ON OUR TOES IN THE HAMPTONS: BUILDING OUR HEAVEN

Mahogany L. Browne is a writer, playwright, organizer, and educator is a 2022Kennedy Center Next 50 Fellow,the inaugural Distinguished Writer in Residence at Wesleyan University, a MacDowell Arts Advocacy Awardee, a NAACP Image Award nominess and a New York Emmy nominee for How to Build a City (All Arts). Browne has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Arts for Justice, Baldwin for the Arts, Hawthorden, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, UCross, and more.

Her acclaimed books include Vinyl Moon; Chlorine Sky (optioned by Steppenwolf Theatre); Black Girl Magic; and the frequently challenged works Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice and Woke Baby. She is also the founder of the Woke Baby Book Fair, a national celebration of diverse children’s literature.

Browne’s poetry collection Chrome Valley, praised by The New York Times and Publishers Weekly, won the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize; and she is the recipient of the Holmes National Poetry Prize from Princeton University. Her most recent young adult novel, A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, was longlisted for the National Book Award. Browne holds an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Marymount Manhattan College and serves as the inaugural Poet-in-Residence at Lincoln Center.

Damien LeChateau Sneed is an Emmy- and Dove Award–winning composer, conductor, music

director, producer, performing artist, arts educator, orchestrator, scholar, minister, and cultural strategist whose life and work stand at the intersection of sacred authority, classical excellence, media fluency, and institutional leadership. Widely regarded as one of the most consequential multi-hyphenate artists of his generation, Sneed’s career moves seamlessly between the sanctuary and stage, the conservatory and concert hall, the broadcast studio and opera house, embodying a vocation that is at once artistic, theological, pedagogical, and civic in scope.

Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Sneed’s musical and spiritual formation began in the Black church. This early immersion in sacred sound—spirituals, hymns, gospel traditions, and charismatic worship—formed the bedrock of his artistic imagination and continues to shape his understanding of music as both testimony and calling.

A proud son of Howard University where he earned his bachelor’s degree, Sneed also completed a master’s program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and undertook doctoral studies in orchestral conducting at the University of Southern California. He has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists, including Aretha Franklin, Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ashford & Simpson, Jennifer Holliday, Faith Evans, Lawrence Brownlee, Denyce Graves, and J’Nai Bridges. He has served as music director for Grammy Award–winning gospel artists, including Richard Smallwood, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, Karen Clark Sheard, and Kim Burrell. He is a 2014 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, a 2020 Dove Award winner, and a 2021 NAACP Image Award winner for his work as a featured producer and writer on The Clark Sisters’ The Return.

Sneed is the founder and artistic director of Chorale Le Chateau, a professional vocal ensemble that is internationally recognized for its vivid interpretations of repertoire that spans Renaissance sacred works, art song, jazz, spirituals, gospel, symphonic collaborations, and contemporary idioms. Under his leadership, the ensemble became the principal choral force for Wynton Marsalis’s monumental Abyssinian Mass: A Gospel Celebra7on. Sneed’s work extended beyond performance into broadcast history as conductor, music director, producer, and on- camera creative voice for the Emmy-winning PBS documentary Everyone Has a Place. His other television credits include music director of BET’s Sunday Best (season four), Celebra7on of Gospel, Bobby Jones Gospel, Joyful Noise, and the Soul Train Music Awards.

As a composer, Sneed has emerged as one of the leading voices shaping sacred and socially engaged classical music in the 21st century. His commissions include Empower (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Marian’s Song (Houston Grand Opera), The Tongue & The Lash (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis), Testament (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), and a 2023 iteration of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis).

In April 2025, Sneed’s orchestral work Reflec7ons of Resilience: Five Spirituals received its world premiere at Carnegie Hall Isaac Stern Auditorium – Perelman Stage, performed by the Gateways Festival Orchestra and multiple Grammy Award–winning mezzo soprano J’Nai Bridges. The work reimagines the spiritual tradition through symphonic language, honoring its origins while expanding its expressive and orchestral possibilities.

His chamber opera The Tongue & The Lash, created with librettist Karen Chilton, was inspired by the historic James Baldwin–William F. Buckley debate in 1965 in Cambridge and delves into the timeless and urgent questions of race, privilege, and morality in America. This moving opera, grounded in prophetic scripture, will be mounted again by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis on March 19, 2026.

