Comprised of New York City’s finest musicians, each ensemble exposes students to musical styles including Broadway, Classical, Jazz, and World music.

Our Artists

— Vocalists —

Brandon Pearson

  • Vocalist and actor Brandon Pearson was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and was trained at Paseo Academy for the Fine and Performing Arts. He’s appeared in numerous regional theatre productions, most recently Because of Winn Dixie at Alabama Shakespeare Festival (National tour), Rent (Off Broadway), New York Shakespeare Festival production of Hair at the Delacorte Theatre, London’s West End: Hair, Broadway: Hair (2009 Tony award winner Best Revival), and numerous television appearances.

    He’s also made appearances with symphonies and choirs as a soloist, most recently, The Heartland Men’s Chorus. Along with performing, Brandon has also found joy in becoming a teaching artist engaging students from K-12 in the art of storytelling and interpretation through song. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Rebecca L. Hargrove

  • Rebecca L. Hargrove is an actress and singer. She is a recent ‘Best Opera Album’ Grammy Award Winner for her participation in the ensemble of The Metropolitan Opera’s Porgy and Bess. She has also been featured in the companies of Evita and Cabin in the Sky at New York City Center.

    In the 2019-2020 season, Rebecca starred in The New York Times Critic’s Pick performances of Acquanetta as Acquanetta at Bard Summerscape, The Grey Land mono-opera as The Mother at Roulette Intermedium (album available on all streaming platforms), and as Yum-Yum in The Mikado with New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players.

    Previous engagements include Two Wings: The Music of Black America in Migration with Jason Moran and Alicia Hall-Moran at Carnegie Hall, In the Parlour as Nellie Quander at The National Black Theater, and a series of new plays at The Lucille Lortel Foundation. She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Carami Hilaire

  • Carami Hilaire is a soulful soprano from Brooklyn, New York, and is a graduate of the Professional Studies program at Mannes. Carami has received awards from both the Wagner Society of New York and the Premiere Opera Competition.

    She has sung with the Internationale Opernwerkstatt based in Switzerland, performed the role of Tosca with both Regina Opera and New Jersey Verismo Opera to rave reviews, as well as performing the roles of Aida in Aida and Musetta in La Boheme.

    In fall of 2020, she sang the role of Alice in Alice in the Pandemic with White Snake Opera Projects, and in 2022 she will sing the role of Lady Macbeth with Knoxville Opera, as well as return to White Snake Opera Projects to sing the role of Tiamat in Cosmic Cowboy. Carami is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Faylotte Crayton

  • Soprano Faylotte Crayton has premiered many works, including pieces by Conor Brown, John Boggs and Matthew Schickele, at The Morgan Library in Manhattan.

    She played the role of Masha in the world premiere of Elana Langer’s Four Sisters at the Richard B. Fisher Center and made her American Symphony Orchestra debut singing the soprano solo in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, conducted by Leon Botstein. She has sung at such festivals as the Marlboro Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, Bard Summerscape, and SongFest.

    Faylotte Crayton holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and a Master of Music from Bard College Conservatory of Music, where she studied with soprano, Dawn Upshaw. She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

— Pianists —

Will Healy

  • Will Healy is a composer and pianist based in New York. Noted for his “lushly bluesy” sound and “adroitly blended…textures” (New York Times), he is the artistic director of ShoutHouse, a collective of hip-hop, jazz, and classical musicians. His 40-minute song cycle for rappers, soloists, and chamber orchestra, Cityscapes, was released on New Amsterdam Records in 2019.

    As a pianist, he has a passion for both new and old music, particularly the works of J.S. Bach, with a repertoire that includes the complete Goldberg Variations and Well-Tempered Clavier. Healy studied composition at The Juilliard School, where his primary teachers were Samuel Adler, John Corigliano, and Steven Stucky.

    Recent awards include a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two ASCAP Morton Gould Awards, the W.K. Rose Fellowship, and a J-Fund commission. Healy’s work has appeared recently at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, New York City Ballet, and (le) Poisson Rouge, among others.

