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Meet Our Board – Peter Zehren

Peter Zehren grew up in a household filled with music, where evenings often stretched late into the night with his father playing guitar and the family singing together. From his earliest days in various choirs through grade school, junior high, and high school, singing has always been central to his life. In high school he was part of “Afro Choir” and throughout his professional career he performed with Bel Canto. He has also had the honor of singing at Carnegie Hall. For Peter, singing is the perfect bridge between math and emotion, discipline and expression.

In addition to choral work, Peter brought his voice to the airwaves as a performer on the award-winning children’s radio show “Secret Clubhouse.” He created and performed character voices, which often included singing (in character). The program was syndicated and earned both state and national recognition and produced international shows.

Alongside his musical pursuits, Peter has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. He has held senior development roles in New York and Wisconsin, including at Riverside Church in New York City, home to a world-famous organ and professional choir. His career has also taken him abroad, serving as an ambassador for the nonprofit sector and meeting with organizations in India to share ideas and strengthen cross-cultural connections.

Peter is currently the Executive Director of the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum. He is delighted to bring his lifelong love of music, combined with his extensive nonprofit leadership, to the board of the Master Singers of Milwaukee.

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Meet Our Board – Jayne Latva

Jayne Latva is an established free-lance keyboard player. Aside from her work with the Master Singers, she performs as an orchestral keyboardist and plays synthesizer parts for Broadway Across America tours. She was the harpsichordist in Bach and Beyond, an early music ensemble, and enjoys accompanying individual artists. Jayne is the staff organist at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church. She holds a doctorate in Piano Literature and Pedagogy from Indiana University.

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Meet Our Board – Alex Heiting

Alex Heiting is a Milwaukee-based Baritone originally from the Fox Valley. He graduated from Carthage College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science with a minor in Music. During his time at Carthage, Alex performed with the Carthage Choir, participating in the 2019 Spittal International Choir Competition, in which the choir took first place overall. While studying under Dr. Gregory Burg, Alex took second place in his category at the Wisconsin NATS competition in 2018. After singing in many international choir tours, he now sings as a baritone/bass in the Master Singers of Milwaukee and has been a featured soloist in past seasons. When not performing music, Alex can be seen behind a camera as a semi-professional photographer, tinkering with computers, and fixing up classic cars.

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Meet Our Board – Wendy Traeger

Wendy Traeger, soprano, has been a music educator since 1984 and retired in 2024, spending 34 years as the Director of Choirs at Wauwatosa East, Whitman and Longfellow. A graduate of UW-Milwaukee, she earned her BFA in Choral music education and in vocal performance. In 1994 she earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from Marian College.  

Wendy also spent a great deal of time involved in musical theatre as a vocal director and conductor as well performing with professional companies in the area including Milwaukee Opera Company and Music Under the Stars. She has been a guest artist with the Sullivan Chamber Ensemble, Pillow Pops orchestra, the Waukesha and Racine Symphonies and the Lakeside Pops orchestras. 

She currently conducts the Adult and Children’s Choirs at Mt Carmel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee and the Adult Choir at Congregation Shalom in Fox Point. She has been a member the Master Singers of Milwaukee since 2020. 

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Meet Our Board – Molly Pagryzinski

Molly has been immersed in music since childhood, beginning with Kindermusik and church choir and continuing with piano and voice lessons, handbell choirs, and even a brief detour into French horn. In high school, she was selected for district and state honor choirs, experiences that deepened her commitment to ensemble singing.

She graduated from Butler University in 2014 with degrees in Vocal Music, Mathematics, and Middle/Secondary Mathematics Education. While at Butler, she sang with the Butler University Chorale, Chamber Choir, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and had the unique opportunity to perform in the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show with Madonna.

Since graduation, Molly has taught high school mathematics and was honored to serve as a Hollyhock Teaching Fellow at Stanford University from 2019 to 2021. Alongside her teaching, she has remained active in Milwaukee’s choral community, singing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Chorus (2019–2023), APERI ANIMAM (2021–2023), and the Master Singers of Milwaukee (2023–present). She joined the MSM Board in 2025.

Molly lives in Milwaukee with her husband, Adam, and their two dogs, Nimbus and Ellie. They are season ticket holders for Broadway at the Marcus Center and enjoy exploring the city’s vibrant food scene.

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