a teenager, he was a featured soloist in school musicals and choirs. His adult performing experience includes opening for entertainers such as Henny Youngman.

Steve is married with two adult children. He loves performing with Jazz Spectrum and looks forward to the group’s musical future.

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