After earning her Bachelor of Arts in International Politics, Economics and Business from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan, Rie Moore worked for global corporations, including Microsoft, Starbucks, and Nissan Motor in Tokyo as a marketing and communications professional prior to her move to Maryland in 2007.
Cynthia Marie Dillard is a pianist, songwriter, & teacher with a background in classical, jazz, blues, and folk music. She is a Honolulu Symphony Best and Brightest concerto competition winner, Berklee College of Music summer performance program songwriter showcase artist, and a graduate of the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, WA with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She studied classical piano with Bonnie Litten and Ann Tanabe, boogie-woogie piano with Caroline Dahl, and jazz piano with Debbie Poryes.
Allen Chunhui Xing is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer based in Maryland. He holds an M.Ed. from Salisbury University and an MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland. He is the founder of Xing Dance Theater and City Dance Festival. He is a former member of Huajin Dance Drama Ensemble (China) and toured internationally from 2007-2011, as a soloist in the production "A Man's Requiem" with the Korea Busan Metropolitan Dance Company in 2018, as well as multiple productions internationally toured with Xing Dance Theater from 2018 to the present.
MAD Dance is Kitty Clark and Ray C. Shaw, based in Maryland’s Washington and Frederick Counties. Drawing on improvisational and somatic practices, the duo manifests deeply intimate work. Whether dancing on the stage, in parks, in parking lots, or in art galleries, they consider dance from the perspective of being experienced,older, and authentic movers. Their work is subtle, intimate, and sensitive, and solidified by undeniable chemistry. Kitty and Ray create immersive environments in which non-linear communication thrives.
Born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the High & Wides draw from their members' extensive backgrounds in bluegrass and take the music to a place all their own, recalling an era when old-time, rockabilly, and early rock'n'roll coexisted in a murky soup of hillbilly string band music.
Multifaceted guitarist Meng Su is captivating audiences around the world with her stunning virtuosity and refined artistry. A soloist, also an avid chamber musician, Su tours regularly with orchestras and with her partner Yameng Wang as the Beijing Guitar Duo. This past season, Su performed with China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony in addition to more than 40 recitals in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Su has released four recordings to critical acclaims.
Annalisa Dias is a Goan-American citizen artist, community organizer, and award-winning theatre maker working at the intersection of racial justice and care for the earth. She is Director of Artistic Partnerships & Innovation at Baltimore Center Stage. Annalisa is also a Co-Founder of Groundwater Arts. Prior to joining BCS, Annalisa was a Producing Playwright and Acting Creative Producer with The Welders, a DC playwright's collective; and a Co-Founder of the DC Coalition for Theatre & Social Justice.
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Russell Kirk is a native of Baltimore. Russell studied at Towson University and The Peabody Conservatory. While earning his master’s degree at New York University, Russell was an adjunct faculty member at The Steinhardt School of Culture, headed a music outreach program in Harlem, and interned at Saturday Night Live.
Alex and Olmsted (Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted Thomas) is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater and filmmaking company based in Maryland. They have toured at festivals in Denmark, South Korea, and Canada, and have performed at numerous venues within the United States.
Saxophonist, Tae Ho Hwang is dedicated to diversifying classical music by sharing eclectic programs to a wide range of audiences. He is praised for his interpretation that has a delicate sensitivity yet a solid power underneath.