Meet the 2024 Artists
Chelsea de Souza
Pianist
Indian pianist Chelsea de Souza is a Steinway Young Artist internationally acclaimed for her dynamic artistry and thought-provoking recital programming. A captivating performer with “an alluring stage presence” (The Hindu), the four-time All-India Piano Competition winner brings together a diverse range of musical influences from Western and Indian classical to jazz in her versatile, genre-defying artistry. Recent highlights include appearances for DACAMERA’s Beethoven for All series at the Menil Collection and Minnesota Orchestra’s summer season, and a live improvisation recital-experiment with the UH IUCRC BRAIN Center.
A consummate chamber musician, Chelsea has performed at La Jolla Summerfest, for the DACAMERA Chamber Music and Jazz Series in Houston, and with award-winning groups Alarm Will Sound and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. She has commissioned and premiered numerous works for solo piano and small ensemble, and performs as the pianist of Houston-based new music collective Loop38. Her doctoral work at Rice University explores issues of identity and culture in music, most recently in her lecture-recital project ‘The Silk Road: Musical Exchange between East and West’, which received high praise on tour across the US and India. She is currently Music Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Houston, teaching classes in improvisation and music of the Indian diaspora, and curating interdisciplinary performances.
David Dietz
Cellist
Cellist David Dietz has performed across North America and Europe and is experienced in a variety of settings as a performer, educator, and administrator. His belief in classical music’s ability to strengthen communities and bring people together has driven his involvement in many creative projects, including the Houston Music Festival, as co-founder; the Windwood Music Festival, as community liaison; and Monarch Chamber Players, as a core member. David is a founding member of Trio Menil, a piano trio that performs extensively throughout the United States and was the Grand Prizewinner at the 2023 Plowman Chamber Music Competition. In the 2024-25 season, Trio Menil will perform a series of community outreach concerts across Houston in venues such as Talento Bilingue De Houston and Houston Public Libraries through funding from Houston Arts Alliance. Other upcoming performance highlights include appearances with Aperio, Monarch Chamber Players, the Windwood Trio, and recitals with pianist Tong Wang in Houston and Montreal. David serves on the faculty of Lone Star College as an Adjunct Instructor of Cello and maintains a robust private studio in Houston, Texas.
Outspoken Bean
Poet
Emanuelee Bean, known as "Outspoken Bean," is a dynamic artist and mentor in poetry and performance. His pioneering spirit led him to become the first poet on Houston Ballet's main stage, solidifying his reputation as a trailblazer. He's collaborated with brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon and VICE, crafting national diversity campaigns. As Houston's Poet Laureate, he champions diverse voices and nurtures emerging talent. With a global presence, Bean's performances at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall cement his status as a distinguished performer on the global stage.
Nicky Sohn
Composer
Selected as one of the "Cool 100" by Houston CityBook Magazine, alongside icons like Simone Biles and Megan Thee Stallion, composer Nicky Sohn stands as a versatile and sought-after talent across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Characterized by her jazz-inspired, rhythmically driven themes, Sohn's work has received international praise for being "undoubtedly the crowd pleaser of the evening, deserving a permanent place in the orchestral repertoire" (YourObserver), being “dynamic and full of vitality” (The Korea Defense Daily), having “colorful orchestration” (NewsBrite), and for its “elegant wonder” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), among many others. As a result, Sohn has enjoyed commissions and performances from the world’s preeminent performing arts institutions, including Stuttgart Ballet, New York Choreographic Institute, National Orchestra of Korea, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, and Aspen Philharmonic. Sohn's current projects include a 20-minute-long orchestral work for the Annapolis Symphony, a piano quintet for Dacamera's season opener featuring the Isidore Quartet and pianist Sarah Rothenberg, and a chamber work for the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.
Mann-Wen Lo
Violinist
Taiwanese violinist Mann-Wen Lo has performed as a soloist with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Taiwan Strings, the Tokyo Geidai Strings Ensemble, and the American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles. She has served as guest concertmaster for the Pasadena Opera, American Contemporary Ballet, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, she has been a featured recording artist for labels such as Warner Classics, Navona Records, and CMH Label Group.
Her festival engagements include Camera Lucida in San Diego, Le Salon de Musiques, Castleton Chamber Players, the New Asia Chamber Music Society, the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles, the Saito Kinen Festival (now the Seiji Ozawa Festival), the Hawaii International Music Festival, the Hawaii Chamber Music Festival, the Rencontres Franco-Américaines de Musique de Chambre, and the Festival Internacional de Música Académica de Panamá.
