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The Mahogany Chamber Performances is a series of three chamber music concerts curated by Dr. Artina McCain, spotlighting Black and other underrepresented composers and performers.
TICKETS: $15 ($5 with student ID at the door)
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Crosstown Arts is requesting proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for this event. Please be prepared to present your vaccination card or a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours at check-in. Masks are required.
Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas, soprano
Multidisciplinary creative performing artist and founder of SWAP’ra North America, Mrs. Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas is a vocally and visually stunning force on stage and screen. From leading roles with many storied institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera and Sydney Opera House, to sharing the stage with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis, to collaborating with Broadway in Chicago and HBO, she also brings her global worldview to building community, education, and innovation. This is evidenced by her recent partnerships with Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as her 15+ years of experience as a Master Vocal Technician, Coach, Songwriter, and Arranger who specializes in holistically integrating and freeing the Mind, Body, and Spirit to effectively communicate one’s clarity and purpose. A performer since the age of two, and counting music legends McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield and Tina Turner among her relations, she consistently propels her vision of uniting tradition with innovation in all she creates. In so doing, Mrs. Kizart-Thomas recently launched “The Meshé Legacy” with her husband, Dr. D. Vincent Thomas Jr. and infant daughter, Little Miss Joëlle Meshé. As marriage and family advocates who believe in the immense power of partnership, they are collectively driven by their mission to promote Love, Life, and Legacy initiatives for families and their children.
Paulina Villarreal, mezzo-soprano
Mexican mezzo-soprano Paulina Villarreal is a prominent recitalist, cabaret, operatic, and musical theater singer around the United States and Mexico. A graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Dr. Villarreal has been a soloist and resident artist in important companies and orchestras around the United States like Opera Saratoga, Cincinnati opera, Opera Fusion: New Works, the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Pops (Boston, MA), Opera Memphis, Opera Steamboat, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Appalachian Symphony Orchestra, and the Decatur Millikin Symphony Orchestra. Trained as a classical vocalist, Villarreal is now additionally in demand for her singing versatility in musical theater, and commercial music genres.
In the entrepreneurship and administrative world, Dr. Villarreal is the founder and artistic director of the annual concert series Cantos para Hermanar al Mundo (Songs to Unite the world) devoted to the promotion of classical vocal genres hosted in Northern Mexico. She currently holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music and serves as the Young Singer Program Director at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, a prestigious summer training program in the United States.
Gavin Wigginson, tenor
Gavin Wigginson has devoted his career to inspiring youth to explore their musical abilities and open their eyes – and ears – to the countless elements of music.
With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music and in vocal performance from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Gavin has fused his classical training to raise awareness and uplift victims of social injustice. Currently, Gavin serves as executive director for PRIZM Ensemble and director of concert choir instructor of voice at LeMoyne-Owen College. Previously Gavin has served as a fellowship coach for Memphis Music Initiative, where he partnered with dozens of local schools and managed a team of music fellows who taught more than 750 students each semester.
As PRIZM’s executive director, Gavin oversees all operations and strategic direction for the nonprofit, manages development, drives programming, recruits mentors, and fosters community partnerships to support PRIZM’s vast youth outreach efforts. He also leads PRIZM’s largest program, the Summer Music Camp and International Chamber Music Festival, and the PRIZM in the Schools (PITS) program, which provides high-level introductory music classes and orchestral instruction at various schools.
Artina McCain, piano
Described as a pianist with “power and finesse” (Dallas Arts Society), “beautiful and fiery” (KMFA Austin), and having a “sense of color, balance and texture” (Austin Chamber Music Center), Artina McCain has a built a three-fold career as a performer, educator, and speaker. Recent performance highlights include guest appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Oregon East Symphony, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. As a recitalist, her credits include performances at the Mahidol University in Bangkok, Hatch Recital Hall in Rochester, and in 2022, her debut at Wigmore Hall in London.
Dedicated to promoting the works of Black and other underrepresented composers, McCain curates Black Composers Concerts for multiple arts organizations and is an American Prize winner for her solo piano recordings of these works. Recently, she won a Gold Global Music Award for her recent solo album project Heritage. Currently, she is Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at the University of Memphis. Artina McCain is a Yamaha Artist.
Jonathan Tsay, piano
Prior to his appointment as Assistant Professor of Piano at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at The University of Memphis, Jonathan Tsay served numerous roles in the music community including Head of Collaborative Piano at Conservatory Music in the Mountains, Head of Piano at the Chloé Trevor Music Academy, Presenter and Artist for Cliburn in the Classroom (which serves over 50k under-served 2nd-4th graders in the DFW area per year) and Artistic Director of Ensemble75, a chamber music series based in the North Texas area.
A sought-after collaborator, Jonathan has also performed alongside some of the world’s premier musicians, including Chee-Yun, David Cooper (Principal Horn, Chicago Symphony), Jing Wang (Concertmaster, Hong Kong Philharmonic), dramatic soprano Alessandra Marc, the Cézanne Quartet, and Nathan Olson (Concertmaster, Dallas Symphony Orchestra). As a solo recitalist, Jonathan has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Taiwan.
Jonathan earned a Bachelor’s of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Carol Leone at Southern Methodist University and his doctorate at l’Université de Montréal with Marc Durand.
Jonathan’s performances have been broadcast on WRR Classical, KMFA Classical, and are featured in the companion CD to “Brahms – A Listener’s Guide: Unlocking the Masters Series.” Jonathan’s album, “Harmonic Allusions,” was named in the “Top 5 Albums of 2017” by TheaterJones, and his YouTube collaboration with Chloé Trevor performing “Danse Macabre” has garnered over 1.3 million views.