    Recent projects include: commissions for Copland House and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, arranging for the New York Philharmonic, and writing a full-length musical recorded remotely by a cast of 25 musicians. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Silvie Cheng

  • Since her Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2011, Chinese-Canadian pianist Silvie Cheng has performed in concert halls across the globe, from New York’s Steinway Hall to Brussels’ Flagey Hall, and Montréal’s Maison Symphonique to Shanghai’s Poly Theatre. As guest soloist, she was most recently featured with Symphony Nova Scotia and the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra.

    Silvie tours extensively in North America, Europe, and Asia as the pianist of Cheng² Duo alongside her cellist brother, Bryan Cheng—they have released a trilogy of critically-acclaimed albums on the German label audite. Her performances, recordings, and interviews have been broadcast on WQXR, WCRB, Radio-Canada International, Vermont Public Radio, in Austria, Korea, Russia, Scotland, Germany, and more.

    Silvie’s affinity for working closely with the composers of our time has led to nearly fifty world premieres, in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Cornell University, and the National Gallery of Canada. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, graduating with the Roy M. Rubinstein Award for exceptional promise in piano performance. Passionate about connecting with the next generation, she is a teaching-artist of MSM’s Distance Learning program in New York City, where she is currently based. She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Amir Farid

  • Based in New York City and Melbourne Australia, Amir Farid is a sought-after soloist and chamber musician internationally, appearing in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Musica Viva Festival, Huntington Festival, Mona Foma, and Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia.

    He has performed concerti with the major Australian orchestras, and his recordings are heard frequently on radio stations throughout Australia and internationally, including as pianist of the Benaud Trio.

    Amir is also a recorded artist on the Steinway & Sons Spirio catalogue. In New York, Amir is a staff pianist for the Juilliard School and New York Philharmonic. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Alejandro Senior

  • A graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, Alejandro Señior is a music director and pianist in NYC. Music Directing Credits at companies including: Actor’s Playhouse, Belen Jesuit Preparatory, Area Stage Company, University of Miami, Miami Children’s Theatre, among others. Some favorite credits as Music Director include: Beauty and The Beast, Addams Family, Little Shop of Horrors, CATS, Lion King, and Frog and Toad.

    Alejandro was accepted into the Summer Music Internship program at Transcendence Theatre Company. Located in Sonoma, California, Transcendence produces a unique seasonal programming of live outdoor Broadway-style concerts, the award-winning Broadway Under the Stars. Alejandro is now a music team regular as their Summer Music Coordinator. These concerts featured incredible Broadway Performers including Leslie McDonnel (American Idiot, Hairspray), Tony Gonzalez (Mamma Mia!), Shaleah Adkisson (Rent, Hair), Beth Kirkpatrick (Les Miserables), Felicia Finley (Smokey Joes), and so many others!

    Alejandro has also worked with Broadway Workshop, Applause, AfterWork Theatre, Joseph Harrell Voice Studio, and Broadway Artists Alliance., He’s also performed at 54 Below, Greenroom 42, and The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Alejandro is a freelance musician and educator, teaching at various educational institutions including NYU, Beacon High School, Horace Mann, and his own private studio. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Ian Axness

  • Ian Axness is a versatile conductor, collaborative pianist, and coach with a passion for music-theatre and song performance. An Oberlin Conservatory graduate, he enjoys a wide range of performance projects, including opera, cabaret, and devised contemporary theatre, as well as musicals such as Sweeney Todd (Barrow Street), Carousel (NY Philharmonic), and Beardo (Pipeline Theatre - Drama Desk nomination).

    Ian has worked with Ars Nova, Joe's Pub, 92nd Street Y, Shakespeare in the Park, New Dramatists, Two River Theater, NY City Opera, NYU Skirball, Mannes School of Music, and Juilliard, and spent five years on faculty at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. He continues to teach and accompany for The Performing Arts Project, and is grateful for all manner of musical travels and adventures. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Grace Han

  • At the age of 12, California born pianist Grace Han, made her orchestral debut at Colburn’s Zipper Hall performing the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor with the Torrance Symphony Orchestra. Among her awards are prizes with the Korea Times Piano Competition, Southern California Bach Competition, Music Teacher’s Association of California Piano Solo and Concerto Competition, and recently, the Rondo Young Artist Piano Competition in New York City.

