
music ministries
Make a joyful noise!
Musical Opportunities for Adults, Youth, & Children
For questions and more information, please contact Lynn Leitzen, Director of Children's Music Ministry & Worship Coordinator, at lynn.leitzen@peopleofgrace.org.

Adult Music Ministry
Share your love of music in one of our music ensembles at Grace! We have many opportunities to offer praise and worship through music for all ability levels. Please see the list of vocal and bell choirs below for details. We have selected spirited music; we need you to bring it to life! We welcome you to join us in song! Contact Lynn Leitzen to get connected with one or more of these wonderful ensembles.
Grace Chancel Choir
Grace's largest choir, singing classics, hymn settings, Gospel, and more. Sing at the 10:30AM worship service and for special concerts and holy days. We welcome capable new members. If you’re someone who reads music, loves to sing, enjoys dramatic storytelling, and is drawn to using your gifts to enhance the worship experience for others, contact Dr. Peter Jarjisian via email.
Rehearses Thursdays at 7:00PM to 8:30PM.
Directed by Dr. Peter Jarjisian.
Grace Praise Team
Vocalists and instrumentalists lead 9:00 a.m. worship with current praise and worship music, enhanced by microphones and visual projection, and plays at special events, concerts, and services. The team is always open to new members with the talents and passion for contemporary worship. Rehearsals are Tuesdays (September through May) at 7:30PM to 9:00PM for the upcoming 9:00AM Gathering Sunday worship in the Activity Center. The team rotates vocalists and band members choose their Sundays. We’d love to have you join us!
Rehearses Tuesdays at 7:30PM to 9:00PM.
Directed by Lynn Leitzen.
Grace Bell Ensemble
Play on the first Sunday of the month at the 8:00AM and 10:30AM worship service and other services, concerts, and events.
Rehearses Wednesdays at 7:00PM to 8:30PM.
Directed by Debbie John.
New Life Singers
New Life Singers choir perform on the third Sunday of the month under the leadership of Jon Warfel. All are welcome and no auditions needed!
Rehearses Wednesdays at 6:30PM to 8:00PM prior to 3rd Sunday worship.
Directed by Jon Warfel.
Simply Ring
Would you like to learn how to play handbells? Contact Debbie John.
Special Music
The 8:00AM traditional worship service invites soloists or ensembles for vocal and/or instrumentals to lead worship as available. Please contact Lynn Leitzen for more information.

Youth Music Ministry
Grace's Youth Music Ministry is a wonderful way for youth to grow relationships, share their talents, and express their faith. In addition to regularly leading worship, youth also present one musical per calendar year. Please contact Director of Children's Music Ministry Lynn Leitzen for more information.
Junior Singers
This group is for 4th to 7th graders and sings on average once a month and during Advent and for Mother’s Day musicals.
Rehearses Wednesdays at 5:00PM to 6:00PM.
Directed by Lynn Leitzen.
Youth Choir
This group is for 8th to 12th graders and sings in worship about every 4 to 6 weeks.
Rehearsals will resume in 2026. Stay tuned for more details.
Joyful Ringers
This groups is for 4th to 12th grade youth and rings on average once a month and during Advent and for Mother’s Day musicals.
Rehearses Wednesdays at 4:00PM to 5:00PM.
Directed by Debbie John.
RingTones
This group is for experienced 8th to 12th grade ringers.
Rehearses Sundays at 7:30PM to 8:30PM.
Directed by Debbie John.
Instrumentalists
Any age “practice-ready” instrumentalists interested in accompanying or leading worship, please contact Lynn Leitzen.

Children's Music Ministry
The choir season is September through mid-May, but we welcome seasonal attendees as well. Contact Lynn Leitzen, Director of Children's Music Ministry, for more information.
Treble Tikes Pre-K
Pre-K (3-5 years old)
Rehearsals Thursdays at 1:00PM to 2:00PM.
Directed by Lynn Leitzen.
Cherub Choir
Grades K - 3
Rehearses Wednesdays at 5:00PM to 6:00PM.
Directed by Sue Riedinger.
Junior Singers
Grades 4-7
Rehearses Wednesdays at 5:00PM to 6:00PM.
Directed by Lynn Leitzen.
Joyful Ringers Handbell Choir
Grades 4-12
Rehearses Wednesdays at 4:00PM to 5:00PM.
Directed by Debbie John.
RingTones
Grades 8-12 experienced handbell ensemble ringers
Rehearses Tuesdays at 6:30PM to 7:30PM.
Directed by Debbie John.
Youth Choir
Grades 8-12
Rehearses Thursdays at 6:00PM to 7:00PM.
Directed by Shelly Drescher.
Instrumentalists
Any age “practice-ready” instrumentalists interested in accompanying or leading worship, please contact Lynn Leitzen.
You’re Invited
Upcoming Concerts at Grace

