Executive & Artistic Director

Thor Steingraber

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SACREDNESS

Gerald Clayton Honors Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music

featuring

Gerald Clayton

Christie Dashiell | Michael Mayo

Josette Wiggan

Tonality

Sat Jan 31 | 2pm

Run time: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission

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Program | Program Note

About the Program

Musicians & Performers

Gerald Clayton | Christie Dashiell | Michael Mayo | Josette Wiggan | Joseph Wiggan | Covin Washington | Layla Alexis White | Tonality | Christopher McElroen

Interview With Gerald Clayton, Josette Wiggan, and Christopher McElroen

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The Soraya

Our Supporters | The Soraya Team

Gerald Clayton

GERALD CLAYTON (arranger/composer/piano) suggests a new ideal and a promising way forward in modern jazz. A pianist, composer, and seven-time Grammy nominee, he stands out for his ability to balance heritage and innovation — bridging the tradition he grew up in and a fearless sense of exploration.   Over the past two decades, Clayton has built a career defined by versatility and depth. As a Blue Note bandleader, he’s created music that ranges from the intimate reflections of Bells on Sand to the electrifying immediacy of Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard. As a collaborator with artists like Roy Hargrove and Charles Lloyd, he’s earned a reputation for musicianship that is at once grounded and adventurous — profoundly attentive, open, and unafraid to take risks onstage.   Clayton is also a genial, empathetic soul who speaks about his music in similar terms. “I’m trying to make art that, first and foremost, sounds beautiful,” he says. “That entails all of what I would deem beautiful — a personal harmony between tension and release that changes as I evolve and grow.” His latest Blue Note release, Ones & Twos, captures that balance of curiosity and groove. Using a reimagined jazz-quintet setup, Clayton nods to the inventiveness of hip-hop while maintaining the organic spontaneity of live performance. The album meditates on coexistence - on how two independent voices can occupy the same space. Inspired by turntablism, its A-side and B-side are meant to be played together, forming a single, evolving piece.   Born in the Netherlands and raised in Los Angeles, Clayton grew up surrounded by creativity. His father, bassist and composer John Clayton, and his uncle, saxophonist Jeff Clayton, provided a powerful example of dedication to the craft. That family lineage instilled not only a love of jazz but a guiding principle: to serve the music with sincerity and purpose.   The home was filled with music, art, and nurturing support. Gerald discovered his enthusiasm for the family piano on his own and decided on a life in music through his naturally expanding love for it. “My family’s always been very close, and my dad was always a hero to me,” Clayton says. “I adored him, and I still do. So, it made sense that I would go down a similar path.”   But rather than following any stylistic or aesthetic angle, the Clayton legacy has manifested more as a mission statement, the pianist explains. “This idea of serving the music comes with the territory. It’s in my blood,” he says.   European Classical training helped Clayton build strong, supple technique, and he became familiar with the language of jazz piano through early mentors like Donald Vega. He dug further into the music at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and then at the University of Southern California, where his teachers included Billy Childs. Throughout his development, the optimism and ebullience of Los Angeles worked their way into Clayton’s personal sound. “Expressing joy is definitely an important aspect of the music in L.A., and that’s always been at my core,” says Clayton. “That joy is an extension of natural and social elements of the city — the sunshine, the positivity.”    From the onset of his professional experience, Clayton sounded assured, even magisterial. At the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano competition, he thrilled an elite judging panel and a packed Kennedy Center crowd to earn a silver finish. As Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times, Clayton “came to destroy: his playing had huge, authoritative presence, an Oscar Peterson-like style, highly controlled touch and dynamics and rhapsodic, episodic soloing. (The audience broke into applause during his solo.)”    After studies in Los Angeles, Clayton moved to New York to attend the Manhattan School of Music, immersing himself in a community of like-minded artists. The city’s intensity sharpened his instincts and accelerated his growth, leading to the formation of a dynamic trio with drummer Justin Brown and bassist Joe Sanders — a collaboration that helped define his early voice.   That band’s soulfully telepathic rapport, developed by “hanging and playing every day,” says Clayton, is preserved on his debut as a bandleader, Two-Shade, released through ArtistShare in 2009. DownBeat called the album “strikingly confident” and “decidedly fresh.” The trio evolved its language further with 2010’s Bond: The Paris Sessions and formed the core of 2013’s Life Forum — an artful, ambitious project that revealed Clayton’s gifts as a composer, arranger and conceptualist. On that album and 2017’s Tributary Tales, Clayton merges horns, wordless vocals, spoken word, and other elements into cinematic explorations of life and spirit.    Similarly, Clayton has over the years taken on audacious live projects, including the Duke Arts commission Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation, for which Clayton did field research in North Carolina; and White Cities, a meditation on the themes of racism and prosperity in the work of the artist Charles White. Such larger-scale, narrative projects “push me outside of my comfort zone,” says Clayton. “They give me an expanded perspective, as well as deeper feelings and thoughts, about whatever it is I’m paying tribute to. That’s incredibly rewarding.”    Clayton signed with Blue Note in 2020, earning a well-deserved place in the legacy of one of America’s most important record labels. Today, he continues to speak about the label with awestruck reverence. “I grew up staring endlessly at the hip album covers, falling in love with this music and with the musicians who play it,” he says. “I’m humbled by this opportunity to be a part of that history. It’s a reminder to put my head down and take the work seriously.”    In 2024, Clayton served as pianist and musical director for the Blue Note Quintet, a group of still-rising all-stars who paid homage to the Blue Note story with a marathon tour. Far removed from the staid programming that mars so many similar tribute concepts, Clayton led the Blue Note Quintet through forward-looking arrangements and high-stakes interplay that expanded in its boldness as the tour rolled on. “Somehow, things grew both tighter and looser,” he says. The depth of the band’s communication, and the confidence of its aesthetic, lead to two critically acclaimed releases under the moniker Out Of/Into, the quintet released Motion I in December 2024 followed by Motion II in December 2025.   Along the way, Clayton has proven a collaborative presence capable of elevating any ensemble. In addition to Lloyd and Hargrove, his list of credits is staggering — from monumental peers like Ambrose Akinmusire, to postbop heroes including John Scofield, Terri Lyne Carrington and Bill Frisell, to crossover superstar Diana Krall. To detail just one project, Clayton took on Duke Ellington’s role when Carrington, reimagined the iconic LP Money Jungle, casting herself as Max Roach and Christian McBride as Charles Mingus. Her effort won the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album in 2014; among the other nominees was Clayton’s Life Forum.     In the end, Clayton is driven by his search for meaning and beauty, and by a muse that shifts and advances as he does. “I don’t feel like I can be pinned into one aesthetic or idea,” Clayton says.     “I have an open mind,” he continues, pausing. “I have an open heart. And I strive to express the full range of that in my art.” 

