U.S. PREMIERE 
JUNE 3–21, 2026

A Note from Kwame Daniels

PERFORMERS

Kaidi Tatham, band leader, keyboard
Nandi Jola, poet
Winnie Ama, singer-songwriter
OneDa, hip-hop artist 
Colin Salmon, actor
Oli Savill, percussion
Rick Swann, trumpet
Joseph Leighton, guitar
Ben Flavelle-Cobain, bass
Elijah Revell, drums 

Yoojin Park, violin
Sandra Billingslea, violin
Mira Williams, viola
Veronica Parrales, cello

Olive Fretts Howard, viola u/s 

Joe Chappel, choir director
Carrington Symone, choir 
Garan Salandy, choir 
Joshua Soto, choir 
Sanju Ebanks, choir 
Victoria Eggleston, choir 
Joanelys Rosado, choir
Jordanna Peronico, choir

CREATIVE TEAM

Creator and director, Kwame Daniels
Creative associate director, Graham Ginty 
Producer, Sharon Matchett 
Sound design (New York), Seth Huling 
Lighting design, Aimee Williamson 
Video and photography, Macy Stewart 
Projection and video design, James Cunningham
Lead teaching artist and student coordinator, Jennifer Cendaña Armas 
History consultant, Christine Kineally 

Original creative producer, Rachael Campbell Palmer  
Original music direction, Si Francis 
Original sound design, David Sheppard and John Best 

SPECIAL THANKS 

Christopher Preston Thompson, choir consultant 
Helga Davis, choir consultant 
Ms Koinakis, Ms Disunno Seibert, and fifth-grade students from class 504 at PS69Q   
Ms Silva and tenth-grade students from The Urban Assembly School of Design & Construction 

STUDENT PERFORMERS

Irish Arts Center, New York

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Video appearance: Samuel Olatunbosun, Rixelle Santa Cruz, Casey McCrystal

Audio appearance: Maisie Brown, Alicia Johnston, Charlotte Stewart, Josie Woods, Oisin Thompson, James Wilson, Eli Mikhael, Daniel Kelly, Caoimhe Archer, Jamie Garry, Faye Doey, Hanna Slizewska, Grace Braniff, Vinnie Kane, Joshua Harper, Ronan Bonner, Aaron Gallagher, Riley Keenan, Tamiya Brown-Fennell, Annaleena Johnston, Aoife Shannon, Aaron Sharp, Callum Harmon, Jay O’Halloran, Jedidiah Olatunbosun, Aisha Bell

Participating schools and groups: Diverse Youth Northern Ireland, Ashfield Girls’ High School, Lagan College, St Colm’s High School, Blessed Trinity College

U.S. PRODUCTION CREDITS

Production stage manager: Maddie Kunert
Assistant stage manager: Tre Wheeler
Audio engineer: Briana Cofield
Monitor engineer: Santiago Leon
Head wardrobe: Carina Metz Light
Board operator: Peter Lopez
Deck stage hand: Jack DiMaulo

Carpenters: Kiel Fuller, Johncarlo Zani, Phineas Rasmussan, Michael Harbeck, Nicholas Santasier, Bryant Blackburn

Electricians: Sarazina Stein, Peter Lopez, Emily LaRochelle, Patrick Forde 

Sound Crew: Jack Dimaulo, Bryant Blackburn, Robert Byerly

Presented with generous support from Culture Ireland, the Northern Ireland Bureau, Tourism Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland, The Covillo Lynch Foundation, the British Council of Northern Ireland, and Jeanne Donovan Fisher.

Who's Who

Kwame Daniels (creator, producer)

Kwame Daniels is a vinyl-loving DJ, broadcaster, and multidisciplinary creative working across music, theatre, and digital arts. With over 25 years of experience, he has built a dynamic career as both an artist and cultural producer, collaborating across the public, private, and community sectors. 

As founder of Bounce Culture, a not-for-profit organisation, Kwame uses creative digital technology to support communities facing disadvantage, creating inclusive spaces for expression, learning, and connection. He has worked with artists including Kaidi Tatham and Hannah Peel, and delivered projects with Radio 1, BBC Radio Ulster, and MTV, reaching audiences of over 500,000 across the UK, Ireland, the USA, Europe, and Africa. 

Internationally, he has led initiatives such as Bounce Afrika in Senegal, using hip-hop culture to engage communities. His latest project, Solab, connects artists from Africa and the diaspora, with its launch production, North Star, earning critical acclaim internationally. 

