What Is Black Creativity?

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a concert by Castle of o
Skins BSU fellows

JOSHUA MALLARD - JOSHUASMALLARD@GMAIL.COM

LOGOGRIPH; SENIOR RECITAL
HTTPS://WWW.JOSHUAMALLARD.COM/ABOUT-ME
Saturday, February 12th @ 8:00PM

Boston Center for the Arts Calderwood Pavilion
539 Tremont St. South End
www.Castleskins.org
Fellows from left to Right: Nina Anderson, DeShaun Gordon-King, Emma Boyd, Joi Harper, Janet Baindu Lagah-Bona, Jordan Davidson, Justus Ross, Morgan Brown
Special
Thanks

This program is funded, in part, by a grant

from the Fromm Music Foundation and is co-
sponsored by the Boston Center for the Arts
where Castle of our Skins is a Launchpad
Resident.
why this? why now?

The Black Student Union Intercollegiate Fellowship program was,

like many Black inventions, an idea birthed as a constructive
response to scarcity, isolation, and a need for opportunity. When
moving to Boston in 2016 to begin school at the New England
Conservatory of Music, I arrived with a constant and ever-present
desire for Black fellowship and connection. I joined my school’s
Black student union and volunteered at the Roxbury Youth
Orchestra - dedicating my time to connecting with Black kids and
students of color who had an interest in playing music but not
always the resources or kinship needed to succeed and feel
confident. Still though, there was a noble, albeit unclear, idea
brewing
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volunteering and working with my BSU at school, there was an even
more impactful level of community building that could happen if
we could access avenues across school borders.
As I matured and became more aware of the deep disparities we

face as aspiring Black musicians, I grew quite anxious for myself
and my Black colleagues. I looked around knowing that there were
so many hurdles awaiting us post-graduation and could not find
many viable solutions within my school’s walls. The solutions were
in line with the traditional way of things with the exception of our
Entrepreneurial Musicianship department. Many of us wanted to
live a life in music and perform, compose, teach, create. From
where we stood, it many times felt that we needed special, well
intentioned, and equitable assistance in order to survive, let alone
live well. To that extent, it felt like there was a bus coming while
we all were standing in the middle of the road - none the wiser. We
needed to be in closer contact with people in the field who knew
the struggles we faced and could provide insight and
encouragement on the days we needed it most.
why this? why now?

We needed stronger networks with people who would vouch for us

at the opportune moments. We needed the support that only Black
folks can give.
Through NEC’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department, I was

able to conceptualize the foundation of this program, then known
as “Artist’s Initiative Movement.” I found it imperative that Black
music school students had access to a program that could offer the
professional development, networks, and most importantly
connection necessary to aid in becoming confident artists. The
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mentors, and produce a concert where they could express exactly
what they wanted to, the way they wanted to. Creative agency was
the name of the game and we were able to harness that power
through Black connection and Black creativity. Being able to
witness eight Black students from different schools open up so
willingly, be vulnerable, and step more into their power, brought
me unspeakable joy. My wish is to help cultivate creative agency in
Black musicians continuously. We have seen time and again what
waves Black people can make when simply given the chance. Let us
continue to forge avenues of Black connection across schools,
across borders, and onward.
Dave Norville
Producer & Sound Designer

BSU Intercollegiate Fellowship
The Program
PART 1: LOVE & BEAUTY

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Falling Skyward Andre Myers
DeShaun Gordon-King, flute
Beauty in Unity* Janet Baindu Lagah-Bona
Nina Anderson, soprano

Ashleigh Gordon, viola
*world premiere
Audio: Reflections on love and beauty

The Program
PART 2: SINCERITY & RESILIENCE


D o w n B y t h e LROi G
v eOrG R I P H ; S E N I O R R E C I TJ o
A rLd a n D a v i d s o n
Jordan Davidson, cello
Five Postcards Errollyn Wallen

I. Simple and Flowing
Emma Boyd, violin

Morgan Brown, viola

Audio: Reflections on creativity and resiliency

The Program

PART 3: POWER & ANCESTRY

Poem: Women Alice Walker

Poem: While Love is Unfashionable Alice Walker
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I. Midway L O G O G R I P H ; S E N I O R R E C I T A L
Nina Anderson, mezzo-soprano

