Songs of Solomon: An Inspirational Ensemble is committed to maintaining traditional inspirational music in an environment supportive of young people of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. They strive to serve the world community through music, seeking to uplift, inspire, serve, educate, and entertain.

Founded in 2001 by veteran conductor, Chantel Renee Wright, the Ensemble has performed with major musical artists including Ashford and Simpson, Elton John, Kelly Clarkson, and Fantasia Barinno, among others, and have toured major cities in the United States. In addition to their music, they are committed to the development of artists' minds, bodies, and spirits.

Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet (JGCO) is a dance theatre company dedicated to creating compelling choreography rooted in social justice and the African-American experience. Their performances blend dance choreography with theatrical storytelling, evoking emotional reflection in diverse audiences. Their work is committed to crafting pieces that spark cultural dialogue, subvert conventional perspectives, and leave a lasting impact in the community and beyond.

Natu Camara’s adoring fans regard her as “the Tina Turner of Guinea.” In her music and during her high-octane shows, the impassioned singer-songwriter substantiates the weighty nickname.

In the early 2000s, Camara led West Africa’s first all-female hip-hop group, the Ideal Black Girls (IBG). Years after releasing their multiplatinum opus advocating for women’s rights Guinèya Moumonèra (It’s Not a Shame to Be a Woman), the dynamism of Camara’s musical evolution was revealed in her inspirational solo debut Dimedi (“Child” in her native language, Susu), underscoring the significance of children having positive role models. Singing in five languages, Dimedi showcases Camara’s unique blend of afro-rock, pop, and soul that speaks to her range of heroes influencing her individual sound: Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, Mory Kante, Fela Kuti, and Baaba Maal. Her songs bring people together, weaving a tapestry of musical stories and visions of her beloved home.

Vicky Casis is a Music Producer and DJ from Brooklyn, NY. She has assisted in creating music for the Hip Hop documentaries Contact High, and recently the “Black Pop” TV Special on E! In 2019, she released her first EP Baby Gurl, with all music arranged and produced by her, and featuring an array of incredibly talented artists.

Vicky has DJ’d many parties and large events, including the WNBA Championship, The Panamanian Parade, Fashion Show After Parties, and DJ’d on Broadway for the hit play, The Collaboration. She also performs live beat sets on her Maschine + all over the states and internationally. She is half of the music production team Mach-7 Muzik along with her brother Marcus Machado, and she is the Co Creator of QSTV (Quality Sounds TV), a Youtube show that is now a monthly event series showcasing independent artists, musicians, music producers, DJs, and all creatives in partnership with Soho House, Pirate Studios, and The Hard Rock Hotel Times Square.

Jared Wayne Gladly is a Houston born/ Harlem based actor, singer, host, photographer, and voice over artist. After completing his studies at NYU’s Tisch Program, he launched his professional career at the world famous Apollo Theater in a production of Dreamgirls. Since that production, his talent has been seen on stages around the country and abroad in productions of the Parable of the Sower, Frozen, Book of Mormon, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Ain’t Too Proud. Outside of his theatrical career, Mr. Gladly produces a weekly showcase and partners with Harlem-based community arts initiatives supporting black and brown artists, performs with corporate bands around the NY tri-state area, volunteers with the FCBC Food Pantry, and voices the character of Barry for a string of Cricket Wireless ads. Jared was last seen on Broadway in Disney’s Aladdin. To keep up with the journey follow Jared on IG: @jaredwaynegladly

Claudia Acuña is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated bandleader, vocalist, and composer, born in Santiago, Chile and raised in Concepción, where Acuña established herself on the Chilean jazz scene in her early 20s. Arriving in New York City in 1995, Acuña quickly gained recognition as a leading voice in the New York Jazz scene, rapidly transformed by collaborations with a wave of brilliant Latin American musicians. Acuña is celebrated for her vision of blending her South American folk music with Jazz and World Music.

