Classical Musicians of African Descent: A-E

Brendon Elliott is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and is a graduate student at The Juillard School. As a three-time concerto competition winner, he was a guest soloist with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. He also performed during a special concert with the New York Philharmonic. In 2015, Brendon performed in a national tour with the Sphinx Virtue Ensemble. Brendon was a three-time semifinalist in the National Sphinx Competition; earning the National Sphinx Competition Achievement Award in 2012.

Epongue Ekille is a student at Fairport High School in Fairport, NY and has attended the Hochstein School of Music & Dance in Rochester, NY since the age of four. In March, Ekille performed a solo in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, where she received the Tri-State Excellence Award in Violin Performance. She also received the National Gold Medal in Violin Performance from the Royal Conservatory.

Timothy Edwards began his violin studies in the public schools of Detroit before studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM) and the University of Michigan (MM). He has performed extensively, holding positions as section performer, principal and concertmaster at the Des Moines Metro Opera; Flint Symphony; Toledo Symphony; with substitute positions with the Detroit Symphony and Jacksonville Symphony. Timothy enjoys a vibrant teaching studio and has served as a Humanities Adjunct Professor at the Florida State College of Jacksonville.

BM Eastman School of Music; MM Yale University; DMA Peabody Conservatory. Currently faculty at Peabody Prep. Previously, she held teaching positions at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and the Petrie School of Music at Converse College. Edwards’ students have been accepted to music schools such as the Manhattan School of Music, Hartt School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory and Cincinnati Conservatory.

Caitlin Edwards began studying the violin at the age of eight, was accepted into The Alabama School of Fine Arts in 2007, and attended the University of Louisville. In 2015, she was the state winner of the Strings Division MTNA Young Artists Competition. In 2016, Caitlin won a Project Inclusion Fellowship with the Grant Park Music Festival and also won the Concerto Competition at the University of Louisville School of Music. Caitlin will be attending the DePaul University School of Music in Fall of 2017, performing as a fellow in the Chicago Sinfonietta Project Inclusion Ensemble. 

Flutist Judy Dines, a member of the Houston Symphony since 1992, is also a very active performer in Houston and beyond. Locally, she performs in the Greenbriar Consortium, The Foundation for Modern Music and is a lead musician with the St. Cecilia Chamber Music Society. Outside of Houston, she has participated in the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, Gateways Music Festival, and is a member of the Ritz Chamber Players. In the orchestral world, Ms. Dines has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. 

Charles (Chuck) Dickerson is Founder, Executive Director and Conductor of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles and Director of Music at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church. He formerly served as Music Director and Conductor of The Southeast Symphony, and as Director of Music at Holman United Methodist Church, and he has served in a variety of other leadership capacities - in music and otherwise. He holds a Master of Music Degree from California State University, Los Angeles with a focus on conducting, and degrees from Howard University (B.S.) and American University (J.D.).

Violist Leslie DeShazor is in demand as a soloist, teacher, and recording artist. As a soloist, she has performed with the Toledo Symphony. She regularly performs with the Ann Arbor, Saginaw, Flint and Sphinx Symphony Orchestras as well as jazz ensembles, Leigh Daniels Ensemble and the Detroit-based Musique Noire. An experienced instructor, she currently teaches students of Detroit with instructional music programs offered through the Arts League of Michigan and the Sphinx Organization. A native of Michigan, Mrs. DeShazor holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Robert Davis received his MM in Voice at Cleveland State University, his BM from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and his Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. Robert has attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Sarasota Music Festival, and has performed with the Gateway Chamber Players. Robert recently finished his eighth year as Director of Bands at the Cleveland School of the Arts and is Principal Clarinet of the Cleveland Opera Theater and The Cleveland Opera Orchestra.

  Mikael Darmanie regularly performs throughout the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe as a classical pianist, a jazz pianist/improviser, a conductor, a chamber musician with his group the Warp Trio, and a DJ. He is currently a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in composition and his works have been performed around the world. He is a Doctoral Candidate in Piano Performance at Stony Brook University in New York under the mentorship of Gil Kalish.