Ashleigh Gordon, viola
Lamentations Black/Folk Songs Suite

III. Calvary Ostinato Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson
Jordan Davidson, cello
In Their Footsteps* Joi Harper
DeShaun Gordon-King, flute
*world premiere
Audio: Reflections on power and ancestry

The Program
PART 4: AUTHENTIC REALISM

Poem: Real Taylor Lena McTootle

T h e R i v e r W i tL h
OiGnO
* G R I P H ; S E N I O R IRnEnCoIcTeAnLt O k e c h u k w u
Emma Boyd, violin 1

Justus Ross, violin 2
Morgan Brown, viola
Francesca McNeeley, cello
*world premiere

Audio: Reflections on authentic realism
Fantasiestück Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

V. Dance
Justus Ross, violin 1

Emma Boyd, violin 2
Morgan Brown, viola
Francesca McNeeley, cello
Program Notes
FALLING SKYWARD
To paraphrase the late Maya Angelou, "No matter

what trials life throws at me, I will rise." For me,
Falling Skyward is the musical answer to this poem.
Throughout the many downward gestures that
happen in this piece, there is always one constant
g e s t u r e o f a sLcOe G
n sOiGo Rn I, PrHe;mSiEnNd Ii O
ngR uR sE CtoI TaA lLw a y s r i s e u p
n o mHaTtTt P eS
r :h
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l tU o
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bE e.
-DeShaun Gordon-King

BEAUTY IN UNITY
Beauty in Unity was created with conversation in

mind. I often didn't see a true duet between voice
and viola and wanted to expand what a vocal
collaboration meant to me. The voice is meant to
support the viola and the viola is meant to support
and talk with the voice. Together, they create music
about love and support of one another.
-Janet Baindu Lagah-Bona

Program Notes
DOWN BY THE RIVER
This piece serves as a framework to hold the

spiritual Go Down Moses. It embraces the grittiness
and feather light qualities of the cello. And blends
my folk-esque style with haunting presence of the
classic spiritual.
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FIVE POSTCARDS
The first movement of Errollyn Wallen's Five

Postcards is titled "simple and flowing." The viola
opens up the piece with a simple ostinato line that
becomes the main theme. After a few measures, the
violin takes over with a cantabile melody with jazz
and improvisatory influences. Due to the
repetitiveness of the viola section, I had the
opportunity to explore more musical nuances and
really tap into the core sound of my instrument,
which in turn made me connect with the piece even
more.
-Morgan Browna
Program Notes
MIDWAY
This piece encompasses both the inherent power

from Black ancestry as well as the potential we have
to overcome all things in the future. Growing up
constantly being under-estimated, this piece reminds
me that my lineage is powerful, and I can accomplish
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of
adversity. Personally, working on this piece has
allowed me to reach a new level of pride of ancestry.
-Nina Anderson

CALVARY OSTINATO
This pizzicato movement by Coleridge Taylor-

Perkinson for cello succeeds in fusing Western
Classical styles with Black idioms. There is a melodic
line and a bass line. The melody tells a story and the
bass line keeps the listener grounded. A richness and
ache is conveyed in the performance like a story
from a weathered old man.
-Jordan Davidson
Program Notes
IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS
I wrote this work as part of a larger project centered

around Soul Food and Black Ancestry. In Their
Footsteps is the story a Black perseverance. I am
always in awe of how the Black community has
overcome so much and still continues to push for
more progress. It is In Their Footsteps that I have
learned to face my own hurdles head on and keep
m o v i n g f o r w aL rOdG. O G R I P H ; S E N I O R R E C I T A L
-Joi Harper

THE RIVER WITHIN
The piece is based on melodies and harmonies that I

associate with Negro Spirituals. The recurring main
theme resembles the melody of a moving body of
water, which fits really with the piece's name. This
theme begins the piece and is shared with all of the
instruments until a transition to power and self
assurance occurs in 4/4. In the cadenza-like section
marked "Largo," it is just that. The violin part is
yearning. It misses home, it misses community while
the rest of the quartet agrees with somber
harmonies. The pain and defeat are so real and
intimate until the salvation of the Picardy Third lets
us know all hope is not lost!
-Emma Boyd
Program Notes
FANTASIESTÜCKE
Fantasiestücke fifth movement, "Dance," is a very

high energy piece. From the beginning, it starts with
the feeling of a brewing storm. You get the feeling
that something is on the rise, but is grounded with
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-Justus Ross

