Aces of Trades: Zanesville Concert Association president believes in giving back
ZANESVILLE – She’s giving back to the community she loves, again.
“As a kid I was quiet, studious and very focused on my music, church, and schoolwork,” recalled Sheryl Wise. “Most of my time was spent studying, in lessons, practicing, or playing music. Church was a very important part of life. We attended Central Trinity United Methodist Church. I sang in the choir, performed in the plays we did in youth group as well as traveling around to nursing homes, civic groups, and local events to entertain.”
Wise grew up in Zanesville, graduated from Zanesville High School in 1976, Otterbein with a degree in music education in 1980, then earned a master’s in education from Muskingum in 1995.
“Our house was full of music,” she said. “My mom taught piano and organ lessons at home as well as playing piano at church. She filled in regularly for organists in the area and eventually became the organist at Fair Oaks Baptist Church where she served for over 40 years. My Dad was a jazz musician and over the years played in or had his own bands. As I grew up, I regularly played with him on drums or occasionally my saxophone. And I was blessed with a sister who loved music as much as me. She was an accomplished keyboard player, bass player and flautist. We also took dance lessons and were involved in theater. In high school I performed in all the plays and then during the summers between semesters in college performed with a traveling troupe that did children’s shows in our local parks.”
Today, Wise is president of the Zanesville Concert Association, among other things.
“I never actually planned on being president of the concert association,” she said. “I’ve been a member of the board for many years but when the vice president needed to resign because of moving out of our area for his job, I made the decision to step into the role of vice president and then, of course, that led to being president.
“I made the decision,” she noted, “because of my commitment to the arts as well as giving back to our community. My parents instilled in me from a very young age the importance of giving back and serving our area, which is something I strive to do regularly. One way has been by being a member of the various arts association boards in our area. I’ve served on the Zanesville Memorial Band Board (as well as playing in the band), Zanesville Community Theatre Board, and the Zanesville Concert Association. In 2022, I was very humbled as I was honored with the Muskingum County Lifetime of Service Award from the Muskingum Family Y.
Diane Jones is a member of the ZCA board of directors.
“First and foremost,” Jones said, “Sheryl is committed to the accessibility of the arts for all persons in southeast Ohio. Sheryl’s talents as a music educator, performer, community theatre experiences and other community volunteer activities bring value in leading the ZCA.”
James McLauglin, another member of the board as well as the ZCA booking agent, agreed.
“Sheryl brings a wealth of talents and enthusiasm to lead this organization into the future,” assessed McLauglin.
“There’s a song from the musical ‘Addams Family’ called ‘Be an Addams,’” Wise responded. “It has lyrics about singing and dancing, honoring your ancestors, loving your family, embracing diversity, working hard, and giving back. And that you keep doing those things until you die. That’s what I intend to do.”
For more information about the Zanesville Concert Association, call 740-588-0871 or log on www.zanesvilleconcertassociation.org.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville Concert Association president believes in giving back
