Two young musicians will be representing Naperville as they rock around the country!
Joining an AllStar tour
Andrew Russel, a 2025 graduate of Naperville North High School and Adam Bodtke, an upcoming senior at Naperville Central High School, have been selected to perform in this year’s School of Rock AllStars.
Russel plays the keyboard and will be touring the West Coast, while Bodtke is a bassist and will be touring the Northwest.
Running from July 21 to July 26, the national tour includes the School of Rock’s “most elite musicians” performing on various stages from coast to coast, including venues such as 3Ten in Austin, Sony Hall in New York, and recordBar in Kansas City, according to a news release.
The organization has more than 62,000 students in its performance program, but fewer than 1% go on to perform as an AllStar.
“This remarkable opportunity allows these students to showcase their unwavering dedication to music and natural talent on prestigious stages nationwide,” said Anne Schovain, owner of School of Rock Naperville.
Touring as teams around the world
Nearly 150 students from more than 90 School of Rock locations across seven countries will participate in the tour. Divided into six teams, they’ll visit 33 cities nationwide. Prior to touring, the students will meet their bandmates for the first time on July 18 and begin three days of rehearsal, followed by one in-studio recording day.
140 additional School of Rock House Bands from nearby schools will join as supporting acts at each stop.
“This tour is where everything we believe in comes to life,” said Stacey Ryan, President of School of Rock. “Students from across the globe meet, rehearse, and grow—musically, personally, and as a team. It’s an experience that changes them forever and seeing them thrive on stage is one of our proudest moments as a community.”
Serving a dual purpose
In addition to offering a musical and educational experience, the AllStar performances will also raise money for mental health. A portion of each ticket sale and donations will go to support the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, a nonprofit started in 2005 to provide teens, parents, and educators with skills to be able to help youth in crisis and to reduce the stigma about discussing suicide.
More about the School of Rock
The School of Rock began as a single school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1998 and now has more than 500 schools around the world. Since 2009, it has grown from 4,000 students to more than 62,000.
As for both Bodtke and Russel, this is their second year in a row being selected for the AllStars Tour, according to Kaydi Aanerud, General Manager for School of Rock Naperville, who called it a “huge accomplishment.”
The two will perform together, according to Aanerud, at their final stop on the tour for a show at Fitzgerald’s in Berwin, IL on July 26.
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