Christie Dashiell

CHRISTIE DASHIELL (Vocals) Washington, DC-born and North Carolina-raised, Grammy nominated vocalist, composer and educator Christie Dashiell lives at the musical crossroads of jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel and soul. Known for her improvisational prowess and effortlessly rich and clear tone, she has become one of the most sought-after artists on the scene today. Growing up in a musical family, Christie has been singing all her life. She is the third of four multi-talented and musical children of jazz bassist, Carroll Dashiell, Jr. Her musical lineage is deeply rooted. Christie is a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. While at Howard, Christie sang in the university’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, Afro-Blue. As a member of the Afro-Blue, she appeared on NBC’s “The Sing Off.” She has twice received recognition in DownBeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards as Outstanding Soloist and Best Vocalist in the Graduate College division and was selected as a semifinalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Vocals Competition. Christie’s long awaited sophomore album, Journey In Black, was nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Album, and deemed a “masterpiece” by Downbeat Magazine, features seven original compositions and two arrangements that explore themes of freedom, legacy, grief and joy. Funded in part by Chamber Music America’s Performance Plus Grant, the collection of music fuses the sounds of improvised music and various styles of Black American Music. Titled Journey in Black, the album boasts a stellar cast of musicians, including Shedrick Mitchell, Marquis Hill, Allyn Johnson, Romeir Mendez and Carroll Dashiell, III with creative guidance from NEA Jazz Master, Dianne Reeves.