Over the past five months, fellows have gathered for

communion, mentorship, learning, and creation. We
are greatly indebted to mentors The Honourable
Elizabeth A. Baker, Dr. Bongani Ndodana-Breen, and
Yaz Lancaster, and workshop clinicians J. Cottle and
Jasmine Garcia from Dunamis, Inc and Dr. Karen
Craddock from The Wellness Collaborative, Inc for
their time, insight, and rich discussions.
Poetry
WOMEN
They were women then

My mama's generation
Husky of voice - Stout of
Step
With fists as well as
Hands
How they battered down
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Starched white
Shirts
How they led
Armies
Headragged Generals
Across mined
Fields
Booby-trapped
Ditches
To discover books
Desks
A place for us
How they knew what we
Must know
Without knowing a page
Of it
Themselves.
-Alice Walker

Poetry
WHILE LOVE IS UNFASHIONABLE (for Mel)
While love is unfashionable

let us live
unfashionably.
Seeing the world
a complex ball
in small hands;
l o v e o u r b l a cLkOe G s tO G
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in all but truth, and courage
handed down
by the old
spirits.
Let us be intimate with
ancestral ghosts
and music
of the undead.
While love is dangerous

let us walk bareheaded
beside the Great River.
Let us gather blossoms
under fire.
-Alice Walker

Fellow Bios
DESHAUN GORDON-KING, flute
DeShaun Gordon-King is quickly

becoming a flutist of note. Known
for his soulful tone and
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Europe, Asia, and the United
States earning him recognition as
a Trevor James Alto Flute artist.
eShaun grew up surrounded by jazz and gospel
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music beginning his classical studies while at Duke
University. Inspired by these worlds of music and
spirituality, DeShaun is passionate about
programming that blends them together to create
unique and healing concert experiences. He is a vocal
advocate for new music, especially works by
composers of African and Latinx heritage. His
primary teachers include Rebecca Troxler, Keith
Underwood, and Kaori Fujii.
fellow Bios
EMMA BOYD, violin
Emma began her musical journey at

the age of three as a beggar. Instead
of playing, she would beg for lessons.
She was ecstatic to eventually begin
lessons with Amanda Autry a year
later.
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Ju Wu, Julia Dina, Dr. Renee Collins, and most
recently, Mr. Ara Sarkissian at the Interlochen Arts
Academy. She currently studies with Mr. Soovin Kim
at The New England Conservatory of Music.
As a violinist, she has had numerous orchestral

experiences from participating in The Tennessee
Valley Music Festival, The Huntsville Youth
Orchestra, the Alabama Allstate Orchestra, the
Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, and The World
Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, she had the
opportunity to be Assistant Concertmaster of the
Alabama Allstate Festival Orchestra and
Concertmaster of the Tennessee Valley Music
Festival. She has participated in the National Youth
Orchestra of the United States, Interlochen Arts
Camp, Sphinx Performance Academy, and National
Youth Orchestra 2.
fellow Bios
JANET LAGAH-BONA, composer
Janet Lagah-Bona is from Alexandria

Virginia and attended the Duke
Ellington School of Arts in Washington
D.C. While studying at Alabama State
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College of Visual and Performing Arts
in Fall 2019, and sang in the
University Choir.
he is a recent graduate of Alabama State University

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where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her B.A.
in Music Performance in piano. In the fall, she plans
on going to Longy School of Music of Bard College in
Cambridge, MA for her Graduate Career path in
Composition. Her plans for the future are to become
better in her craft as a composer while working in
the field of Arts Administration and creating more
inclusive spaces behind well-recognized musical
entities.
fellow Bios
JOI HARPER, composer
Joi Harper is a composer and