    She has held solo performances in various venues in Los Angeles and New York including the Steinway Piano Gallery, Yamaha Peninsula Music Center, Kaufman Music Center, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

    She is equally active as a chamber musician and has coached and performed with Daniel Avshalomov, Alan Kay, and David Krakauer, as well as participated in chamber music programs such as the YMF Chamber Music Series. Most recently, she performed Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space with the New Amsterdam Orchestra.

    As a private piano teacher, she teaches both the ABRSM and NYSTL curriculum where many of her students have excelled. Ms. Han holds a Bachelors and Master of Music Degree in the Classical Piano Performance Program from the Manhattan School of Music. She has studied previously with Dr. Louise Lepley, Dr. Solomon Mikowsky, and Alexandre Moutouzkine. She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Ian LeRoy

  • Ian LeRoy is an NYC-based music director, pianist, and teacher. Favorite credits include The Songs of Braver and Dean (Lincoln Center), Once Upon a Rhyme (NYU Tisch Drama Stage), She Loves Me (Creede Repertory Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (Near West Theatre), Spring Awakening (Youngstown State University), Edges (University of Mount Union) and the All-Ohio production of Once On This Island with the Ohio Educational Theatre Association.

    He is currently a staff pianist for NYU Steinhardt’s Vocal Performance program, and is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Karen Dryer

  • Karen Dryer is a pianist, vocalist, vocal teacher and musical director. She has been a music educator for over 20 years and has worked with students on numerous musical theater performances, shows and individual performances. She currently is a vocal teacher at New York University and has a private studio based in Soho. Karen has worked with students on Broadway and off Broadway productions.

    As a musician, Karen has toured with three Broadway National Tours. And has recently subbed on the National tours of Aladdin, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Cats. She has music-directed numerous off Broadway productions, most notably Playwrights Horizons “The CHRISTIANS” which won a Drama Desk award in 2016.

    Karen enjoys playing piano for musical theater classes, rehearsals, and shows and loves to sing whenever she isn’t teaching. Karen is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, and is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Nathan Dame

  • Nathan Dame is a writer and music director.

    His musical, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, with Rob Baumgartner, Jr, was developed at Goodspeed and Bucks County Playhouse. Some credits: Pretty Filthy (The Civilians, OCR); Be More Chill (Two River Theater, Original Cast Recording); Dying For It (Atlantic); Mr. Burns (associate MD, Playwrights Horizons); What's It All About? (assoc. music director, New York Theatre Workshop.

    He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

— Woodwinds & Brass —

Keve Wilson

  • Hailed by the New York Times for her “magnificently sweet tone,” oboist and educator Keve Wilson excused herself from music theory and history as a kid to practice Irish jigs and reels instead.

    Currently oboist with the Broadway revival Company, Keve inspires high school band and orchestra students with her original show Believe NYC---from the Band Room to Broadway. Other Broadway shows she has played in include Carousel and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

    She has traveled with her oboe and performed in Argentina, Austria, Dubai, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Sicily, South Africa, South Korea and all across the United States.

    Keve teaches early childhood music at The Diller-Quaile and Church Street Music Schools, and has been a teaching artist for the 92Y and Bridge Arts Ensemble. A winner of Concert Artists Guild and solo oboist with the Grammy nominated Absolute Ensemble, she released her album Pure Imagination on Composers Concordance/NAXOS. A two-time recipient of the Clifford-Levy Creativity Grant, Keve traveled to Makuleke Village in South Africa to learn and teach folk songs of the region. From Hyde Park, NY and a graduate of Eastman School of Music, Keve lives in Manhattan with her husband Kerry and Portuguese water dog Bugsy. She is a former member of the Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Kirk Knuffke

  • As a winner of DownBeat Magazine’s “Rising Star” critics poll in 2015, Cornetist and composer Kirk Knuffke has released 18 recordings as leader or co-leader and is featured as a sideman on over 50 recordings with Matt Wilson, Allison Miller, Butch Morris, Uri Caine, Pierre Dorge and Michael Formanek to name a few.