Acuña is known for collaborations with Jazz masters Harry Whitaker, Arturo O'Farrill, Guillermo Klein, Branford Marsalis, George Benson, Kenny Barron, Louie Vega, Tom Harrell, Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, San Carlo Di Napoli Symphony Orchestra, and more.

Her recent appearances include International Jazz Day with the Herbie Hancock Institute, Newport Jazz Festival, and a program at Carnegie Hall celebrating Acuña’s career and the Latin American songbook.

Hybrid Movement Company began as a conversation in movement between artists from many backgrounds (contemporary ballet, Contemporary Circus, martial arts, b-boying, visual arts, music and animation), and developed a collaborative method that provides skilled artists with an opportunity to recognize and reframe themselves in each other, and in space. Their first presentation was in 2010 at Lincoln Center in collaboration with Antigravity and The Little Orchestra Society. Since then, their work has appeared at City Center, the New Victory Theater, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, and at many other venues.

Called a “gifted storyteller” by hip-hop legend Chuck D of Public Enemy, JSWISS is a global artist who just might be the most versatile emcee on the scene today. He has recorded and performed with the likes of Elvis Costello and Nicholas Payton, among others. His latest solo album You Never Really Know was lauded as the #90 Best Album of 2024 on radio station KEXP’s end of the year listener’s poll.

Since releasing his first mixtape in 2009, while a freshman journalism student at UNC-Chapel Hill, JSWISS has received praise from notable music authorities such as The Source, NPR, Complex Magazine, Hip Hop DX, Ambrosia For Heads, BBC Radio 6, FIP Radio, Soultracks, and Weekly Rap Gods.

He’s routinely backed by a live band of top-notch instrumentalists, and has graced the notable stages of the Apollo Theater, Blue Note Jazz Club, Nublu, The Jazz Standard, Preservation Hall, international festivals, and more. Even the landmark New York Botanical Garden welcomed JSWISS as the first ever hip-hop artist to perform there in its storied history.

His music can be found prominently placed in Ubisoft’s extreme sports video game Riders Republic, the Red Bull TV-backed documentary Raise Up: The World Is Our Gym, the NBA TV-premiered Hoops Africa documentary, and more.

DJ Spinna is something of an anomaly in music, a humbling example of what it takes to truly succeed within the framework of multiple fields. He is a world-renowned DJ, producer, remixer, label head, curator, and influencer with a steadfast work ethic, an obsessively extensive vinyl library, and the willingness to pursue the full extent of his roots (Funk, Soul, R&B, and Jazz), foundation (Hip-Hop), and future (Electronic/Dance music), without any restraints.

Spinna’s sonics and productions have infiltrated numerous music genres. An exceptional example of DJ Spinna’s most memorable remix productions in Electronic/House/Dance music cemented his talents on the monumental version of Shaun Escoffery’s “Days Like This,” which transformed into a worldwide dance floor anthem.

Jasmine Rosario, known as JRose, is a spoken word artist, teaching artist, and community builder from Queens, NY. She has earned numerous slam titles across the U.S., including being crowned the 2023 BRIC Brooklyn Grand Slam Finals Champion, and hosts the iconic Nuyorican Poets Cafe Poetry Slam. In 2018, she founded The Rose Garden Events, a performance platform that has become a haven for poets, storytellers, and creatives.

Beyond performance, she is a dedicated teaching artist, leading creative writing and performance workshops in schools, libraries, and at Rikers Island, where she helps incarcerated youth and women use writing as a tool for self-reflection and healing.

In 2024, JRose made history as the first poet signed to First Generation Rich, releasing her debut book and spoken word album, Pieces of My Crumbled Thoughts. Her mission is to inspire others to reclaim their power, and tell their stories.

Whether spinning the classics or releasing new music, her passion, professionalism, and prowess, are guaranteed to convey an experience filled with a memorable musical story that is felt with every note.