Mann-Wen currently serves as a violin professor at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and is a recurring faculty member at summer festivals, including the Deutsch-Polnische Festival für junge Musiker in Bremen, the Montecito International Music Festival, and the Texas Music Festival. She has also been a jury member for the International Music Competition Opus 2022, the Houston Virtuosi Concerto Competition 2023, and the AAMA 10th Young Musicians Festival Competition.
Alexandra Smither
Soprano
Alexandra Smither is a firecracker performer, a creative force to be reckoned with, and, in the words of the New Yorker, “a fast-rising, British-Canadian soprano with a crystalline, agile voice.” Recently, she has sung premieres from Karim Al-Zand, Katherine Balch, Theo Chandler, Wayne Shorter, and esperanza spalding with organizations that include the Kennedy Center, the Boston Symphony, the California Symphony, the Charlotte Symphony, and Houston's own Kinetic Ensemble.
Passionate about systems change and advocacy, Smither organizes and works as a communications consultant for grassroots organizing groups. In recent years, she has led a successful city ballot initiative that stands to restructure how federal dollars are distributed in the Houston region; leveraged civil rights complaints and coordinated with eminent domain lawyers to protect Houstonians who face displacement by a 9 billion dollar highway expansion; and tirelessly advocated for equitable protections against environmental health concerns through her role as a consultant with Air Alliance Houston.
Smither is Chief of Staff for newly-elected State Senator Molly Cook, and is a doctoral candidate in music performance at the City University New York. Her dissertation explores communal song as a reciprocal tool for deep organizing, with a particular focus on Zilphia Horton and the Highlander Folk School.
Tonya Burton
Violist
Violist Tonya Burton enjoys a diverse career of both solo and ensemble playing. She recently won third place in the 2023 American Prize for Instrumental Soloists, “Best Classical Artist” in the D.C. Wammie awards, and a track from her debut solo album won a 2022 Wammie award for “Best Classical Song.” She is an official member of the Recording Academy. An artistic leader, Burton has been a core member of the Kinetic Ensemble since 2016, both performing and programming for the Houston-based string orchestra known for showcasing diverse, under-represented and newly composed classical music. Kinetic’s album Kinetic, recently debuted as number one on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums chart in 2023. Burton is also a core member and curator for Monarch Chamber Players, a group dedicated to making high-quality chamber music accessible through free concerts in unique venues across the Houston area.
Nanki Chugh
Violinist
Nanki Chugh, an Indian-American violinist from Southern California, is currently pursuing her master's degree in violin performance with Paul Kantor at the Shepherd School of Music. She received a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 2022 and was the concertmistress during Yale Symphony Orchestra’s Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 seasons. This past summer, she attended Valdres International Academy in Valdres, Norway and performed Dr. Anthony Brandt’s “Meeting of Minds” at the 2024 “AI for Good” Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Passionate about the intersection of music, art, and science, and its impact on education, therapy, and society, Nanki studies the effects of collaborative music-making on the brain at Rice University and the University of Houston. This upcoming season, Nanki looks forward to premiering new music with Musiqa Houston, and continuing her fellowship as a DACAMERA Young Artist, working with DACAMERA to create “The Science of Sound” for the Discovery Series and stage a musical adaptation of her own children’s book “Symba and the Lobster” with Harris County Public Libraries.
Rebecca Benjamin
Violinist and violist Rebecca Benjamin is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University under the tutelage of James Dunham. A native of Warsaw IN, Rebecca is at home on both the violin and the viola and is an active performer on both instruments. Ms. Benjamin recently participated in the 2023 ARD Viola Competition and 2022 Tokyo International Viola Competition. Internationally, she has concertized in Australia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, England, and Germany. An avid chamber musician, Rebecca
is a violinist in the Abeo Quartet. They made their Kennedy Center recital debut in spring 2024 and were recently the fellowship quartet at the 2024 La Jolla Music Society SummerFest. Highlights of their 24-25 season include performances in California, Florida, New York, and Germany. Rebecca is currently on the faculty of the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival Maine Students Program and has participated in various chamber and orchestral festivals around the
country. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Yale School of Music and the University of Delaware.
Hunter O'Brien
Hunter O’Brien, a freelance flutist from Shepherd, Michigan, engages his audiences with solo recitals and chamber music concerts that foster deep emotional connections. His passionate and artistic outlook on music has garnered him great success in performance and competition settings, including top prizes in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Woodwind Competition, Houston Flute Club Byron Hester Artist Competition, 19th International Friedrich Kuhlau Flute Competition, Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, New York Flute Club Competition, and Southeast Michigan Flute Association Ervin Monroe Young Artist Competition. Notable awards from his youth include second prize in the Music Teachers National Association’s Woodwind Soloist Competition and first prize in the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Gala Soloist Competition and Southeast Michigan Flute Association High School Young Artist Competition.