    The New York Times tagged Knuffke as “one of New York City’s Busiest Musicians.” Originally from Colorado, self-taught Knuffke began playing with Butch Morris after landing in NYC in 2005. Knuffke then joined the celebrated Matt Wilson Quartet in 2009, recording Gathering Call (Palmetto) featuring John Medeski. He also currently performs with Allison Miller, Mary Halvorson, and groups led by John Medeski, Charlie Hunter, Ben Allison, Ray Anderson, Mark Helias, Bill Goodwin and Karl Berger.

    His 2015 release Arms and Hands (Royal Potato Family) garnered praise from every major jazz publication, 4 Stars in DownBeat and a write-up in the Sunday New York Times. Feature articles in DownBeat and JazzTimes have spotlighted Knuffke’s unique talent. As a Teaching Artist, Knuffke has taught master classes at many universities including The Frost School of music in Miami, The University of Michigan, The University of Colorado, and many more. He is a former artist with the Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Dan Liden

  • Daniel Linden (M.M. from the New England Conservatory in Trombone Performance) has toured the U.S., Europe and Asia with orchestras, opera companies and rock bands. He regularly plays in Broadway and Off Broadway productions and has made many recordings in classical, jazz and pop/world genres. He has performed on Fox News, CBS, MSNBC and the Artie Lange Show. Festivals Daniel has played include the Montreal Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Bang on a Can Marathon.

    Active in world music and jazz, Daniel has worked with David Byrne, Slavic Soul Party, Asphalt Orchestra, The Ed Palermo Big Band, The Gregorio Uribe Big Band and Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All Stars. Daniel has taught trombone at Brandeis University and is a teaching artist for Carnegie Hall. From 2018-2020 he held the trombone chair of Fiddler On the Roof in Yiddish Off Broadway at Stage 42. Daniel also writes and records songs under the name Hoosac. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Mark Dover

  • Clarinetist Mark Dover has always maintained firm roots in classical music, while at the same time devoting his career to searching as deeply as he can into the vast world of improvised music. In 2016, Dover joined the Grammy-nominated wind quintet, Imani Winds. With Imani Winds he maintains a busy touring schedule as well as multiple residencies at institutions such as University of Chicago, Mannes School of Music, Duke University and more.

    Past season highlights include premiering Valerie Coleman’s Concerto “Phenomenal Women,” written for Imani Winds with the American Composers Orchestra under George Manahan at Carnegie Hall, as well performances in 2019 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Robert Spano, and the Albany Symphony under David Alan Miller.

    Mark also has an extensive background in jazz and improvised music and has performed and/or recorded with a wide array of musicians, including Vulfpeck, Edward Simon, Brian Blade, Scott Colley, David Binney, Bernard Purdie, Cyrille Aimée, The Temptations, Darren Criss, and many more. He serves on the clarinet faculty at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts as well as CUNY Queens College at the Aaron Copland School of Music.

    He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble

Yulia Musayelyan

  • Yulia Musayelyan is a flutist and composer born in Moscow, Russia. A versatile multi-genre performer and improviser, she leads an original jazz quartet, tango project, and co-leads the Macayú Trio, and plays regularly with the Fernando Huergo Quintet, Marta Gomez, MOZIK, Manhattan Camerata, and Brooklyn Orchestra, among others.

    Her chamber works have been performed in New York City and featured in the 2006 short film Natalie Bonn. Yulia has released 4 albums as a leader and co-leader, and recorded on over 30 albums as a sideman. Her latest albums include Unsaid (Next Level, 2020) with her quartet, and Oblivion (ZOHO Music, 2021), with the tango project.

    Yulia has toured the U.S., the U.K., Europe, and Central and South America with various musical projects. She graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a BM in performance and got her MA in performance and composition from New York University. She joined the faculty of Berklee College of Music in 2017.

