Karl Androes

Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge

Karl Androes is an author, entrepreneur, musician, and graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Karl originally came to Chicago to study classical trombone with members of the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Brass Quintet. After receiving his Bachelor’s in Music Performance from NIU, he was a successful freelance trombonist in Chicago for seven years before founding the non-profit Reading In Motion.

Reading in Motion uses music and theater to teach young under-resourced students to read. The organization supports Pre-K through Second Grade students and their teachers with art-infused, research-based reading curriculum.

Karl led Reading in Motion for 38 years, building it into a $2 million per year enterprise, with 30 staff and operations in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Detroit.

In 2018 he authored and published 1200 Hours: What It Takes For Readers And Schools To Succeed. Filled with classroom ideas, tools, and models for teachers to use to make their own exciting learning environments, 1,200 Hours is the story of one school's decision to do the hard work required for success.

Karl is excited to make the trek north from Evanston to Highland Park to enjoy the music and join the judges in picking one of the Bitter Jester finalists!