Kaidi Tatham (band leader, keyboard)

Grammy winner Kaidi Tatham, based in Belfast, born in Birmingham but originating from Jamaica, is viewed as one of the UK's finest musicians, who is a multi-instrumentalist, writer, arranger, and producer. An accomplished flute player and pianist, his collaborations include: 2000Black, 4 Hero, Amp Fiddler, Amy Winehouse, Bugz in the Attic, Macy Gray, Mr Scruff, Mulatu, Slum Village, and Soul II Soul.

BBC Radio 6 presenter Gilles Peterson described him as "the UK’s answer to Herbie Hancock, he is the most gifted musician of his generation." Sean Keating and Josh Byrne from Stamp the Wax believe he is "to Broken Beat, what Tony Allen was to Afrobeat." Kaidi is also a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Grammy-winning supergroup, The PLAYList.

Nandi Jola (poet)

Nandi Jola was born in Gqeberha, South Africa. She holds a master's degree in English (poetry) from Queen’s University, Belfast. Nandi Jola is a poet, storyteller, playwright, and creative writing facilitator. Nandi is well known in Northern Ireland and beyond for her work in the arts, museums, and heritage sector. She has recently returned from touring her latest work, Mamtshawe: The Rise of Moqoma, opening in Dublin before travelling across South Africa. Among her plays, the aptly-titled Partition and Mama Don’t Lie were commissioned as part of the Arts Council NI-supported Six Project and Smock Alley Theatre's Rachel Baptiste Programme. 

Winnie Ama (singer-songwriter)

Winnie Ama is a Northern Irish, Ghanaian music artist and has been noticed as a standout talent for three consecutive years. In 2024, the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish Times recognized her as "One to Watch." She debuted her live performance career at the end of 2020 and continued rising in 2022 when BBC Introducing ATL first labelled her "One to Watch" after a series of captivating performances. The following year (2023), she earned RTÉ 2FM's Rising Artist status and received one of only three Rising Star gold disks from Ditto. 

Winnie's journey continued in 2023 with a TEDx Stormont talk, showcasing her talents on international stages in the UK, Ireland, and the USA. Her performances caught the attention of icons like Macy Gray and Sister Sledge, who invited her to open their shows in Cork and Belfast. Notable stage appearances include headlining the BBC Introducing stage at Latitude in 2022 and Glastonbury in 2023. 

Her music blends soulful vocals seamlessly with pop and dance rhythms. Winnie Ama has garnered support from local and national radio, BBC 6, RTÉ 2FM, and BBC Radio 1, where BBC Introducing's Gemma Bradley praised her unique voice and fresh writing style. 

OneDa (hip-hop artist)

Manchester rapper, poet, and producer OneDa is a fearless creative force reshaping the sound and spirit of UK hip-hop, drum ’n’ bass, and bass-led music. Winner of the AIM Awards One To Watch, she has emerged as one of the UK’s most distinctive voices.

OneDa has been playlisted six times on BBC 6 Music, including her most recent B-List placement for "SUPERSTAR", which ran through January 2026. 

A rapper, poet, beat-producer, educator, and Pussy Power Prophet, OneDa blends old-school hip-hop grit with futuristic bass pressure. Her sound channels Manchester’s raw hip-hop and drum ’n’ bass energy while weaving in Afro-trap, dancehall, and Afrobeat, rooted in her British-Nigerian heritage.

She has performed across the UK and internationally, lighting up major festivals including Glastonbury, Boomtown, We Out Here, The Great Escape, SXSW, and the BBC 6 Music Festival. A defining career moment came when she opened Aviva Studios in Manchester alongside five-time GRAMMY Award-winning icon Angélique Kidjo.

Her debut album Formula OneDa, released via Heavenly Recordings, showcased her versatility across hip-hop, drum ’n’ bass, reggae, and electronic music, with standout tracks including "Major Pay", "Set It Off", "Superwoman", and "The Western Way". 

Stepping fully into creative ownership, OneDa’s self-produced single "SUPERSTAR" marked a pivotal shift, solidifying her dual identity as both rapper and producer. Her follow-up single, "Touch Back", a self-produced collaboration with Manchester dancehall artist Teasegad, hit No. 1 on the iTunes reggae chart, further expanding her reach and genre-blending credibility. 

In early 2026, OneDa collaborated on a brand-new single signed to Armada Music, created with Mason, producer of "Perfect (Exceeder)." The track was released on February 6. OneDa is currently working on her next EP, continuing to push her sound forward with clarity, autonomy, and ambition. 