    She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Anna Urrey

  • A versatile solo and chamber musician, flutist Anna Urrey performs frequently at venues such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Le Poisson Rouge and National Sawdust, and engages in a variety of creative projects. As a core member of the Exponential Ensemble, she is passionate about chamber music and curating concert/educational programs.

    Anna is the principal flutist of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra and has performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C, the Mark Morris Dance Company, NOVUS NY, and spent three summers at the Castleton Festival as principal flutist under the direction of Maestro Lorin Maazel.

    Sought after for high-profile concerts, she has shared the stage with a star-studded array of talent, including Plácido Domingo, The Irish Tenors, Patti LaBelle, Brian McKnight, Jennifer Holliday, Jane Birkin and Ólafur Arnalds.

    Anna enjoys taking on innovative recording projects, which include the feature films Radium Girls (2018) and Little Women (2019), and in 2021, was a part of the Experiential Orchestra's GRAMMY winning recording of Dame Ethel Smyth's work, The Prison, for Best Classical Solo Album. She is former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Zach Hann

  • Zachary Hann is a multi-faceted instrumentalist, composer and music educator based in New York City. A graduate of the Juilliard School, he was brought up as a clarinetist in the European classical tradition and has performed in orchestras and chamber groups throughout the world. Notable engagements include an international tour with the Colburn Conservatory Orchestra and performances with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra.

    He has performed solo recitals in New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Taipei. He is also active as a saxophonist in a variety of musical settings. In 2017, he gave the United States premiere of Tajik composer Farangis Nurulla-Khoja’s Saxophone Concerto, entitled Ravishi Nur, with the New Juilliard Ensemble.

    As a composer, Hann’s work explores the through lines that connect classical, jazz and experimental music. In January 2021, he premiered his work Sunflowers, for synthesizers and alto saxophone, through a live stream performance hosted by the Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown, MA.

    As a music educator, Hann is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of musicians. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble, a non-profit initiative that bringing live music and educational workshops to public schools throughout New York State. He also teaches in the Music Program at Bard College.

— Strings —

Colin Stokes

  • Cellist, composer and electronic artist Colin Stokes tours extensively as a member of the genre- defying electro-classical project Symphoniacs, and the contemporary classical ensemble Zohn Collective.

    As a member of Symphoniacs, Colin Stokes has released albums with Universal Music and Warner Music Japan and in 2017 performed for a live audience of 600,000 people at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. YouTube videos of his performances have been viewed over 10 million times and televised broadcasts of his performances reached 45 million people in 2016 alone.

    As a founding member of Zohn Collective, Colin has recently released a recording of music by Matthew Schreibeis on Albany Records. In 2018-2019 he toured with Zohn Collective and the Mexican puppet theater company La Coperacha in the US and Mexico, performing the Pulitzer Prize Finalist composition Comala by Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon.

    Colin Stokes completed his Bachelor of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate at the Eastman School of Music and his Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School as well as further studies in cello and electronic music in Manhattan School of Music’s Contemporary Performance Program and traditional Arabic music at Bait al Oud in Abu Dhabi. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Eric Eaton

  • NYC based cellist Eric Eaton has enjoyed a very diverse career in music playing with symphony orchestras, pit orchestras, rock bands and rappers. He is most passionate about performing chamber music.

    He studied at the Manhattan School of Music with David Geber and holds a bachelor's degree in cello performance. Originally from Kansas City Missouri he has travelled all over the world performing concerts and teaching young musicians but has found his home in NY. he is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Robyn Quinnett

  • Born on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, Robyn Quinnett began playing violin at eight years old. She has won several competitions including the National Mariam Hayes and Ruth Kern Competitions.

    Robyn earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School studying with Naoko Tanaka and the late Stephen Clapp. In 2019, Robyn completed her DMA from Stony Brook University studying with Hagai Shaham. She has attended the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Colorado College Music Festival, and Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil. She has performed with ensembles such as the American Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Princeton Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, New Haven Symphony, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, and has recently joined Opera Philadelphia.

