I'm grateful for a life rich with music, art and many interest areas; and for a former life in the business and entrepreneurial world.
Radio Host & Musician
I'm an amateur singer, pianist and guitar player with a special love for renaissance, baroque and folk music. I've been a music host and producer for Wisconsin Public Radio since 2007, and I currently host "Morning Classics" every weekday.
I've served on the boards of Madison Opera and the Madison Early Music Festival, and currently serve as a Trustee for the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music.
I have performed with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Festival Choir of Madison and love one-on-a-part ensemble singing. I've made several recordings, including two on the Dorian label with the Bach Choir, two with the Festival Choir, and four recordings produced by Alfred Publishing.
Past radio and voiceover experience includes hosting and producing "Simply Folk" on WPR for over five years, co-hosting "The Midday" with Norman Gilliland, hosting and producing opera intermission interviews, hosting "Musica Antiqua," a weekend program on WORT-FM 89.9-FM in Madison, Wisconsin, and afternoon classical hosting on WDIY-FM in Allentown/Bethlehem, PA. My voice has been heard on everything from national PBS pledge drives to a plastic surgeon's infomercial to a hip-hop podcast. I was born in Germany, studied in France, and pronounce Spanish and Italian.
I play piano just for fun, and love to sing and play folk guitar with friends and family, with some nice harmonies and a little percussion.
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Photo Bio
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I haven't been active with professional photography over the past several years, but here's the old bio: Stephanie Essex Elkins is an award-winning fine art photographer who particularly enjoys working while hiking and cross-country skiing. As a photographer based in the rural driftless area of the Upper Midwest, Elkins specializes in capturing the flowing contours of its farmscapes and ancient rolling topography.
Elkins began photographing seriously in 2001 and entered her first competition the following year, capturing two Firsts and a Best of Show. She was a Wisconsin State Exhibit Award winner in the 2003 Wisconsin Regional Artists competition, won two major Purchase Awards at her first juried art fair in 2003, and was a featured solo artist at the Monroe Arts Center Frehner Gallery (WI) in 2004. She was selected to be the featured artist at the 2005 New Glarus Art Fair in the Park, and has been the featured artist at the Sugar River Gallery (New Glarus, WI), Balcony Gallery (Monticello, WI) and the Over the Moon Cafe (Monroe, WI). She has also exhibited at the Cottonwood Gallery (Lake Mills, WI.)
Business Bio/Education
Stephanie Elkins currently hosts "Morning Classics" and is the former host of "Simply Folk" on Wisconsin Public Radio. She also served as WPR's marketing director for 15 months through September 2010.
Elkins co-founded Broadjam Inc. with her husband Roy in 1999. Based in Madison, WI, Broadjam is home to a substantial web community for independent musicians, with a database of close to a million original songs and over 200,000 members from around the globe. The company also provides technology and services for the music industry, with clients that have included the Academy of Country Music, Warner/Chappell, Yamaha and others. Elkins ran many of the day-to-day operations of Broadjam as Vice President of Operations through December 2006 with overall responsibility for Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting, Customer Service, Legal and Administration.
Elkins held the position of National Account Manager for Domino Amjet (London Stock Exchange) where she oversaw sales, negotiated purchasing agreements and coordinated the company's international and domestic marketing activity with several multinational corporations including Pepsico, Campbell Soup, and Nestle.
Elkins served as a Marketing Representative managing annual sales of over $5 million through several hundred distributor reps for Mobil Chemical Company, where she was named "Rookie of the Year" after her first year in the position.
Elkins has also worked as a freelance writer and editor with a focus on business plans, press releases and grant applications. Clients included Miron Construction, InvestWisconsin, Orion Energy Systems, the Governor's Summit on Venture Capital, Gannett Newspapers, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, CTM Family Theatre, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Madison Ballet, and the Festival Choir of Madison.
Elkins has served on the boards of Madison Opera and the Madison Early Music Festival and provided formal facilitation services and fundraising consulting to area nonprofits. She currently serves as a Trustee for the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music.
Elkins received a BA in Political Science and French from her parents' and grandparents' alma mater, the University of Rhode Island. She started there full-time at the age of 16, served as a Student Senator and chaired its Academic Affairs committee. She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, France for two semesters while working as an au pair. Elkins did two years of graduate work in Applied Economics at the University of Central Florida while working as a Graduate Research Assistant in the area of economic impact modeling. She is a certified facilitator.
Community Involvement
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Board of Trustees, Wisconsin Foundation for School Music, February 2017 to present
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PBS Wisconsin, On-Air Pledge Talent 2001 to present
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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Choir member 2016 to present; Vestry member, 2022 to present
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Academic Staff Executive Committee, University of Wisconsin-Madison, elected to two terms, representing 13k academic staff members on campus, 2019 – 2024.
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Board of Trustees, Madison Opera, September 2006 to 2009; Executive Committee, Sept. 2007 – 2009, Development Committee, Sept. 2006 – 2009
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Board of Advisors, Madison Early Music Festival, 2001 to 2003 and 2007
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WORT-FM, Madison, WI, community radio station, May 1997 – May 2007: Host & Programmer of Musica Antiqua, a weekly classical music show; Editor, quarterly newsletter, Summer & Fall 2004; Wrote, produced & broadcast educational specials
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Board of Advisors, Madison Early Music Festival, 2001 to 2008; Chair, Donor Development Committee, 2001 - 2004
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Founding Member, Green County Artist Alliance (later Driftless Area Artists), 2003
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Leadership Greater Madison, Sixth Class, Sept. 1998 to June 1999
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Wisconsin Women Entrepreneurs, 1999 to 2001
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Festival Choir of Madison, 1997 to 2001; 2 recordings
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Town of Adams, Green County WI: Facilitator of the town's preliminary citizen land use & smart growth committee, 2001 to 2002
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Wisconsin Arts Board Panelist, 1999
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Madison Opera, Sang the role of the Shepherd in Tosca, April 1998
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WDIY-FM, Allentown, PA, Classical Host & Programmer, 1996 - 1997
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Friends of the Library, Treasurer, Red Hill, PA, 1995 to 1997
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Bach Choir of Bethlehem, PA, 1994 to 1997; 4 recordings on the Dorian label; performed on the NBC Today show; toured Germany; served as a "Bach-toSchool" program presenter and performer
Photo by Jim Gill