Adrianna M. Cleveland is a Pittsburgh native. A member of both AEA and AGMA. Adrianna has had the luxury of performing in Pittsburgh for several arts companies such as Resonance Works (Hyena/ The Jungle Book, The Rose/ The Little Prince), Pittsburgh Musical Theatre (Effie White/ Dreamgirls), Pittsburgh Festival Opera (Rusalka/ Rusalka, Queen Mumsiebelle/ Theresa the Bubble Seller /Mister Rogers Operas, Violet Powers/world premiere A Gathering of Sons) and Pittsburgh Opera (Perneatha Cunningham-Evans/The Long Walk, world premiere of The Summer King, Girlfriend #2/ Blue. Regional Theatre credits include roles as Wanda/ Beehive the 1960’s Musical (Cleveland Great Lakes Theatre, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, and Idaho Shakespeare Festival) and Ensemble, u/s Clara, Serena/ The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Broadway’s First National Tour). Ms. Cleveland received her Bachelor of Music in Voice from Baldwin Wallace University and Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of world-renowned Heldentenor, Dr. Timothy Mussard. Mimi/ “Seasons of Love” soloist/First Ever in Repertory La Boheme and Rent. A versatile artist, she has had her hand in many talents such as stage managing, backstage work, and many others. She is also a very accomplished baker.

Lauryn Davis is an emerging soprano recognized for her poised stage presence and rich, warm tone. Recent performance highlights include the title role in Haydn’s Armida, the Female Chorus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and Momma in the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Woman With Eyes Closed.

Lauryn’s artistry has been recognized nationally through several prestigious awards. In 2023, she received the John Alexander Award at the College-Conservatory of Music’s Corbett Scholarship Competition. She was awarded the Encouragement Award at the Southeast Regionals of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in both 2024 and 2025, named Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 Annapolis Opera Competition. In 2026, she was selected as a Finalist in the Dallas Opera Competition and National Semi-Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Lauryn earned her Master of Music degree from the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She continues to refine her artistry through advanced training in summer programs and professional fellowships throughout the United States and abroad.

In the summer of 2025, Lauryn joined the Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, where she covered the role of Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. She returns to Santa Fe in the summer of 2026 to make her debut as the Danish Countess in the American premiere of Tobias Picker’s Lili Elbe, while also covering Tatiana in Eugene Onegin and First Lady in The Magic Flute. Now in her second year as a Resident Artist with Pittsburgh Opera, Lauryn will also appear as Miss Lightfoot in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers and one performance of Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff, in addition to other company engagements.

Thomas W. Douglas is a compelling and passionate conductor who has done more than 200 orchestral, musical theater, opera and oratorio productions, and a respected mentor of young artists. He is the Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh who is regularly receiving accolades for innovative, creative and dramatically provocative productions. Career highlights include conducting Webber’s Phantom of the Opera in Basel, Switzerland, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, the Pittsburgh premiere of the classic silent films The Passion of Joan of Arc, with live orchestra and chorus, the U.S. premiere of David Chesky’s The Agnostic, the rousing Carmina Burana Africana, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with an all African American cast.

Mr. Douglas is in his 26^th year as musical director and conductor for Music Theater of Wichita, and has worked with the Anchorage Opera, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Canton Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh’s City Theater, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, River City Brass Band and the Pittsburgh Symphony.  He has also conducted classical guitarist and Latin Grammy winner, Berta Rojas and Tony winners, Kelli O’Hara and Leslie Odom, Jr.

Mr. Douglas is the Director of Opera Studies and the Director of Choral Activities at Carnegie Mellon University.

Anita Levels is a vocal artist, and vocal instructor who began singing at the age of four in Frankfurt, West Germany. Texas-born, a preacher’s kid, and a member of a musical family from New Orleans, singing and performance are in her blood.

Anita’s powerhouse, soulful, lark-like vocals have graced national and international audiences. She has performed in London, England, has toured the country of Holland with world renowned ethnomusicologist, Dr. Portia Maultsby, was featured in the NFL’s Super Bowl 50th commemorative commercial, has performed in the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, and also with the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra.

Anita’s core teaching passion centers around advocating for the Black historical genres of American Music. Anita grew up in the tradition of Black American Music shares from its methods of performance, resonance, stylings and projections. She believes that every song tells a story that only the performer can tell in their way. Black American Music is an important artifact sharing of a people’s history, capturing oral traditions, and influence of Black American music on the world and American culture. Ms. Levels has a plethora of original music on all streaming music platforms, has a Masters Degree in Training and Development with a more recent venture of a podcast entitled, Corn and Potatoes Are Good For You, exploring the soul’s journey within this destination called “Earth.”

She’s a mother of two inquisitive daughters and hopes to always spontaneously sing, laugh out loud and cultivate spaces for communication, thought and self reflection.