Piano & Violin Concert
Sunday, January 4 at 3:00PM
Everyone is invited to a piano and violin concert presented by Myroslav Mykhailenko and Julia Perekhozhuk. The program will include classical and Ukrainian music and is free for all ages to enjoy!
About Myroslav Mykhailenko
Myroslav Mykhailenko is a Ukrainian-American pianist who is active as a soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician. He is a versatile artist who loves to create meaningful musical experiences. Myroslav was the winner of the 2022 Chicago International Music Competition (Concert Artist Category) and the Concours International de Piano Ville de Gagny in 2017. He also won prizes in the Medici International Music Competition, Rocky Mountain Music Competition, and Birmingham International Music Competition.
Myroslav performed at the Anthem Concert Hall and Meridian International Center (Washington, D.C.) as well as at the Athenaeum Theatre (Chicago, IL). He also appeared three times on WFMT’s Introductions, a Chicago program that features talented pre-college classical musicians. In the latter appearance, Myroslav played at the beautiful Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, Illinois. In collaboration with Sidney Lee, he performed a recital at the Skokie Public Library (Skokie, IL) with the assistance of the “Young Steinway Concert Series.” Before immigrating to the United States in 2017, he played concerts across many venues in Ukraine, including the White Hall of the Kyiv Scientists House.
In addition to performing solo, Myroslav enjoys playing chamber music. His group,
Domino Piano Trio, was part of the intensive chamber program at the Midwest Young Artists
Conservatory, becoming the Overall Winner of the MYA Discover National Chamber Music Competition in 2019. The trio later went on to participate in the Fischoff Competition. Another Myroslav’s group, Dando Piano Trio, won the first prize at the Tenth Annual 2022 A.N. & Pearl G. Barnett Chamber Music Competition in Chicago.
Festivals at which Myroslav appeared included the Manhattan in the Mountains Festival (2018 and 2019), the Palmetto International Piano Festival at Erskine College, and the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory Chicago Chamber Music Workshop. He had masterclasses with many prominent teachers and artists, such as Richard Goode, Marian Hahn, Shai Wosner, Logan Skelton, Michael Brown, Daniel Shapiro, and Marta Aznavoorian.
Active as a collaborative artist, Myroslav has enjoyed collaborating with his brother Nazarii Mykhailenko, baritone. Together, they created a brand “Brothers Mykhailenko” and performed a variety of concerts in the Chicago area, presenting both classical and Ukrainian music. In an effort to raise funds for Ukraine, Myroslav and Nazarii concertized extensively at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. Myroslav also collaborated with vocalist Sharon Garvey Cohen and violinist Julia Perekhozhuk, among others.
Myroslav is passionate about performing community concerts in the Chicago and Baltimore areas. He likes prioritizing places that do not often hear classical music and finds fulfillment in being of service to others. Performances included places like Skokie Public Library (Skokie, IL), Ukrainian National Museum (Chicago, IL), and Edenwald Senior Living (Towson, MD), among many others. In 2024-2025, Myroslav served as the Musician-in-Residence at the Springwell Senior Living Community (Baltimore, MD), where he provided musical programming for residents.
Currently, Myroslav is pursuing the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in piano performance at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he studies with Benjamin Pasternack. His awards at Peabody include the Douglas and Hilda Perl Goodwin Endowed Piano Scholarship 1 and 2 (Presidential Match). He formerly attended the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory and was a scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. Myroslav studied with Jose-Ramon Mendez and Lyudmila Lakisova. Before immigrating to the United States, he studied at the Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum under the tutelage of Nina Naiditch.
About Julia Perekhozhuk
Julia Perekhozhuk, 16 year old, is a violin student of Sang Mee Lee at the Music Institute of
Chicago. She has won prizes in numerous competitions, including the DePaul Concerto
Festival, Sejong, Granquist, Society of American Musicians, American Protégé, Ukrainian
Music Festival (Toronto, Canada), and the USA Ukrainian Diaspora talent competition. She
has also been featured on WFMT Radio’s Introductions and has given numerous
performances at Ukrainian festivals and cultural events.
In 2023, she performed at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the American Protégé Music
competition. With collaborative pianist Myroslav Mykhailenko, Julia has played numerous
solo recitals, including at the Redcliffe Senior Centre, the Grace United Methodist Church
of Naperville, the Prince of Peace United methodist Church in Elk Grove Village, Young
Steinway Series at Skokie Library, and at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago.
She has been fortunate to have masterclasses with famous musicians: Jennifer Koh,
Robert Chen, Sixto Franko, and Nurit Pacht. In 2023 and 2024 during Center Stage Strings,
she had the privilege to have private lessons with an internationally recognized pedagogue
and San Francisco Conservatory professor Simon James. Julia has won the Frank Little
Merit Scholarship Awards (2020-2024) and the Academy Merit Scholarship Award (2022,
2023) at MIC.
Other than playing solo, orchestra is also Julia’s passion. She has been a member of the
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) for 7 years and is currently a principal second
violin in the Symphony Orchestra (SO).
Julia is a junior at Benet Academy in Lisle, IL. In her free time, she likes to draw, write,
and sing.