performer from Portsmouth, VA.
Inspired by her own eclectic taste,
Joi focuses on her favorite aspects
of every musical style in her
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Joi's works consist of choral music, chamber works,
and song. Recently her music has been heard
nationally at the ACDA National Conference in 2019
and debuted internationally in Nairobi, Kenya. Joi
has composed and arranged for the Nairobi Chamber
Chorus, George Mason University Chorale, Mason Jazz
Vocal Ensemble, Green Machine, and Mason New
Sound Collective, as well as for her own personal
projects. Joi obtained a degree from George Mason
University (B.M in Music Composition with a Minor in
Music Technology) and is pursuing a degree at Longy
School of Music of Bard College (M.M. in Music
Composition; Nadia and Lili Boulanger Scholar).
Joi's music explores the rhythm of everyday life and

the beauty of harmony. Writing for both the concert
setting and the recording studio, Joi focuses on the
listener's experience as an aspect of her music.
fellow Bios
JORDAN DAVIDSON, composer/cello
Jordan Davidson is a composer,

cellist and artist raised in Oberlin,
OH. Jordan grew up improvising on
the keyboard in church. As a high
school student she began
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she studied with Jeffrey Mumford.
While in that composition program six of Jordan’s

compositions were performed professionally. During
the same period, Jordan studied cello with Kathy
Wainwright at Oberlin Conservatory’s Community
Music School. In the fall of 2016, she continued her
cello studies with Ms. Wainwright and composition
work with Dr. Mumford as a student at LCCC. Jordan
is now a senior at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
There, she has studied composition with Marti
Epstein, Eun Young Lee, Tina Tallon, and Jonathan
Bailey Holland.
I n t a n d e m w i t h h e r c o m p o s i t i o n s t u d i e s , J o r d a n h a s
studied cello with Patrice Jackson-Tilghman, a
Berklee College of Music professor. As of fall of 2021
she is taking conducting lessons with Vimbayi
Kaziboni.
fellow Bios
JUSTUS ROSS, violin
During his Bachelor studies at Texas

Tech University, Justus won first
prize of the University's String
Concerto Competition in 2016; a
national finalist in the MTNA
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Justus participated in festivals such as the Heifetz

International Music Institute, Round Top, and Hot
Springs Music Festivals. He has performed in master
classes and lessons with Ani Kavafian, Scott St. John,
Frank Almond, Tom Rosenberg, Kenneth Goldsmith,
and Sally O’Reilly. While earning a Master of Music
from the USC Thornton School of Music, he became a
finalist in the School's String Concerto Competition;
a member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and
Inclusion committee; and a section violinist of the
American Youth Symphony.
Currently, Justus is pursuing his Graduate Diploma in

Violin Performance at New England Conservatory. He
is also the assistant concertmaster of the Du Bois
Orchestra.
fellow Bios
MORGAN BROWN, viola
Having been introduced to piano from

her grandmother at an early age,
Morgan was always drawn to music.
She continued into high school where
she attended Duke Ellington School of
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She has performed at The National Gallery of Art and

The Kennedy Center Millenium Stage on multiple
occasions. Additionally, she has participated in
several competitions including placing 3rd in the
Washington Performing Arts Feder Competition and
1st in the DC High School Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,
Inc. Talent Hunt Competition. During her time at
Interlochen, Morgan had the opportunity to perform
on National Public Radio’s (NPR) From The Top, where
the orchestra collaborated and performed with
pianist Michelle Cann and conductor Damon Gupton.
Morgan Brown is currently a junior at the Boston

Conservatory at Berklee studying Viola Performance
and serves as the music representative for the Black
Student Alliance. In addition to music, Morgan enjoys
other artistic pursuits such as photography.
fellow Bios
NINA EVELYN ANDERSON, voice
Nina Evelyn Anderson received her

Bachelor of Music in Vocal
Performance from the University of
Maryland and currently attends
Boston Conservatory at Berklee as a
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she will be performing as the
Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the
Night Visitors with Maryland Opera.
Recent accomplishments include winning Second

Place in the George Shirley Vocal Competition and
Best Performance of a Work by a BIPOC Composer in
the Calliope’s Young Singer Art Song Competition.
Past credits include Zerlina in Mozart’s Don
Giovanni, Célie in Pasatieri’s Signor Deluso, and the
Plaintiff in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury with
Opera Terps. In 2022, Anderson will be featured in
Boston Conservatory’s Opera Scenes program and
covering Lady Billows in Britten’s Albert Herring.
In addition to performing opera, Nina is passionate

about programming recitals that feature works by
Black composers. In 2020, she was a featured soloist
with the International Florence Price Festival.
Guest Bios
FRANCESCA MCNEELEY, cello
Haitian-American cellist Francesca