Colin Salmon (actor)

Colin Salmon is a British actor. He made his feature debut as Sgt. Robert Oswald in the British miniseries Prime Suspect 2 (1992). He has a recurring role in the James Bond films as Charles Robinson. He has also appeared as Commander James "One" Shade in the video game to movie Resident Evil (2002) and played Oonu, squad leader of the Skybax, in the mini-series Dinotopia (2002). He has had roles in television series such as Doctor Who, Merlin, Arrow, and The Musketeers. He also played General Zod in the series Krypton and provided his voice and likeness as Agent Carson in the PlayStation VR video game Blood & Truth. In 2023, he joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders as George Knight.

Oli Savill (percussion)

Oli Savill is a highly versatile, Lisbon-born percussionist who has been active in the London music scene since the early 1990s. Known for mastering Brazilian, Cuban, jazz, funk, and dance rhythms, he has toured and recorded with major acts including Basement Jaxx, Joy Crookes, Zero 7, Mala, Shakira, and Tom Jones. He is also involved in production projects such as Dogbeats and Deep Tenor City.  

Rick Swann (trumpet)

Rick Swann is an internationally active trumpeter, composer, and live electronic artist based in Ireland, known for blending jazz, electronic music and live performance into high-energy, genre-defying shows.

A technically formidable trumpeter with a distinctive sound, Rick has performed extensively across the UK, Ireland, Europe, and the United States, appearing at major festivals, clubs, and cultural institutions. His work spans jazz, contemporary improvisation, and club-based electronic music, where he is recognised for bringing live instrumental performance into modern nightlife and crossover spaces.

Rick has performed alongside leading international artists, including Mike Stern, Wayne Escoffery, and Alex Blake, and is a featured artist with Harrelson Trumpets. His work and career have been featured in DownBeat Magazine, recognising his contribution to contemporary trumpet performance and modern jazz innovation.

Equally at home on concert stages and in club environments, Rick continues to develop projects that challenge traditional boundaries between jazz, electronic music, and live performance, while building an international profile through touring, collaborations, and original releases.

Joseph Leighton (guitar)

Guitarist Joseph Leighton is recognized as one of Ireland’s brightest new jazz talents. Starting as a teenage rock guitarist in Derry, he soon transitioned to jazz, studying with icons such as Jesse van Ruller, Mike Walker, and Peter Bernstein. He traveled to Canada to attend the Banff Centre’s Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music under the direction of Vijay Iyer in 2016. Joseph has toured extensively, performing in Vietnam, Singapore, Lebanon, and Jamaica, and has performed on stage with musicians like Rufus Reid, Sun-Mi Hong, Darren Beckett, Matthew Halpin, Sasha Berliner, and many more. His new quartet, featuring Riley Stone-Lonergan, Will Sach, and Gene Calderazzo, brings an energetic, dynamic sound shaped by their shared musical interests and influences.

Ben Flavelle-Cobain (bass)

Ben Flavelle-Cobain is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Drawing inspiration from R&B, jazz, rock, and folk music, he creates an eclectic and distinctive sound.

Career highlights include appearances at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, Other Voices, Soultrane, and Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival. A specialist in fretless bass, his recent collaborations include work with Kaidi Tatham, Joshua Burnside, and Celia Tiab.

His debut EP, Electric//Emotion (2022); instrumental fusion single Belquaria (2023); and latest release, Soul People (2025), have received radio play on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Sounds, and RTÉ 2XM from presenters including Phil Taggart, Kwame Daniels, Peter Curtin, and Taylor Johnson, alongside broader critical acclaim.

Elijah Revell (drums)

Elijah Revell is a drummer/percussionist born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Rooted in New York City’s church and jazz culture, he also draws from soul, fusion, funk, hip-hop, and Afro-Cuban music. He is a session and touring musician who performs live across the tri-state area with several ensembles, including Phase 2 and the Chris Martin Collective. Elijah also teaches students.

Yoojin Park (violin)

Yoojin Park is a New York–based violinist distinguished by her ability to command the highest levels of both classical precision and jazz improvisation. In 2025, she served as concertmaster for Shakira’s Spotify Anniversary music video. Recent highlights include performances with Jennifer Hudson at the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony and David Bisbal on Telemundo’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.

As a bandleader, the Yoojin Park Quintet has performed at the iconic Blue Note Jazz Club. She has also served as lead violinist for the sold-out Paul McCartney Tribute at Carnegie Hall, as well as the Curtis Mayfield and Charlie Parker Centennial Tributes.

