Directors and Staff

Ms. O’Riordan has served as a music teacher at North High School since 2007.  As a National Board Certified Teacher, she has worked with her colleagues to build and refine a choir program that includes four curricular choirs, three auditioned ensembles, and the All Access Choir, a group where general education and students with special needs work side-by-side. ​Ms. O'Riordan teaches Freshman Choir, Concert Choir, Treble Choir, A Cappella Choir,  Concert Singers and All Access Choir.  In addition to teaching choral classes, Ms. O'Riordan instructs two levels of guitar class.

A native of Naperville, Ms. O'Riordan ventured off to NY to pursue higher education. She earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance with an Arts Leadership Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Ms. O'Riordan continued on at Eastman to earn a Master of Music Degree in Music Education (Choral/Vocal Emphasis). She is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and the Illinois Music Education Association, where she has served as a District 1 Choral Representative. In addition to her teaching, she has worked as a soloist and has sung with professional choirs in the Chicago area.

Ms. O'Riordan is committed to helping students achieve excellence and to the development of students as musicians and as people. She enjoys the opportunity to celebrate the power of shared musical performance.​ She lives in Naperville with her husband and two children. In her free time, Ms. O'Riordan enjoys watching movies, going to concerts, reading, and watching her kids perform in both music and sports.

​Dr. Piekarz is a proud alumnus of Downers Grove South High School who returned to District 99 as a faculty member in 1996.  Within the Fine Arts Department, he serves as a Director of Choirs (co-teaching the Concert Choir & A Cappella Choir with Mrs. O'Riordan, as well as directing both the Treble Ensemble & Chamber Choir), and this year is also teaching the Jazz Workshop Band.  Additionally at DGN, he works within the Career & Technical Education (CTE) department, where he has served as the coordinator of the Introduction to Teaching program for over ten years.

Dr. Piekarz earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education (Vocal/Choral Emphasis) from the University of Illinois in 1994, and went on to receive a Master of Music Degree (Music Education Emphasis) from Northern Illinois University in 1999. He has a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum Leadership from Northern Illinois University, which he earned in 2006.

Additionally, Dr. Piekarz currently serves the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) on the Board of Directors as the Chorus Division President.  He is an active choral middle school and high school choral clinician in Chicagoland, and he teaches collegiate courses in music education when the opportunity and his schedule allows.

Dr. Piekarz and his wife live in Lisle.  They have three really cool adult children, and two silly dogs.

Doug Ritcher joined the DGN Fine Arts Team in the Fall of 2025. Mr. Ritcher is originally from the state of Virginia, graduating from James Madison University with a degree in Music Education. Before moving to the Chicago area, Mr. Ritcher served as a private piano teacher and accompanist in Richmond, Virginia and the Collaborative Pianist for Westside Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Mr. Ritcher began singing in choirs and playing piano at a young age. In addition to his classical piano and vocal training, Mr. Ritcher has performed with and written for a variety of musical ensembles. He particularly enjoys playing for school, church and community choirs and small jazz ensembles.

When not doing something musical, Mr. Ritcher enjoys viewing the flora and fauna of the local forest preserves, cooking up a nice dinner or settling in at the library. Always a fan of underdog stories, he is quickly finding himself drawn to the White Sox. Mr. Ritcher is grateful to the Fine Arts and wider DGN community for their support.