    Robyn is dedicated to community engagement and pedagogy. She founded The Montserrat Music Festival, a summer teaching and performing festival, bringing music education and live chamber music to Montserrat. Her other teaching includes serving as a Violin Faculty at the Sphinx Performance Academy. Robyn also enjoys her position as Violin Teacher at The Chapin School in New York City. She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

— Percussionists —

Mariana Ramirez

  • From Broadway, Off-Broadway, symphonic orchestras, Mexican traditional music for marimba, to chamber and pop music, Mariana Ramirez has performed in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the United States.

    Mariana is originally from Mexico City and she is currently based in NYC where she performs regularly with Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, being one of the two women Mexican percussionists on Broadway. Likewise, Mariana has performed with many symphonic orchestras in Mexico and the United States, such as Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional and Dartmouth Symphony, among many others.

    In chamber music she recorded with the legendary Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and performed around the United States with her percussion quartet Excelsis formed by 4 women from different countries. Mariana was recently the percussionist of the Broadway National Tour of Once On This Island. She is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Gregory LaRosa

  • Hailed by the New York Times as having “especially good time,” Greg LaRosa, serves as the Principal Timpanist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Traveling the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, Greg has performed in many of Europe’s most prominent music festivals. He is at home in a variety of musical genres, having performed alongside artists like Sarah McLachlan and Darlene Love.

    As an educator, Greg has presented masterclasses and guest lectures throughout the world, including in Dehli, India and Shiga, Japan. He has taught extensively within the New York City Public Schools, and maintains a private teaching studio with students from a variety of age groups and backgrounds.

    Greg holds degrees from The Juilliard School and The Colburn School and is proudly a Scholar with the Union League of Philadelphia. He is endorsed by Pearl Drums and Adams Percussion.

David Stevens

  • David Stevens is a percussionist, drummer, and educator based in New York City.

    As an educator, David has taught students of all ages and musical interests. He’s known for his warm and genuine teaching style, as well as his ability to help students transcend their limits.

    As an orchestral musician, he has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and The Knights.

    On Broadway, David has performed in the Tony Award-winning productions of Hello, Dolly!, An American In Paris, and Pippin, as well as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He recently performed in cities across North America with the first national tour of the hit musical We Will Rock You – The Musical by Queen and Ben Elton.

    David received his master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music and his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School. He is a former artist with Bridge Arts Ensemble.

Justin Jay Hines

  • Percussionist, composer, and educator Justin Jay Hines has performed with the New York Philharmonic, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Moab Music Festival, Alarm Will Sound, and the Chamber Music Society of Detroit.

    Since 1997 he has served as a New York Philharmonic Teaching Artist in classrooms, concerts, workshops, and residencies across New York City and Japan. In May 2018 he made his New York Philharmonic debut hosting the Young People’s Concert Inspirations and Tributes: “The Riddle of Shostakovich,” and has gone on to become an annual host of the series.

    As a Broadway musician, he has played many Tony Award–winning shows, including In the Heights, Pippin, Caroline or Change, Disney’s Tarzan, and HalfTime.

    As an educator, he has collaborated with the Juilliard School, the St. Louis Symphony, New World Symphony, 92nd Street Y, Lincoln Center Education, Carnegie Hall, and the Caramoor Center for the Arts.

    Currently, Mr. Hines is a senior composition mentor for the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program, is on the teaching faculty of NYU, and is a former musician and educator for the Bridge Arts Ensemble.

James Sheppard

  • James Sheppard is a versatile musician and teaching artist living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. James has composed for Sasha Velour's shows Nightgowns, Smoke and Mirrors, One Dollar Drags and her cover of Weill and Brecht's Pirate Jenny. He has also written for the Living Arts Collaborative, where his concerts Old MacDonald Had a Band, The Story of Babar the Elephant and Help Us Compose a Song have traveled to over fifty school districts in the Adirondacks.His collaborations with chanteuse Daphne Always resulted in a residency at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Joe's Pub and the Joco Cruise. Recently they won a Brooklyn Nightlife Award for Best Musical Group. As an educator, James is on faculty at the Diller-Quaile School of Music for their early childhood and instrumental vocal departments. James graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a BM and MM in Classical Composition under the Jay Rubinton Scholarship.

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