McNeeley has received critical
acclaim as a collaborator and soloist,
and enjoys an eclectic career in the
Boston area. She has premiered
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Recent musical collaborations have included soloing

with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra and touring
with the Grammy-nominated A Far Cry chamber
orchestra as a guest principal cellist. She is
frequently featured with Castle of Our Skins, the
New Gallery Concert Series, and the Celebrity Series
of Boston. She has been invited to participate in
various artist residencies at the Longy School of
Music, Yellowbarn, the Grand Teton Music Festival,
Marquette University, and Keene State College. She
has performed with the Boston Symphony and
Sarasota Orchestras, and can be heard on
BMOP/sound with the Boston Modern Orchestra
Project.
Guest Bios
ASHLEIGH GORDON, viola
Described as a “charismatic and

captivating performer,” Ashleigh has
recorded with Switzerland's
Ensemble Proton and Germany's
Ensemble Modern; performed with
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Far Cry; and appeared at the
prestigious BBC Proms Festival with
the Chineke! Orchestra.
Ashleigh is co-founder, Artistic/Executive Director
and violist of Castle of our Skins. In recognition of
her work, she has presented at IDEAS UMass Boston
Conference and 180 Degrees Festival in Bulgaria; has
been featured in the International Musician and
Improper Bostonian magazines as well as the Boston
Globe; and was awarded the 2016 Charles Walton
Diversity Advocate Award from the American
Federation of Musicians. She is a 2015 St. Botolph
Emerging Artist Award recipient, a 2019 Brother
Thomas Fellow, a nominee for the 2020 "Americans
for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists
Transforming Communities,” and named one of
WBUR’s “ARTery 25”, twenty-five millennials of color
impacting Boston’s arts and culture scene.
Leaders
DAVID NORVILLE, producer & sound designer
A graduate of the New England

Conservatory of Music, David has
been recognized by organizations
like YoungArts, Sphinx, and The Jack
Kent Cooke foundation for his
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artist.
David is the co-founder of the music education

organization, ClassiX Arts, an organization dedicated
to igniting creative agency in young Black students
through providing free conservatory level training,
an immersive afro-centric educational experience,
and cultivating a fortified ecosystem of Black
classical artists.
He currently serves as Assistant Producer for NPR’s

From the Top. David also is the Director of
Operations and Community Engagement for the
Boston-based concert series Castle of Our Skins.
David’s work is reflective of his Afro-Diasporic
identity, his adversity, and the values instilled into
him through his upbringing. As an oboist, David plays
with the Sound Garden Woodwind Quintet, dedicated
to “planting music in unexpected places”
Leaders
KELLEY HOLLIS, Social Media Manager
Kelley Hollis is a classically trained

soprano known for her interpretations
of new and lesser known works. Kelley
is featured on the recently released LP
of Arnold Rosner’s Requiem with the
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In 2018 she performed a concert at the Prague Castle
in the Czech Republic, along with a series of recitals
in cities around the country, as a featured artist
with the Americké jaro festival. Home in Boston,
Kelley is the singer-in-residence for Juventas New
Music Ensemble. She also performs regularly with
and serves as social media director for Opera on Tap
Boston. In 2019 she sang the role of Rosalinda in
MassOpera’s critically acclaimed production of Die
Fledermaus, and premiered the role of Juana in the
Omar Najmi’s En el ardiente oscuridad. Her other
opera roles include Mimi in Puccini’s La boheme,
Beth in Adamo’s Little Women, Eliza in Muhly’s Dark
Sisters (Third Eye Theater Ensemble); Florencia
Grimaldi in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Donna
Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Micaela in Le
Tragedie de Carmen, and Harper in Eötvös’ Angels in
America (Boston University Opera Institute).
Leaders
TAYLOR LENA MCTOOTLE, Director of Education
Taylor Lena McTootle is an educator

