Omari Abdul-Alim is a distinguished violinist and educator, who brings experience and passion to his new role. With a career spanning over a decade, Abdul-Alim has captivated audiences nationwide with his virtuosity and dedication to music education. He is recognized for his ability to inspire young musicians and foster a deep appreciation for the arts.

Omari is a seasoned performer and composer in various genres including Hip-Hop, Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Alternative Rock, and more. He has appeared as a guest performer with Opera Neo, Randolph College, the Old Globe Theater, San Diego’s Martin Luther King Gospel Choir, New Vision of Praise Jazz Band, and more.

He continues to audition and perform with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Poway Symphony Orchestra, Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra, Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra, and San Diego City Ballet.

Emily Bovan is the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Operations Generalist for Jefferson Regional Foundation. Emily previously served as the former Program Coordinator for UniSound and Marketing Assistant for Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras. She is a Pittsburgh local and grew up in Gibsonia. She graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management in December 2020. During her time in college, she interned with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, where she worked on the 60th anniversary marketing campaign for the Three Rivers Arts Festival and ran grassroots marketing campaigns to increase attendance at the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival. Emily also worked with the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus as a Digital Marketing Intern and oversaw running the organization’s social media accounts.

Emily has volunteered with the Pittsburgh Playhouse to put together an event called “Beyond the Stage” to help high school students learn about the career opportunities in arts administration and with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in some of their arts education programming as well. Emily grew up with music playing a big part in her life; from singing in choir, playing the piano, performing in musicals, and being a member of band, she has always been involved in the arts.

Michael Chapman came to Pittsburgh from Trinidad and Tobago in 1996, shortly after being awarded the top prize for Best Guitar Solo at the 1995 Trinidad and Tobago National Music Festival.

Michael was awarded a scholarship to study music at Duquesne University where he earned a Bachelor’s and Master of Music Degree in Guitar Performance. He joined the music faculty at Duquesne University as an Adjunct Professor of Classical Guitar and Director of the Classical Guitar Ensemble in 2002.

Michael has performed extensively in the United States appearing in solo and ensemble performances and as Music Director of several Chamber Music performances. As a Teaching Artist and Music Director of Hope Academy of Music and the Arts from 2007 to 2016, he devoted much of his energy toward providing 300 plus students with year-round education in music and the performing arts. Michael is the Founding and Artistic Director of Guardians Of Sound Inc. and The Hip Hop Orchestra, a non-profit that promotes the use of orchestral and acoustic instruments for live music performance and youth instruction within the context of modern mainstream music.

Mark Despotakis is the Director of Public and Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. He handles the association’s policy development and government relations efforts around music education issues, educates members about policy and advocacy, and works with a variety of parties to advance the association’s mission of advancing comprehensive and innovative music education through promoting effective instruction, providing meaningful learning experiences, and ensuring impactful and equitable music engagement for all.

Previously Mark was the Director of Market Development at Progressive Music in Pittsburgh, PA where he handled marketing and finance for the company that focused on serving school music programs. 

Prior to working at Progressive Music, Mark spent time at CNN Newsource in Washington D.C. Currently, Mark is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC), and Western Pennsylvania’s Tournament of Bands, a member of the National Association for Music Education’s Advocacy Leadership Force, and serves on the UniSound Pittsburgh Steering Committee. Previously he was a member of the NAMM Board of Directors and President of NAMM Young Professionals and served on the SupportMusic Coalition Steering Committee. He has previously taught the woodwinds for the McKeesport Area High School marching band and was the Assistant Band Director at Baldwin High School. Both schools are in the Pittsburgh, PA area.

Mark graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Communication.

Clayton Heath is the Program Manager for UniSound. A passionate arts administrator, he also works as the Media Manager for DC Trombone Workshop and has worked in outreach and content creation for ensembles, colleges, and nonprofit organizations.

A graduate of Duquesne University (MM, 2018), Clayton is concluding his doctoral candidacy and University Provost Fellowship at West Virginia University, where he has created educational outreach and performances across the region. His doctoral research focuses on hidden narratives, identity, and cultural representation in regional folklore. Clayton’s recent projects have been awarded grants from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, West Virginia University College of Creative Arts and Media, and the Community Engaged Research Fund of the WVU Center for Resilient Communities.

He is an active freelance trombonist, having performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, and in classical, jazz, and commercial venues across the country. He has also performed as a soloist and ensemble member at international conferences, and is an advocate for new music for brass, supporting multiple commissions annually and organizations like Chroma Collective and Diversify the Stand.

With a career dedicated to the arts and education, Clayton enjoys connecting with local communities, facilitating educational opportunities for young musicians, and sharing their stories with future audiences.

