TrueNorth Cultural Arts Staff Directory

  • Rick Fortney Founder/Executive Director/Voice and Piano Instructor

    Founder and Executive Director of TrueNorth Cultural Arts, established in 1999. At TrueNorth, Mr. Fortney conducts the TrueNorth Chorale and Chamber Orchestra, serves as Musical Director for its theatre productions, and serves as TrueNorth’s Artistic Director in theatre, music, visual arts and dance.

    His professional singing resume includes performances with New York Choral Artists, Musica Sacra, Trevor Pinnock’s Classical Band Chorus, The New York Concert Singers, The Juilliard Singers, The National Chorale, The David Dussing Singers, and featured Soloist within the Calvary Baptist Chamber Concert Series. Theatrically he was Spirit McCoy in the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s in Beckley, West Virginia outdoor theatre; worked with American Entertainment, singing at Convention Shows, State Fairs and Cruise Ships for a number of years; and was in the opera chorus for three seasons with Director Peter Sellers. Rick is in The Canterbury Singers, USA with which he has sung several choral residencies at Cathedrals throughout England.

    Mr. Fortney received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts Degrees from Bowling Green State University. Rick has served as Director of Worship / Minister of Music at Bay Presbyterian Church, Director of Music at St. Barnabas Episcopal, Heritage Presbyterian, and currently St. Paul Lutheran in Amherst, Ohio. Rick and his wife Joan live in Avon Lake with their “Mighty Four!”, Luna & Ellie, and Sophie & Clyde!

  • Susan Vance-Koch Early Childhood Music and Children’s Choirs

    Susan taught Music in the Avon Lake Schools (elementary and middle school) and Avon Public Schools (Avon Middle and High Schools and music director for the Avon High School musicals) for 39 years.  Mrs. Vance-Koch taught Spanish/ Music enrichment classes for Preschoolers at the Goddard Schools in Westlake and Avon.

  • Stan Kozak Sound Designer

    Stan Kozak, currently in his twenty-seventh season at Great Lakes Theater, has more than 50 design credits including Bat Boy: The Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Comedy of Errors, Amadeus, You Can’t Take It With You, Private Lives, Into the Woods and the Tom Hanks’ benefit performances. His work in 1979 and 1981 with Geraldine Fitzgerald on Streetsongs at GLTF led to the original cast album.