Qaden Maekawa-Daise, Mezzo Soprano is currently a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University studying vocal performance with Maria Spacagna. She is from Atlanta, GA and has been singing classically for about four years. She attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in 2024, as well as programs at University of Michigan and New York University in 2023. Most recently she was a regional finalist for the Schmidt Vocal Competition in 2025.

Praised for his “chilling refinement in bearing and voice” (Opera Wire), Thandolwethu Mamba has been described as having a “magnificent voice” and “possessing an extraordinary capacity for timbral flexibility, which he exploits with a level of artistic maturity and musical tact” (Classical Voice of North Carolina). Mr. Mamba is a baritone from Eswatini who continues to establish himself on opera and concert stages, showcasing his command of diverse styles and repertoire.

Following his Metropolitan Opera debut in the ensemble of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X in November 2023, Thando debuted as Sonora in La Fanciulla del West with North Carolina Opera. As a 2024/25 Opera Orlando Studio Artist, Mamba had role debuts in several productions including Macbeth, Cendrillon, Werther, and Treemonisha. Other roles include title roles in Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro and Gianni Schicchi. Mamba has also appeared as Dancaïro in Carmen, Don Calogero Sedàra in The Leopard (a world premiere later released on Naxos Records to critical acclaim), and Town Magistrate in Signor Deluso with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Frost Opera Theater, and Florida Grand Opera, respectively. He made his John F. Kennedy Center debut as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Mamba was a prize winner in the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition Eastern Regionals following emerging as one of the winners of the competition’s New York District. Mamba has also been a finalist and prize winner in the Mary Jacobs Singer of the Year Competition, Pasadena Vocal Competition, Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, Benjamin Mathews Vocal Competition, and Career Bridges Grant Awards. Thando, as he is more commonly known, is committed to developing the growth of opera as a celebrated and sustainable art form in his home country and the continent of Africa at large.

Thandolwethu Mamba is a member of The Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera.

Dayven Martinez, Tenor, is a Junior Vocal Performance Major at Carnegie Mellon University. He was a merit winner of the 2023 YoungArts Competition in Classical Voice, an alternate finalist in the Next-Gen American Pops Competition and was Top 5 in the Broadway Next On Stage Competition. He has worked with many acclaimed artists like Joan Dornerman, Vladamir Chernov, and his private studio Dan Teadt. He is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to perform and celebrate Black History with his fellow artists tonight!

Solomon Onyukwu is a vocalist, music director, and educator whose work spans classical, gospel, contemporary Christian, R&B, and soul music. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and graduated with College and University Honors from Carnegie Mellon University, where he completed advanced training in vocal performance and musicianship.

Solomon has served as a music director for multiple churches and vocal ensembles, leading choirs, worship teams, and large-scale musical events with a strong emphasis on musical excellence and theological integrity. He is an experienced soloist and ensemble singer, having performed in a variety of concert, worship, and community settings. In addition to performing, he maintains a private voice studio and has over five years of experience teaching singers of all ages, focusing on healthy technique, artistry, and expressive communication.

Currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Solomon continues to perform, teach, and lead music with a passion for creating moments that are both artistically compelling and spiritually meaningful.

Kenny Stockard’s love for music and his calling to be a musician were inspired by his grandpa. As a young boy, Kenny watched his grandfather lead worship at a small church in St. Louis, and he knew he wanted to use his voice to lift people’s hearts in the same way. Growing older and needing to become an adult though, Kenny was encouraged to pursue a safer career path. His life became college, his life became work, but his life didn’t become what he dreamed. In his 20s, Kenny couldn’t shake his calling any longer. He left the career he was told to pursue to chase after the one he truly wanted—being a full-time solo musician and making songs that help people seek the good in life.

Since then, Kenny has performed on CBS This Morning, sang background for Josh Groban, Shirley Murdock, & Donnie Iris, opened for Willie Nelson, Van Morrison and the Dazz Band. He was featured as artist of the week on 91.3 WYEP in 2020 and 2022, and released multiple recordings. He hopes that his journey encourages others to chase after their dreams.

When you put on your headphones and hit play, you’ll immediately notice that Kenny’s music presents a fresh take on traditional R&B. You’ll enjoy how he explores his wide vocal range, experiments with energetic harmonies, and fuses elements of soul, neo soul, and jazz. Likened to artists such as John Legend, Mali Music, and PJ Morton by other listeners, Kenny’s music will engage you but also get you in the right mood. It’s just something you can’t not smile and sway to while you listen.

Kenny most recently boasts of becoming a father of two sons both under two!

James Lesniak, pianist has been Associate Coach/Pianist with Pittsburgh Opera since 2006 and also made his conducting debut in 2017 with Pittsburgh Opera’s production of composer Laura Kaminsky’s As One, and conducted Pittsburgh Opera’s productions of Glory Denied, The Rose Elf, and most recently, Proving Up. He has been an official pianist for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont National Council Auditions. For the summer months, he frequently returns to the music staff of the prestigious Santa Fe Opera, where he has served as Musical Director for their Winter Concert Tour and was on the music staff for the Grammy Award winning production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.