While she’s most recognizable as the original singer in The Black Eyed Peas, Kim Hill broke records with her indie release Sugahill, crystalizing her sound in a movement she helped define. She has shared the stage with the late Biggie Smalls, and co-wrote Tupac's "Mamas Just a Little Girl," on the multi-platinum GRAMMY nominated album, Better Dayz. She sang on Jane's Addiction “Superhero," theme song for Entourage and has written TV campaigns for Target and Old Navy. She starred as Harper in the award-winning indie film In The Morning with legendary cinematographers Arthur Jafa, Bradford Young and Hans Charles, and did a cameo in Sofia Ford Coppola’s film On The Rocks starring Rashida Jones and Bill Murray.

In 2020, Hill turned her creative efforts towards textile and furniture design when she began weaving macrame onto vintage outdoor chair frames. Hill’s chair sculptures have been in exhibits, commissioned by multidisciplinary artists like Derrick Adams and adorn the decks of The Rockaway Hotel under the name Hazel and Shirley; an homage to her late grandmother and mother. Hill has been featured in NY Times Magazine, NBC, Fox 5, Elle, and Allure magazines; as well as in Sarah Jones’ film Sell Buy Date. In Spring 2023, KIM HILL DESIGN chair sculptures debuted at the 59th Street Bloomingdale's location in NYC and globally online, making her the first Black furniture designer to partner with the iconic retail store.

The Soapbox Presents was created by Artist Marija Abney during the pandemic, when many artists were looking for ways to perform and lift the spirits of Harlem residents, and Black and Brown communities around the city. In addition to their famed outdoor Stoop sessions, which take place at multiple locations throughout Harlem, they have performed at various locales throughout the city, including the Apollo Music Café, Brooklyn's Pioneer Works, Symphony Space, and Lincoln Center, among others. Since 2020, they have provided free arts programming to communities, featuring some of NYC’s most talented artists. From Mahogany L Browne (Lincoln Center’s first poet-in-residence) to Sean Mason (arranger, composer, pianist, and featured guest of the Wynton Marsalis Quintet), The Soapbox Presents gives Black and Brown artists the opportunity to give back to their communities, and prides itself on energizing every place it performs with artistry, electricity, and community.

Matthew Whitaker’s musical journey began at age three with a keyboard gift from his grandfather. Since then, he has captivated audiences globally, appearing on notable TV shows like Showtime at the Apollo, The Today Show, Ellen, and 60 Minutes.

He starred, produced, and scored the Emmy-nominated documentary About Tomorrow, in addition to scoring the Hulu film Starkeisha. He made his musical director debut for the award-winning "Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For," premiering in Pittsburgh in 2023.

Matthew's guest soloist appearances include performances with Aspen Chamber Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. He composed for the 82-piece Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra in Sofia, and created the score Finding Free for Alvin Ailey Dance Company's 2024-2025 season. He has collaborated with Jon Batiste, Christian McBride, Anderson Paak, Regina Carter, and others.

His fourth recording, "On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute," was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

Havanna Fisher is an emerging transdisciplinary artist and designer from Harlem that uses design, performing arts, film, and education to bring about political and social awareness and thus probable change within the American landscape of ideological identity. She received both a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons New School for design, and a BA in the Arts with a concentration in dance from Eugene Lang College. Her goal as an artist is to blend different art forms like fashion, dance, and film with an emphasis on community and unity to create a world of many possible approaches to living life and creating a new just society. She has participated in projects, and with organizations and coalitions moving to produce a stronger community and a better world.

Myles Josephh is a NYC-based vocalist. You can hear his work at https://soundcloud.com/mylesjo...

Craig Harris is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra’s Arkestra in 1976, followed by a world tour with South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim in 1981. While on tour in Australia, Harris discovered the indigenous Australian wind instrument the didgeridoo, which he added to the collection of instruments he plays.

He has worked with musicians such as Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Charlie Haden, among others. He has recorded since 1983 as leader for India Navigation, Soul Note, and JMT. For the latter he recorded with two groups. The Tailgater's Tales was a quintet with clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Eddie Allen, Anthony Cox on double bass, and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums.

He is a graduate of the music program of State University of New York at Old Westbury.