Yoojin’s work in film and television includes serving as concertmaster for the Hulu original series Life & Beth. She also led the string quartet for the Netflix and Sundance award-winning documentary Descendant, collaborating with composer Ray Angry. Her collaborative portfolio spans genres and global stages, including performances with Sofia Carson at the Global Citizen Festival and recordings for artists such as Madison Beer and Yungblud through Vevo.

On the international stage, Yoojin continues to redefine the role of the violin in modern music. From Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City, celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, to global tours with EDM artist KSHMR across India, Singapore, and South Korea, she bridges musical worlds through a distinctive and evolving artistic voice. Her debut album, West End, released under Universal Music Korea, features artists including Godwin Louis, Victor Gould, and Lonnie Plaxico.

Born into a musical family in South Korea, she began piano at age 3 and violin at age 4, emerging as a prodigy after winning the Hankook Ilbo Competition at age seven. She earned her bachelor's degree in music from the prestigious Korea National University of Arts under the tutelage of Professor Nam-Yun Kim. Her subsequent tours with K-pop legend Lee Seung-Hwan sparked a deep fascination with improvisation. This experience ignited a desire to explore and redefine her musical voice through jazz.

Seeking to expand her musical horizons, Yoojin moved to the United States, where she graduated magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music and later earned her master’s degree in jazz performance from Queens College under the mentorship of Professor Antonio Hart. 

Sandra Billingslea (violin)

Sandra Billingslea is a Michigan State University graduate with master's and bachelor's degrees. Her 50-year freelance violinist career includes playing 20 Broadway shows, including Dreamgirls, Miss Saigon, and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Movie and video game soundtracks include 12 Spike Lee movies and The Age of Innocence. She has played for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Billy Ocean, Donna Summer, Dionne Warwick, Sammy Davis Jr., and others. Currently, she plays with the Queens Symphony, the COMF, the Harlem Chamber Players, Scandia Symphony, the Unsung Collection, and at Unity Church of Christ, Maywood. She was a teaching artist and storyteller for special needs children with Music Outreach, West End Symphony, and several other organizations. She made her acting debut in 2024 with Players Guild of Leonia in Stealing a Kiss by Laurie Allen.

Mira Williams (viola)

Mira Glenn Williams is a violist currently performing in NYC. She has been a guest violist with Blackbox Ensemble, Newport Classical Festival, Palaver Strings, Parlando Orchestra, Experiential Orchestra, Heartbeat Opera, and is the principal violist of the Binghamton Philharmonic. Mira studied at the New England Conservatory under Kim Kashkashian, Nicholas Cords, and Cathy Basrak. While pursuing further study in London with David Takeno, Mira performed with the London Philharmonic and London Contemporary Orchestras, toured with Chineke! Orchestra, and performed with her own Coalitiō Quartet. She is a Sphinx Organization MPower grant recipient and a Chicago Musicians Club of Women award winner. 

Veronica Parrales (cello)

Veronica Parrales, a cellist and native New Yorker, began her musical journey at Third Street Music School Settlement while growing up on the Lower East Side. She studied cello performance at both Manhattan School of Music and Purchase Conservatory and completed graduate studies at Empire State College, Hunter College, and Rutgers University.

Over the past decade, she has served as principal cellist of the Mississippi Symphony, assistant principal cellist at Baton Rouge Symphony, and piano faculty for the dance department at Belhaven University, in addition to maintaining an active chamber and solo career. As a versatile and intuitive performer and trained improviser, Veronica has collaborated with renowned artists nationally and internationally, as well as on stage at major New York City venues. She is inspired and intrigued by finding commonalities at intersections of ancient and modern music, performative and functional art, studying various dance forms to realize compositional structure, and incorporating the explicit musicality of wild songbirds into her overall practice.

Joe Chappel (choir director)

Joe Damon Chappel holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM) and the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. Based in New York City, he has been a longtime member of many of the city’s preeminent choral and liturgical ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic Chorus, Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, Trinity Wall Street’s Bach at One, and as a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Tiffany Consort. 

Recent credits include solo appearances at Opera Omaha, Tulsa Opera, the Miami Music Festival, Trinity Wall Street’s 2022 Messiah performances, The Dessoff Choir’s St. John Passion, Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity’s St. John Passion, and as the title role in Fifth Avenue Presbyterian’s performance of Mendelssohn’s St. Paul. Mr. Chappel was also a member of the critically acclaimed, award-winning final world tour of Einstein on the Beach, directed by creators Robert Wilson, Lucinda Childs, and Philip Glass, with performances throughout four continents. 