As a record label founder, recording artist, and producer, Sneed has built a discography that documents his multi-genre work in classical, jazz-inflected, sanctified soul, and other hybrid musical forms on his boutique label, LeChateau Earl Records. Through his production company, LeChateau Entertainment, he conceives, produces, and releases recordings and multimedia projects for major institutions, networks, and partners. Kaleidoscope—his next project with Apple Music—is scheduled for release this June. It features works by a constellation of Black composers—Robert Nathaniel Ded, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Hale Smith, Scott Joplin, and Richard Smallwood—alongside Sneed’s own composition commissioned by the Library of Congress, placed in conversation with other composers such as Beethoven, Gurlitt, and Copland.

Sneed serves as a tenured associate professor at Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and is also on the faculty of The Juilliard School. For more information – visit damiensneed.com.

Winner of the 2021 Washington Performing Arts’ Ambassador of the Arts Award and the Kennedy Center’s 2019 Marian Anderson Vocal Award, Soloman Howard garners high praise from the press for his vivid performances on the great opera and concert stages of the world. Soloman Howard’s voice is described as “sonorous” by The New York Times, “superhuman” by The Denver Post, and “a triumph” by The Guardian.

This season, Soloman returns to the Royal Opera House to sing Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, as well as Fafner in Barrie Kosky's new production of Siegfried, a role he will later sing on a European tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Soloman also returns to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the Commendatore in Don Giovanni, makes his Dresden Semperoper debut singing Ramfis in Aida, performs the role of Hunding in concert versions of Die Walküre with the LA Phil, and sings as a soloist for Beethoven 9th Symphony at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest.

Last season's highlights include the roles of Hunding in Wagner’s Die Walküre with both the Royal Opera House and the Santa Fe Opera, Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto with both the Metropolitan Opera and the Chicago Lyric Opera, Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the Metropolitan Opera, Colline in Puccini’s La bohème with the Santa Fe Opera, and Banquo in Verdi’s Macbeth with the Washington National Opera. In concerts, he performed Tippett’s A Child of Our Time and Beethoven Symphony No. 9 as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Antonio Pappano.

Previous highlights include Fafner in Barry Kosky’s new production of Das Rheingold at The Royal Opera House, Timur in Turandot and Il Marchese di Calatrava and Il Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino at the Metropolitan Opera, Sparafucile in Rigoletto at Staatsoper Hamburg and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni at Santa Fe Opera. Soloman also sang Ramfis in Aida at the Royal Opera House, Le Grand Inquisiteur in Don Carlos at the Chicago Lyric Opera, Sarastro in The Magic Flute at The Metropolitan Opera, Fafner in Das Rheingold at The Dallas Opera, the title role in Approaching Ali with Opera Las Vegas, Wurm in Luisa Miller with the Chicago Lyric Opera, Jacopo Fiesco in a new production of Simon Boccanegra at the Opéra national de Bordeaux, Sarastro in The Magic Flute at The Metropolitan Opera, Timur in Turandot at the San Francisco Opera, Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo at the Los Angeles Opera, Il Re in Aida at the Teatro Real, and performances as Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Colline in La bohème Santa Fe Opera. He also achieved great success with the roles of Somnus and Cadmus during an international tour of Semele with Harry Bicket leading The English Concert.

For the Washington National Opera, Soloman Howard has bowed as Fafner in Der Ring des Nibelungen directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and conducted by Philippe Auguin, as well as in leading roles in The Magic Flute, Show Boat, Approaching Ali, Don Giovanni, and Nabucco. He was heralded for the roles of Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the world premiere of the revised edition of Appomattox composed by Philip Glass in a production by Tazwell Thompson and in the title role in The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me written by Jeanine Tesori and J.D. McClatchy.

On the concert stage, Soloman has given performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Music Director Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic on a European tour and with Christian Arming and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra on tour in Asia. He also performed the role of Hunding in the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra’s tour of Die Walküre, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and performed a Verdi Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms. He has joined Harry Christophers and the Handel & Haydn Society for Mozart’s Requiem, Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York in performances of Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht at Carnegie Hall, and with Christoph Eschenbach and the National Symphony Orchestra in a concert presentation of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier.

Washington Performing Arts’ Ambassador of the Arts Award was created in 2013, annually recognizing extraordinary achievement, service, and advocacy in the performing arts by an individual. Winner of the 2021 Award, Soloman Howard has been a voice not only for artistic excellence but for inclusivity, working to share the arts with ever-larger and more widespread audiences from all walks of life. Past recipients of the Ambassador of the Arts Award include Jessye Norman, Leon Fleisher, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Denyce Graves, and Lonnie G. Bunch III. 

The Anti-Defamation League presented Soloman Howard with their Making a Difference Award in the summer of 2016 for raising awareness of voting rights though his performances of Appomattox at the Kennedy Center; and for bringing opera into the larger community. A graduate of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, Soloman Howard is a proud alum of the Manhattan School of Music and of Morgan State University.