Michael Mayo

MICHAEL MAYO (Vocals) Whether Michael Mayo is performing with his band, as a guest, or alone with a looper pedal and a piano, the LA native’s commanding and other worldly vocalese has been gathering critical and commercial acclaim around the globe. Mayo attended the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (now the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz), only the third vocalist to be accepted into the 20-year-old program, where he learned from the likes of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Mayo, a veteran international performer, has led his own band to perform at some of the worlds most revered jazz clubs and festivals. As a featured guest, he has recently recorded and performed with Herbie Hancock, Terri Lynne Carrington, Jacob Collier, Scary Pockets, Lenny Kravitz, Josh Groban, Ben Wendel and The War and Treaty. Signed to Mack Avenue/Artistry Records, Mayo’s debut record “Bones”, produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Eli Wolf (Norah Jones, Al Green, The Roots) was released in 2021. In 2022, Mayo was named “International Artist of the Year” at the Deutscher Jazzpreis. Mayo’s highly anticipated sophomore release “Fly” featuring pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Nate Smith was released in 2024 and nominated for 2 Grammy Awards.

Josette Wiggan

JOSETTE WIGGAN (Tap Dancer) An internationally acclaimed and much sought after educator/ choreographer/ performer, Josette Wiggan has dedicated her life to the perpetuation American Jazz and social dances like Tap, Solo Jazz, Lindy Hop and Hip Hop. She began her dance adventure with Paul and Arlene Kennedy at the Universal Dance Designs Studio in Los Angeles. Her love for performing was fostered by the Kennedys and then refined as an adult while dancing with Jazz Tap Ensemble until 2007. A graduate of UCLA, Josette’s career highlights include the 2001 Spotlight Award winner in non- classical dance category, the first National Broadway Tour of 42nd Street, 2008 Bessie Award Nominee for Outstanding Performance in the Baker/Tarpaga Project and studying with Germaine Acogny at L’ecole les Sables in Dakar, Senegal. Her movie credits include, Idlewild, Princess and the Frog, and The Bride. Alongside her brother, Joseph Wiggan, she was part of two original casts of Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel and Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour from 2009-2013. The duo also performed in Tireless, a curated show by Michelle Dorrance that had its debut at Jacob’s Pillow in 2017 and in 2021, Josette created her first evening length work entitled, Praise: The Inevitable Fruit of Gratitude, in collaboration with GRAMMY-nominated, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold and the cast of Dorrance Dance. Josette is also co-creator and co-choreographer with Michelle Dorrance and Hannah Heller for a Christmas work entitled, …The Nutcracker Suite… that has premiered at houses including the Joyce Theater, The Kennedy Center, The White House (under the invitation of First Lady Jill Biden,) and The Soraya. In 2023, Josette began her own tap company, Josette Wiggan Presents… and developed new works entitled, On Solid Ground: A Celebration of Black Joy and Freedom In Our America, and her first solo work, Threshing Floor: A Place of Meditation and Melody, for the American Dance Platform 2024 at the Joyce Theater. Currently, Josette is so excited and honored to be on Faculty teaching dance in USC’s School of Dramatic Arts Department.

Joseph Wiggan

JOSEPH WIGGAN (Tap Dancer) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He began tap dance with Paul and Arlene Kennedy at the age of nine. Joseph is a 2003 Music Center Spotlight Award recipient, 2004 Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and 2005 Princess Grace Award/Chris Hellman Dance Honor recipient. Joseph has performed in the American tour of Riverdance; Imagine Tap!; À la Recherche de Joséphine; and made his Broadway debut in Shuffle Along. Other credits include Cirque du Soleil Banana Shpeel and Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour; N.Y.C.C. Encores: The New Yorkers; and This Joint is Jumpin’ at The Other Palace. As a teacher Joseph has shared his artistry with people in Sweden, Japan, France, Guatemala, and Australia among others. He has been a cultural exchange performer in Cuba, Peru, and Russia. Joseph has been a guest performer in live concert with Chester Whitmore, Orlando Poleo, Allen Hoist, the late Roy Hargrove, Johnny O’Neal, Gunhild Carling, Mike Phillips, Lafayette Harris Jr., Alice Gi-Young Hwang, Wynton Marsalis, Spike Wilner, the late Geri Allen, The Garth Newel Piano Quartet, Marcus Strickland, Marvin “Smitty” Smith and Jacques Lesure. The experiences on the bandstand with these particular musicians inspired Joseph to lead his own band with a focus on the lineage of Black Music in America and abroad. Joseph works as a member of The Double J’s, a tap duo act that includes his sister Josette Wiggan-Freund. The Double J’s have performed in Frankie 100 at The Apollo; Tap Ellington at The Appel Room; TrailBlazer Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show; Tireless: A Tap Dance Experience at Jacob’s Pillow; Dorrance Dance The Blues Project at Vail Dance Festival and The Nutcracker Suite at the Joyce Theater. Joseph was accepted to the New School for Jazz and Contemporary music as a tap dancer and hopes that other tap dancers will apply to university jazz programs worldwide.

