Michael Mennell
Michael Mennell is a Southern California-based bassist and vocalist. He has maintained a 22-plus year teaching career in Los Angeles, and he continues to mentor young players and singers while maintaining a full schedule of recording sessions, live engagements, and tours. Mennell has recorded with artists including John Fogerty, Billy F. Gibbons, Keith Urban, Joe… Continue reading Michael Mennell
Angelica Cortez
Angelica Cortez (she/her) is a Los Angeles-born arts administrator and educator. She is the executive director of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, where she supports an international community of teachers, artists and leaders who believe in the transformative power of music. She has served as interim president and CEO of El Sistema USA, and… Continue reading Angelica Cortez
Luciana Souza
Luciana Souza was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1966. Souza grew up in a family of Bossa Nova innovators—her father, a singer and songwriter, her mother, a poet and lyricist. Her work as a performer transcends traditional boundaries around musical styles, offering solid roots in jazz, sophisticated lineage in world music and an enlightened… Continue reading Luciana Souza
Tara Aesquivel
The arts have shaped Tara Aesquivel’s life and, through her work, she hopes to share the power of the arts with others. Tara is a classically-trained musician and earned a B.A. in Music from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Convinced that she could have a broader impact offstage, Tara earned a Master’s degree in Arts… Continue reading Tara Aesquivel
Jacob Sustaita
Jacob Sustaita serves as the assistant conductor for Pacific Symphony, a position he has held since the fall of 2020. Sustaita also serves as music director and conductor for Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (PSYO), the premier training orchestra of Orange County, recognized as one of the most outstanding youth orchestras in the country. Sustaita is… Continue reading Jacob Sustaita
Tom Hall
Tom Hall is a Tasmanian, Australian electronic audio-visual artist who now calls Los Angeles, CA his home. With a two-decade career in the music industry across multiple continents, Hall’s journey has been expansive. His educational background includes graduating from the Australian National University, majoring in Media Arts and pursuing further studies in sound at Kyoto… Continue reading Tom Hall
Jane Davidson
Jane Davidson is an attorney who focuses her practice on Entertainment Law and Litigation at Munck Wilson Mandala. After graduating from USC Thornton’s Music Industry program, Davidson worked full-time in the music industry while pursuing her law degree from Loyola Law School’s evening program. As a litigator, her primary focus area is intellectual property in entertainment… Continue reading Jane Davidson
Joe Poindexter
Joe Poindexter is the chief communications officer and executive vice president of digital at PULSE Music Group, an independent music publisher, record label and music services company based in Los Angeles. The company’s roster of talented artists, producers and songwriters includes Brent Faiyaz, James Blake, Turnstile, Kehlani, FNZ, Ty Dolla $ign, Cordae, Tyler Johnson, Freddie… Continue reading Joe Poindexter
Clarence Penn
Clarence Penn, a highly accomplished jazz drummer, is renowned for his remarkable talents in music composition, production and education. Since his arrival in New York City in 1991, Penn has collaborated with an impressive list of A-list artists, including Ellis and Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Michael Brecker and Fourplay, among others.… Continue reading Clarence Penn
Derrick Lawrence
Derrick Lawrence, baritone, has sung roles on the stages of Philadelphia Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, Charlotte Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Piedmont Opera, Opera North, Zurich Opera House, Budapest, Wiesbaden, Düsseldorf, The Royal Danish Opera, Stuttgart, Luzern, Aachen, Freiburg, Statts Opera Berlin, Kaiserslautern, La Monnaie, Teatro Massimo, Opera Lyon and National Theater Brünn. Lawrence… Continue reading Derrick Lawrence