Vicki Peterson Jenks, WYSO Percussion Ensemble Director since 1981, received her musical training at Minot State University, UW-Stevens Point, and Baylor University. In 1976, she founded the percussion program at UT-El Paso.
For 25 years, she nurtured Jenks Music Studio, the largest percussion studio in Wisconsin. In 2008, she was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame.
Vicki’s greatest teaching passion is guiding the WYSO Percussion Ensemble. The annual WYSO Percussion EXTRAVAGANZA! is dedicated to altruism and working with non-profit community partners. The event has supported Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, the American Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County.
Vicki received the Clara Barton Honor Award in 2011 for her work as a dedicated Red Cross volunteer, the most esteemed award presented to any Red Cross volunteer. This school year finds Vicki completing her internship in Diaconal Ministry at First English Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Rapids.