Covin Washington

COVIN WASHINGTON (Dancer) is currently in their third year at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where they train in a multitude of dance forms, such as contemporary, house dance, improvisation, countertechnique, and concert jazz. Prior to joining Kaufman in 2023, Covin spent their formative years at the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education (2015–2021), before joining the second company in 2021. During this time, they performed with Atlanta Ballet II and alongside the company, appearing in productions such as Yuri Possokhov’s The Nutcracker, where they danced the Mouse King, as well as Giselle, Don Quixote, and several Bruce Wells ballets. Now based in Los Angeles while pursuing a BFA at the University of Southern California, Covin has broadened their repertoire by working with choreographers across multiple dance forms. Recent performances include Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, Jiří Kylián’s Sarabande, and Martha Graham’s Acts of Light: Ritual to the Sun, as well as Caili Quan’s Playing Perspectives and other contemporary works. Covin has had the opportunity to further their artistry by attending programs across the U.S. and internationally, such as Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program, Orsolina28, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Chautauqua Institution, where they had the privilege of performing George Balanchine’s Rubies under the direction of Patricia McBride.

Layla Alexis White

LAYLA ALEXIS WHITE (Dancer) is a professional dancer and movement artist, creative director, choreographer, educator, model, actor, and BFA student at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. She began her professional career at age 13 in the commercial film industry and has since worked as an actor and principal dancer in major productions, including Netflix’s Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square alongside Debbie Allen and Dolly Parton. Her professional credits also include The General car commercial with Shaquille O’Neal, FOX’s “The Resident,” various music videos, live performances, and short films. Her work is also set to appear in an upcoming project in association with Tyler Perry Studios. With over a decade of artistic research, Layla’s practice centers on cultivating a holistic, versatile movement voice rooted in both concert and commercial performance. She has received extensive professional training at institutions including the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Joffrey Ballet, the Kennedy Center Dance Lab, and New Century Dance Project, and is currently signed with Xcel Talent Agency. Her movement foundation spans a wide range of styles, including Ballet, Horton, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, House, Heels, Tap, West African, Afro-Fusion, Jazz, and Improvisation. Her artistry emphasizes movement innovation, genre fusion, expressive musicality, and cultural storytelling. Layla aims to further her research and professional experience in the fields of both concert and commercial industries such as Broadway, continuing work in the film industry, collaborating with companies such as Camile A. Brown and dancers, creative direction, Dance education and more.

Tonality

TONALITY (Choir) is an award-winning ensemble, established in 2016, known for "open-hearted singing" (Lauri's List). Tonality was recently recognized as a 2024 GRAMMY® winner in New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album for Carla Patullo's So She Howls with the Scorchio Quartet. Led by Executive/Founding Artistic Director Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, he imagined Tonality as an ensemble that represents the diverse cultures and ethnicities within the Los Angeles area. Within a year of its forming, Tonality's mission evolved to use its collective voices to present concerts on themes of social justice in hopes of acting as a catalyst toward empathy and community activism. The group premiered its first album in 2019, titled Sing About It. Tonality received the 2020 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, a prize given for commitment to singing and commissioning new works. Tonality has collaborated with choral and film composers to create the works presented in concert, striving for diverse voices and perspectives within the composer community. Collaborators include Joe Trapanese, Roman Gianarthur, Gaayatri Kaundinya, Reena Esmail, Shawn Kirchner, Zanaida Robles, Moira Smiley, Alex Wurman, Kris Bowers, and Michael J. Giacchino. Tonality has performed with MacArthur Fellow Taylor Mac, Pete Townsend of The Who, pianist Lara Downes, internationally acclaimed performer Björk, Dutch DJ Tiësto, Kelly Clarkson in support of her album Chemistry, and Scott Hoying (Pentatonix) on his latest single, Rose Without the Thorns.

Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake

DR. ALEXANDER LLOYD BLAKE (Conductor, Tonality) is a conductor, composer/arranger, vocal contractor, and music activist whose work bridges classical performance, commercial media, and socially engaged art. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Tonality, the GRAMMY® Award–winning choral ensemble recognized for using music to inspire collective action and foster human connection through culturally diverse storytelling. A trusted collaborator across film, television, and advertising, Blake is known for his vocal leadership, arranging expertise, and ability to bring sonic cohesion to creative projects. His credits as conductor, vocal contractor, and vocal arranger include Respect, Spiderhead (Netflix), and Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros.). He has worked on episodic series such as The Other Black Girl (Hulu), Young Love (Max), America the Beautiful (Disney+), The Time Traveler’s Wife (HBO), and The G Word with Adam Conover (Netflix). As a studio vocalist, he appears on the soundtracks of Us, The Lion King, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He performed at the 92nd Academy Awards with Cynthia Erivo and prepared singers for the 2020 GRAMMY Awards. In May 2025, Blake premiered his 30-minute choral suite Running From, Running To: A Musical Reflection on Ahmaud Arbery at the Wallis Annenberg Center. The Los Angeles Times praised it as “a powerful meditation on remembrance and justice,” and Ahmaud Arbery’s mother described it as “beautiful… I wish I could play it over and over again.” Blake’s arrangements are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Alliance Music Publishing, and Walton Music. He earned a GRAMMY® nomination for his work on Scott Hoying’s “Rose Without the Thorns,” and his concert and broadcast projects include music for the MLB All-Star Game, Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry flash mob, and GAP’s #GiveYourGift campaign.

Hannah Abrahim

HANNAH ABRAHIM (Vocals, Tonality) is a singer-songwriter, producer, musical director, and vocal coach based in Los Angeles, whose vocals you may recognize as Cleo DeNile on Paramount+’s “Monster High”. Blazing through the music industry as a jack-of-all-trades, Hannah has notably offered her vocals, songwriting, and arrangements to productions such as Nickelodeon’s “Dora”, Disney+’s “The Lion King 30th Anniversary” and “Agatha All Along”, Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and “Love Is Blind”, NBC’s “Brooklyn 99”, Totality Entertainment, and Today At Apple Creative Studios. An alumnus of the University of Southern California’s Popular Music Program in the Thornton School of Music, Hannah is not only a SAG-AFTRA singer and songwriter, but also a powerhouse solo artist. As a first-generation American, Hannah takes pride in her ethnically diverse background, blending her “Egyptiarican” culture to be a storytelling and sonic visionary in the R&B/Neo-Soul/Pop scene. Her music stands out as Hannah strives to use her voice to offer unique perspectives and discuss the important, “inconvenient truths” that many cannot see or do not feel comfortable talking about, such as mental health, sexual violence, and racism. Aside from singing and creating, Hannah is currently the musical director of John Burroughs High School’s co-Ed a cappella group NeoChromatics and works at Kobalt Music Publishing as a Synch Licensing Administration Coordinator.

Samuel Avila

SAMUEL AVILA (Vocals, Tonality) received his Bachelor’s of Music in Choral Music at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. They currently sing with numerous ensembles in LA including Tonality and the Long Beach Camerata Singers. Finally, Samuel serves as the Artistic Director for the San Fernando Valley Youth Chorus.

Kim Dawson

KIM DAWSON (Vocals, Tonality) has made her career touring the world with bands, backing up legendary reggae band Steel Pulse and pop rock icon Rob Thomas. She has shared the stage with Sara Bareilles, Benson Boone and John Legend. Her versatile sound allows her to open for r&b legends one night, then star in Pasadena Playhouse's production of A Little Night Music the next. Kim spends her time in Los Angeles working as a session singer, coaching high school ensembles and teaching private lessons.