Afro-Latina soprano Dr. Zuly Inirio hails from the Dominican Republic and has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States and Europe. Her roles include Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw, First Lady in The Magic Flute, Gertrud in Hansel und Gretel, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, and scenes from Ariadne auf Naxos, Götterdämmerung, Falstaff, and Albert Herring. She was part of Opera Louisiane’s The Ring (reduced) and where she performed the roles of Wellgunde, Ortlinde, and 2nd Norn.

Ms. Inirio is also well-versed in concert work and as a recitalist, most notably in the Lyrica Dialogues Organized by the Lyrica Society at Harvard in Boston, MA where she debuted Carson Cooman’s Sunset. She also performed Jake Heggie’s Natural Selection in Baton Rouge, LA where she worked with the composer directly. Most recently, she was highlighted in Austin Opera’s Concerts at the Consulate.

European highlights include soprano soloist for the Verdi Requiem in Munich, Germany at Allerheiligenkirche under the baton of Massimiliano Murrali and singing High Priestess while covering the title role in Verdi’s Aida with the Mythos Opera Festival in Sicily, Italy.

In 2022, Ms. Inirio will perform the role of Isabelle in Mizzy Mazzoli’s Song of the Uproar with The Demaskus Theater Collective in Pittsburgh, PA, and as part of her Afro-Latinx Song & Opera Project will be performing a series of recitals for the University of Pittsburgh, Chamber Music Pittsburgh, and East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

Zuly Inirio holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree and a Master of Music Degree from Louisiana State University where she was the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. She completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL where she was also a recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. Ms. Inirio currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA.

Lindsey Nova is the Executive Director of Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras [TRYPO]. Under her leadership, TRYPO has dramatically expanded its program offerings, tripled annual student enrollment, and exponentially increased audience reach. After earning her Bachelor’s of Music Performance in French Horn from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor’s of Arts in French from the University of Rochester, Lindsey was guest lecturer at the Université de Rennes II (France) and later earned a Master’s of Music Performance in French Horn from the University of Utah.

Lindsey has a firm foundation in administration of both vocal and instrumental classical music: Following various types of work in administration, editorial work, and conventions for Classical Singer Magazine, Lindsey was the Director of Operations for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, prior to moving to Pittsburgh with her husband James, who is the second/utility trombonist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she serves on the New Leadership Council of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Arts Advisory Council of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, as well as on the boards of the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, and the League of American Orchestras Youth Orchestra Division.

Dr. Kendra Janelle Ross is the Head of Social Impact at Duolingo, where she leads the community engagement and global philanthropic strategy. Before joining Duolingo, she served as an Assistant Professor of Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management at Point Park University, where she also completed a Ph.D. in Community Engagement. Her dissertation research focused on Black women artists and cultural workers in the Hill District, where she serves as the co-chair of #ArtsInHD, a collective of Hill District creatives. Passionate about building a more equitable arts ecosystem in the region, Dr. Ross has served as co-chair of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Community Advisory Council and is one of the architects of UniSound’s Black Teaching Artist-In-Residence program through her firm, ACT3 Consulting Partners. ACT3 has advised arts organizations and other regional non-profits on their community engagement strategies over the past six years.  

 A music industry veteran and business professional, Dr. Ross spent two decades in New York City working both on stage and behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. She managed label operations for Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, for over a decade. Dr. Ross is a veteran songwriter, vocalist, and producer who has recorded with renowned artists such as Quincy Jones and Lauryn Hill. She has headlined New York’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club more than ten times as a bandleader. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy and was recently appointed to the Allegheny Regional Asset District Board of Directors by Mayor Ed Gainey. Dr. Ross continues to write and record music and advocate for other artists. She has been awarded grants for her solo work and artistic collaborations from The Heinz Endowments, the Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Opportunity Fund.    

 Dr. Ross is a proud graduate of Pittsburgh Public Schools, K-12, and holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Business and Technology from New York University and master’s degrees from Brooklyn College/CUNY and The New School for Social Research.   

Melita Hatley Terry is a Community Engagement Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer Disease Research Center, where Melita organizes and implements public relations within the community to educate and recruit a diverse group of adults for participation in research on Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on persons from underrepresented groups.

Melita has extensive corporate experience managing teams in customer service, sales, billing and retention with companies such as Verizon close to twenty years.  Melita has exceeded monthly revenue targets over 1 million dollars and created compelling customer experiences in a customer base expanding from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia to ensure company and employee goals are attained. 

Actively engaged born and raised in the city of Pittsburgh, Melita graduated from Schenley High School and attained a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Lincoln University. Melita is actively engaged and including civic duties at Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh.  Melita is married and a proud mother of two children.  Melita brings an important perspective to the UniSound Steering Committee through her engagement with youth music organizations as the parent of a talented young musician.