Vicki Peterson Jenks, 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, Vicki received the Lifetime Achievement in Education Award and was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame. In 2011, Vicki received the Clara Barton Honor Award, the most esteemed award presented to any Red Cross volunteer or staff member.
Vicki’s enduring ‘heartbeat’ is guiding the WYSO Percussion Ensemble. The annual WYSO Percussion EXTRAVAGANZA is dedicated to altruism collaborating with diverse, non-profit partners. The event has supported Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, the Southwest Chapter of the American Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County, and WayForward Resources.
Vicki recently graduated with her Master of Arts in Diaconal Ministry from Wartburg Theological Seminary. Chaplain Vicki serves at Bethany Home, Inc. (Waupaca) connecting the “bookends of life”—youth and elders.