Antonio Fernandez

ANTONIO FERNANDEZ (Vocals, Tonality) With over a decade of experience, Antonio Fernandez has performed on stages across the globe as a beatboxer and vocalist signed to Disney Records. Antonio studied vocal jazz, choral, and music composition at Central Washington University.

Natalie Gonzalez Dubois

NATALIE GONZALEZ DUBOIS (Vocals, Tonality) is an award-winning Guatemalan-American vocalist who has lent her voice to numerous film and television soundtracks, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Hocus Pocus 2, “Agatha All Along,” and Rihanna’s Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up,” among many others. She has performed live with artists such as Josh Groban, Kelly Clarkson, Björk, and Tiësto, and can be heard on recordings with Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Scott Hoying, and additional world-renowned performers. A distinguished choral artist, Natalie is an auxiliary member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, an alto with LA Choral Lab, and has sung with Tonality since Fall 2021, contributing to their 2024 GRAMMY-winning album So She Howls. Her performances span prestigious stages and diverse genres, from pop and gospel to classical and film music. Known for her radiant stage presence, vocal adaptability, and artistry, she continues to be one of Los Angeles’ most sought-after session and live performance singers.

Brandon Guzman

BRANDON GUZMAN (Vocals, Tonality) graduated from Cal State University Long Beach in 2019 and has since been working as a professional vocalist in Los Angeles and Orange County. He has sung with choirs such as Tonality, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Long Beach Camerata singers and the Catalyst Ensemble. Brandon has also shown great versatility by working on a number of studio sessions, singing as a classical concert soloist and lending background vocals to artists like Björk, Tiësto and the Kronos Quartet.

Kion Heidari

KION HEIDARI (Vocals, Tonality) has been singing in musicals since he was 10 and in choirs since he was 14. He has a BFA degree in music composition from CalArts, where he also trained vocally and extended his contemporary techniques. Today, Kion sings with groups such as the LA Master Chorale, HEX Vocal Ensemble, Tonality, and the Voices of Terpsichor, and performs soloistically in contemporary operas and musicals with companies such as Synchromy and Overtone Industries. He is also the tenor section leader at UU Santa Monica where he sings in numerous solos in various styles, including pop.

Vi Jordan

VI JORDAN (Vocals, Tonality) Ivana Céspedes Jordan, professionally known as Vi Jordan (“vee”), is a Cuban-Mexican studio vocalist and pianist with expertise performing as a soloist and group singer in Latin, jazz, R&B, classical and gospel genres. She got her big break in her viral YouTube music video performing a cover of “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” alongside members of Earth, Wind and Fire, which has recently surpassed over six million views! Amongst many other projects, she has sung in the score choir on several feature films (Nope, Encanto, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), appeared singing on-camera on a variety of TV shows (Disney Channel’s “Bizzardvark”, “The Goldbergs”, “Hacks”), and has been regularly performing live behind acclaimed composer Danny Elfman at Coachella and the Hollywood Bowl. One of her favorite gigs is curating her own jazz, Latin and R&B tribute show at the illustrious Vibrato Grill Jazz with some of her best friends and instrumental session giants in LA. When she isn't singing in the studio, she is working as a vocal coach, mentoring new talent on film sets, in recording studios and through her own vocal studio.

Hannah Lewis

HANNAH LEWIS (Vocals, Tonality) graduated from CSUN with a bachelor’s degree in media composition with an emphasis in Voice. She sang with Los Robles Master Chorale for four seasons, has been a member of Tonality for 5 seasons, and is currently on the Auxiliary list for Los Angeles Master Chorale, which she has been on for one season.

Matthew Lewis

MATTHEW LEWIS (Vocals, Tonality) is an LA-based vocalist who has sung across Southern California with various ensembles including the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Tonality, and LA Vocal Lab. He has lent his voice to many recording sessions for TV, film, and independent artists. Matthew is also a music teacher and artist who makes and releases his own music using his voice and banjo.

Ian Luna

IAN LUNA (Vocals, Tonality) studied Vocal Performance at CSULB from 2017 through 2022. He now works as a worship leader at two churches in Los Angeles. Has sung with ensembles such as Long Beach Camerata Singers, Los Robles Master Chorale, Sierra Linda Master Chorale, Archipelago, Filosophy, Tonality, and more. Ian works also as a singer/songwriter for an indie label for TV and Film.