Angela Renée Simpson is a celebrated soprano, educator, and arts advocate whose dynamic career spans national and international opera stages, arts institutions, and leadership in nonprofit service. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Freeport, NY, she pursued a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance degree at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY, where she laid the foundation for her future as a world-class artist. Her commanding portrayal of Serena in Porgy and Bess has brought her to acclaimed venues including Teatro alla Scala, Washington National Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Carnegie Hall, establishing her as one of the foremost interpreters of operatic repertoire.

Angela’s passion for vocal education is equally distinguished. As a sought-after teacher and mentor, she has guided hundreds of students—from aspiring high school vocalists to working professionals—through her private studio and work at institutions like the Charlotte Academy of Music. She specializes in college audition preparation, vocal technique, and career readiness, with an emphasis on empowering emerging Black classical singers.

In addition to her artistic and teaching work, Ms. Simpson has been an active member of the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA) serving on the Board of Directors for more than 12 years, and as Vice Chair since 2022. She also leads CAAPA’s signature national initiative as Program Director of the George Shirley Masterclass Series, which provides free recitals and campus-based masterclasses for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Under her leadership, the Series has grown in reach and impact, building meaningful collaborations across the country and offering life-changing exposure to professional coaching and performance opportunities.

Angela also hosts the podcast Juicy Interludes with Angela, where she shares behind- the-scenes stories, creative reflections, and inspiring conversations centered around artistry, personal evolution, and legacy-building. Known for her vocal brilliance, visionary leadership, and deep care for the future of classical music, Angela Renée Simpson remains a vital force in shaping both the performance and education landscape of the performing arts.

 

Founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, New York, EVIDENCE, A DANCE COMPANY, integrates African dance with contemporary choreography, music, and spoken word.  In the four decades since the company’s founding, Brown has created a rich and diverse body of work that is significant in its pioneering blend of classic and traditional forms. Additionally, Brown is one of the nation’s most celebrated choreographers.  He has created over 30 works for EVIDENCE, and has garnered commissions from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, The Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Malpaso Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, and Harlem Stage, to name a few. The company’s repertory holds many treasures, but perhaps none more luminous than Brown’s masterpiece Grace, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. Today the company tours extensively in the US, reaching annual audiences of more than 25,000, and globally including visits to Cuba, Brazil, France, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Through a profoundly unique repertory of dance works and community-based, intergenerational education programs, Brown’s work is designed to empower, educate and connect.  EVIDENCE works in partnership with the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, The Billie Holiday Theatre, and The Joyce Theater Foundation. 

Photo: J. Boogie Love

Founded in 1968 by visionary artist Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, National Black Theatre (NBT) is a Tony-nominated cultural institution with a pioneering legacy in American theatre and a national reputation for producing bold new work by Black artists. In 2023, NBT made Broadway history with the transfer and co-production of James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony-nominated Fat Ham, becoming only the third Black theatre company to bring a production from Off Broadway to Broadway. The following season, NBT produced the Tony Award-winning revival of Ossie Davis’s Purlie Victorious, marking its first Tony-winning Broadway production. Across its history, NBT has collaborated with and championed transformative artists from James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Ruby Dee to contemporary visionaries including Nona Hendryx and Bill T. Jones, while also helping launch the careers of influential voices such as Dominique Morisseau. NBT has invested more than $10 million in over 350 original works by Black artists and has earned major industry recognition, including an Emmy nomination, multiple New York Times Critics’ Picks, and Obie, Lucille Lortel, Audelco, and Drama Desk honors. Its legacy is preserved within the permanent collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Portrait Gallery. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Sade Lythcott and Executive Artistic Director Jonathan McCrory, NBT continues to expand its national presence on and off Broadway while building a major new cultural arts center in Harlem at 125th Street and 5th Avenue.

The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts believes that the classical arts flourish when they reflect all voices—and when the Black diaspora is seen, heard, and celebrated. Our vision: “Bringing COLOR to the CLASSICS™.” We are dedicated to making the classical performing arts accessible to the Black community through education, performance, and community engagement.

From neighborhood libraries and senior centers to celebrated concert halls, CAAPA creates spaces where multigenerational audiences and Black composers, musicians, and scholars come together in excellence and inspiration. More than performance, we are about transformation—building pathways for artists, learners, and audiences to explore, create, and thrive in the classical arts.

Founded in 2002 and growing into a vibrant nonprofit rooted in the DMV and beyond, CAAPA stands on four key values: Creativity • Community • Education • Collaboration. We invite you to join us—to experience the music, to deepen your connection to culture, and to help us foster a world where Black classical performing arts not only survive, but truly thrive