Take 5

Tish Bender was born in Vernon, TX. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Tish was featured soloist with the Longhorn Singers, and began her “professional” singing career performing at the Austin Country Dinner Playhouse. Tish sang with the vocal show choir, River City Pops for several years and performed and toured with the professional musical comedy troupes, Union Scale and Broadway Express for over 20 years. Her long-term day job is with Austex Printing and Mailing. Tish has a wonderfully supportive family in her ”long-term” husband Doug and two sons, Wes and Zach.

Edie Elkjer is also a West Texas girl, born in Stamford, TX. She earned her Masters in Applied Voice from the University of South Dakota. She has entertained audiences at Six Flags Over Georgia and Texas, the Houston Windmill Dinner Theater and the Denver Country Dinner Playhouse. While teaching music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, she wrote and produced five original children’s musicals with friend, Judy Beglau. Edie also performed with Union Scale and Broadway Express and later in River City Pops, which she directed for 12 years. She presently teaches private voice lessons. Edie, and her husband Bill, have two married children and three precious grandchildren.

Pete Meeker is a lawyer by day and a husband, father of three, sports enthusiast, and singer by night. His mother was a concert violinist and church choir director, and his father was a Glenn Miller enthusiast, so it is understandable why Pete, a child of the 60s and 70s, grew up musically “conflicted”. He came to Austin in 1972 to attend UT and is one of the lucky ones who never left town. Singing with Take 5 and performing popular standards that span the decades provides the perfect outlet for his “confliction”.

Fred Lugo recalls sitting down at the age of five in 1961 and plunking away at the church piano. For the next 12 years he took piano lessons, and the rest is history. Well, sort of...if it weren’t for the fact that he hated to practice! Fortunately, he also loved singing, something he’s been doing most of his life. He combines his passion for music and his hobby of having fun with his profession as Director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Fred says, “Music makes me happy and keeps me sane. It’s much better than therapy and a whole lot cheaper!”

Grady Basler began singing at an early age and continued his music education at West Texas M University in Canyon, TX. He also appeared with River City Pops and performed in several local and regional theater productions. Grady is Program Director for the Dental Oncology Education Program at Baylor College of Dentistry, TAMUSHSC.