David Morales

DAVID MORALES (Vocals, Tonality) Salvadorian-American Tenor, David Morales, is an active vocalist performing music across a variety of genres and styles. As a choral and ensemble performer throughout the nation, he has performed with groups such as The Thirteen, Conspirare, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. He most recently sang with the LA Opera Chorus in the 2025 production of Rigoletto and recorded vocals with the LA Master Chorale for the 97th Academy Awards ceremony supporting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. He also has experience as a session singer recording for GRAMMY award-winning albums, movie soundtracks, and TV series. David Morales is also a passionate vocal educator and is currently adjunct at Mt. Sac and Citrus College while maintaining an at-home private studio.

Molly Pease

MOLLY PEASE (Vocals, Tonality) is an LA-based vocal artist and composer who is inspired by nature, passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, and who speaks honestly about mental health in her music. As a performer, Molly has worked with Overtone Industries, theatre dybbuk, Impulse New Music Festival, Resonance Collective, and The Industry, and has sung on GRAMMY-awarded and nominated albums with Tonality and Wild Up, respectively. Molly is a member and assistant director of experimental vocal sextet HEX, and regularly performs with LA Master Chorale and LA Choral Lab. She has performed with Björk, Tune-Yards, Dirty Projectors, and Kronos Quartet.

Rohan Ramanan

ROHAN RAMANAN (Vocals, Tonality is an accomplished vocalist (tenor/countertenor) and instrumentalist in multiple styles and has studied Hindustani and Western music for over two decades. He teaches privately and works as a professional choral singer & concert soloist, oboist/English horn player, as well as a studio session musician. He sings regularly with groups such as LA Master Chorale and sings for recordings as a member of SAG-AFTRA. Rohan has performed live with Björk, Tiësto, 30 Seconds to Mars, Rufus Wainwright, Kamasi Washington, etc. and has sung in recordings for Disney, Marvel, National Geographic, & Stewart Copeland.

Alex Siegers

ALEX SIEGERS (Vocals, Tonality) is an Australian vocalist and educator based in Los Angeles, known for her versatility across jazz, classical, and choral genres. Described as “exhilarating and exuberant” (Sydney Morning Herald), she has performed with leading musicians and ensembles across Australia and the US including The Song Company, Cantillation, and The Choir of St James’ King St. In LA, she sings with The Choir of St. James-in-the-City Episcopal Church and Tonality. In 2025, she will be a featured artist at N.E.O. Voice Festival. Alex holds a Bachelor of Music (Jazz), a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies/Linguistics) with Honors from The University of Sydney.

Cara Zydor Fesjian

CARA ZYDOR FESJIAN (Vocals, Tonality) is a composer, singer, and researcher born and raised in New York. At eight years old, she joined the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus and sang in hundreds of performances over the course of six years. She earned a dual degree in Music Composition and Cognitive Science at the University of Southern California, and was a member of the USC Chamber Singers, with whom she toured internationally and sang with the Rolling Stones. Cara also sang with and was the Treasurer of the premiere West Australian choir, Voyces. Her music has been performed around the world by the Iris Collective with Michael Stern, the Choral Collective, the Gesualdo Six, Perth Symphony Orchestra, and others. In addition to her music career, Cara serves as Assistant Director of Prospect Research at Occidental College.

Christopher McElroen

CHRISTOPHER McELROEN (Creative Director) Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious. Christopher’s most recent projects include Fight for America!, which premiered in London’s West End in 2025, and Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, which premiered in the West End in 2023; both are currently touring through 2027. In collaboration with Gerald Clayton, Christopher developed and directed Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation, most recently presented at Harlem Stage in June 2022. He received a Helen Hayes Award for his direction of the world-premiere stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s iconic novel Invisible Man. Christopher also had the honor of directing 51st (dream) State, the final work of poet, musician, and activist Sekou Sundiata, which premiered at BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Alongside visual artist Paul Chan, actor Wendell Pierce, and Creative Time, he co-produced and directed Waiting for Godot in New Orleans, a year-long community development initiative in post-Katrina New Orleans. The archives from the production were acquired into the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Previously, he co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem, where he oversaw 41 productions that earned 18 AUDELCO Awards, six OBIE Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and a Drama Desk Award.