A strong advocate for social justice, Chappel has co-produced various Freedom Concerts with Dr. Malcolm Merriweather, organized fundraising concerts for the New York Civil Liberties Union, and co-founded and co-produced The Open Gates Project, a concert series sponsored by GEMS dedicated to elevating artists of color in early music while bringing the genre to more diverse audiences throughout the five boroughs.

Beyond the classical genre, Chappel’s credits include collaborations with artists such as Common at the 2025 New York Philharmonic Spring Gala, Madonna at the 2018 Met Gala, and Mick Jagger at the 2012 SNL finale.

He is currently an adjunct professor of voice at Drew University and a candidate for a doctor of musical arts degree at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Carrington Symone (choir)

Carrington Symone holds a master’s degree in vocal performance with a concentration in music theater from NYU Steinhardt. Before pursuing music professionally, she studied Spanish and politics at Princeton University, where she also minored in African American studies, Latin American studies, and music theater, graduating magna cum laude.

During her undergraduate career, she received two awards for her immersive thesis, El ritmo que nos libre: the Premio Ángel G. Loureiro from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Outstanding Contribution to Music Theatre Award from the Lewis Center for the Arts.

Performance credits include Children of Eden with West End Church; A Tribute to the Genius of Alan Menken with NYU Steinhardt; A Winter’s Tale with the Lewis Center for the Arts; and Bring It On: The Musical and Memphis with Princeton University Players.

Offstage, Carrington works as an early childhood and elementary music teaching artist.

Garan Salandy (choir)

Garan Salandy is thrilled to make his debut at Irish Arts Center and is honored to perform in the North Star choir. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in vocal performance at NYU Steinhardt. Garan has performed with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City and recently appeared in NYU’s production of Rent in the ensemble while understudying the roles of Benny and Collins.  He is deeply grateful to his friends and family for their constant love and support. 

Joshua Soto (choir)

Joshua Soto is a performer from the Bronx, New York, whose work spans opera, concert performance, and musical theater. He is excited to make his debut at Irish Arts Center and is honored to perform in the North Star choir. His recent credits include ensemble member in Sweet Smell of Success at Lincoln Center and chorister in Joe Hisaishi's Symphonic Concert at Madison Square Garden. He has been a chorister for acclaimed artists such as Ted Sperling, Ludwig Wicki, and Joe Hisaishi. Joshua is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in vocal performance with a concentration in musical theater at NYU Steinhardt.

Sanju Ebanks (choir)

Sanju Ebanks is a performer, teacher, and arranger from St. Andrew, Jamaica. He is a versatile artist who jumps between pop, musical theatre, soul, R&B, classical, and everything in between. His most recent stage credits include Benny in Rent!, ensemble swing in Sweeney Todd, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, and Michael in Tick, Tick, Boom!. 

Victoria Eggleston (choir)

Victoria Eggleston is a professional singer and actress. Her regional theater credits include The Color Purple at Casa Mañana, where she performed in the ensemble and understudied the role of Celie. She has appeared in numerous productions throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including Lady in Yellow in For Colored Girls, Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act, and Pilar in Legally Blonde.

Victoria has also worked in voice animation with WNET Group, portraying Emma Jackson in Mission US: No Turning Back. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in vocal performance with a concentration in music theater at NYU Steinhardt.

Joanelys Rosado (choir)

Joanelys Rosado is a vocalist and songwriter born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Joanelys has almost a decade of experience performing in genres such as classical, pop, gospel, rap, and more. They are currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in music education at the Conservatory of Brooklyn College. Along with biannual concerts with their college choir, Joanelys has performed with the Sing for Hope Foundation, for the United Nations in the New York office, and at the NYC Crime Victims Candlelight Vigil Concert as a student of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts.

Jordanna Peronico (choir)

Jordanna Peronico (she/her) is a Brazilian-American performer, playwright, and dramaturg. She received her BA in theatre arts from Towson University and graduated this spring with a master's degree in music in vocal performance from NYU, having studied in the studio of Jamon Maple.

Jennifer Cendaña Armas (lead teaching artist, student coordinator)

About Irish Arts Center

Founded in 1972 and based in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, Irish Arts Center is a home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion or appreciation for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America. We present, develop, and celebrate work from established and emerging artists and cultural practitioners, providing audiences with emotionally and intellectually engaging experiences in an environment of Irish hospitality. Steeped in grassroots traditions, we also provide community education programs and access to the arts for people of all ages and ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In a historic partnership of the people of Ireland and New York, Irish Arts Center recently completed construction on a state-of-the-art new facility to support this mission for the 21st century, and has begun work on the project’s second phase, the redevelopment of our adjacent original 51st Street building.

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