and writer. Living, working, and
attending school in vibrant
metropolises has afforded her
access to artistic discourse that
JOSHUA MALLARce
D n-t e
J rOsS e
H lUeA
mSeMnAt Ls LoAfRtDh@
e GcM
r eAaI Lt i. v
CeOM
along with ways they are used to
express the human condition.
I n p a r t i c u l a r , r h y t h m h a s b e e n c e n t r a l t o h e r s t u d i e s
as, from a young age, she explored classical ballet,
modern dance, and poetry. From this, she has
become sensitive to the subtleties of meaning and
emotion that are necessary for critical thinking and
understanding in young people. Over the last 10
years, Taylor Lena has worked with students of color
ranging from elementary to high school. Her
commitment to education began at Spelman College
where, outside of her undergraduate studies, she
taught chess and tutored math. Since then, she has
been finding inventive ways to reach high
educational standards and enrich lives. She believes
in the essential need for students’ learning to be
grounded in artistic forms while also elucidating the
theories that shape and inspire creativity.
Save the Dates
THRESH & HOLD

March 13, 2022: 4:00pm @ Boston Center for the Arts
SEEN
April 10, 2022: 1:30PM @ Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
FOR BLACK PEOPLE

April 23, 2022: 3:00pm @ Arlington Street Church
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD RESIDENCY
May 2-10, 2022: various times
REMEMBRANCE
May 18, 2022: 6:00pm lecture & 7:00pm concert @ Tufts University
FOR BLACK PEOPLE

May 19, 2022: 7:30pm Virtual Livestream
Castle of our Skins is a Black arts institution
dedicated to fostering cultural curiosity and
celebrating Black artistry through music. In
classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle
of our Skins invites exploration into Black
heritage and culture, spotlighting both unsung
and celebrated f igures of past and present.
www.castleskins.org

What Is Black Creativity?

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JOSHUA MALLARD - JOSHUASMALLARD@GMAIL.COM

Saturday, February 12th @ 8:00PM

JOSHUA MALLARD - JOSHUASMALLARD@GMAIL.COM

This program is funded, in part, by a grant

why this? why now?

The Black Student Union Intercollegiate Fellowship program was,

As I matured and became more aware of the deep disparities we

We needed stronger networks with people who would vouch for us

Through NEC’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department, I was

Producer & Sound Designer

PART 1: LOVE & BEAUTY

DeShaun Gordon-King, flute

Beauty in Unity* Janet Baindu Lagah-Bona

Nina Anderson, soprano

Audio: Reflections on love and beauty

PART 2: SINCERITY & RESILIENCE

JOSHUA MALLARD - JOSHUASMALLARD@GMAIL.COM

Five Postcards Errollyn Wallen

Emma Boyd, violin

Audio: Reflections on creativity and resiliency

PART 3: POWER & ANCESTRY

Poem: Women Alice Walker

Nina Anderson, mezzo-soprano

Lamentations Black/Folk Songs Suite

Jordan Davidson, cello

In Their Footsteps* Joi Harper

DeShaun Gordon-King, flute

Audio: Reflections on power and ancestry

PART 4: AUTHENTIC REALISM

Poem: Real Taylor Lena McTootle

JOSHUA MALLARD - JOSHUASMALLARD@GMAIL.COM

Emma Boyd, violin 1

Audio: Reflections on authentic realism

Fantasiestück Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Justus Ross, violin 1

To paraphrase the late Maya Angelou, "No matter

Beauty in Unity was created with conversation in

-Janet Baindu Lagah-Bona

DOWN BY THE RIVER

This piece serves as a framework to hold the

The first movement of Errollyn Wallen's Five

This piece encompasses both the inherent power

This pizzicato movement by Coleridge Taylor-

I wrote this work as part of a larger project centered

THE RIVER WITHIN

The piece is based on melodies and harmonies that I

Fantasiestücke fifth movement, "Dance," is a very

Over the past five months, fellows have gathered for

They were women then

WHILE LOVE IS UNFASHIONABLE (for Mel)

While love is unfashionable

While love is dangerous

DESHAUN GORDON-KING, flute

DeShaun Gordon-King is quickly

EMMA BOYD, violin

Emma began her musical journey at

As a violinist, she has had numerous orchestral

JANET LAGAH-BONA, composer

Janet Lagah-Bona is from Alexandria

​ he is a recent graduate of Alabama State University

JOI HARPER, composer

Joi Harper is a composer and

he is a recent graduate of Alabama State University