Kait is a Managing Director of Voices for Social Justice, a licensed mental health professional, a community organizer, and an avid arts advocate. She is a proud Arizona State University Sun Devil holding a B.A in Arts Administration and a B.M. in Music. She earned her Master's of Social Work at the University of Southern California and is a current Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work student at the University of Washington. Kait's research and practice is focused on crisis intervention, interpersonal violence and trauma, and patient-centered healthcare. Kait is a trained oboist and mezzo-soprano who enjoys gigging with local groups and in her free time you can find her playing volleyball, listening to podcasts, or learning everything there is to know about coffee.
Harlee Balajadia is a Managing Director of Voices for Social Justice and a First Generation Queer Filipino-American. Born and Raised in Long Beach, CA, he holds a B.M. Vocal Performance and a B.M in Choral / Vocal Education from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach. He is the Current Choral / Vocal / Music Appreciation Director at Charles Evans Hughes Middle School in Bixby Knolls. Outside of the classroom, he is a full-time vocalist and arts administrator for various organizations throughout the entire West Coast. He can be seen singing with The Filharmonic and Filosophy, Long Beach Camerata Singers, The Candlelight Carolers, and can be seen working with Choral Audacity, the Vocal Jazz Academy.
Mirinda DiBiase graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communication. She has over seven years of experience in the graphic design industry and has an extreme passion for all things creative.
Some of these creative passions include: Saying she would love to learn to play the ukulele, getting one as a birthday present, trying to learn how to play “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” for a few weeks then unabashedly buying a wall mount so it looks like she’s mastered said instrument, singing in her car at the top of her lungs and then quickly quieting down if another car drives up next to her, taking an extensive amount of pictures of her cat with no intention of posting them anywhere (she doesn’t want to be perceived as a cat lady, after all), and finding ways to have a laugh with her friends and family while imagining how to create an awesome birthday video for each of them.
If learning more about Mirinda is something you would enjoy (maybe to find out if she ever learned how to play the ukulele), check out her portfolio website: mcdibiase.com
Michael McKenzie is a Managing Director of Voices for Social Justice. They are a national award-winning conductor and music educator whose work centers around the power that choral music has to affect social change. Michael is pursuing their D.M.A. in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington School of Music. Before this, they earned an M.M. in Choral Conducting from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University – Long Beach. Michael was the Founder and Director of two Social Justice Choirs at Gustavus Adolphus College, where they graduated in 2019 with a B.A. in Music Education and certification in K-12 Vocal, Instrumental, and Classroom music.
Joe is a UX designer, educator, & musician. He is an alumnus of Arizona State University, and the University of Minnesota. He works as a designer and consultant in Phoenix, AZ. In addition, Joe is Director of Operations at Heartland Marimba, a performing arts non-profit based out of Waterloo, IA.
Joe is has a DMA in percussion performance and enjoys performing, teaching, and composing whenever possible. In his free time you can find him cooking, drinking coffee, reading, playing video games, and making an attempt at mixing complicated cocktails.
Joseph Benesh spent ten years as an Executive Director at Phoenix Center for the Arts and then Arizona Citizens for the Arts, before taking his pre-retirement job at Phoenix College (where he began his higher education journey). He received his Master’s from NYU with a focus in nonprofit management and his bachelor’s in theatre from ASU. Before his Master’s, he worked for Phoenix Theatre, Stagebrush, and Theater Works. In his personal life, he advocates for equity and justice. He hopes people will continue to investigate the complete and complex history of this country.
M. Nicole Davis is a dedicated music educator, conductor, and researcher. She will earn her Ph.D. in Music Education – Choral Conducting from Florida State University. During her doctoral studies, she served as assistant conductor for University Singers, Choral Union, the Tallahassee Community Chorus, and the Festival Singers of Florida. Additionally, Davis was the Artistic Director of the Thomasville Singers, a community choir in Thomasville, GA, for seven years. She persisted in leadership through the Covid-19 pandemic and upon returning to the stage, led the ensemble with a performance of Margaret Bonds’ The Ballad of the Brown King in 2021. This spring, she will conduct the Santa Rosa, FL All-County Middle School Honor Choir in Milton, Florida.
As a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University, Davis worked with preservice teachers in undergraduate conducting and choral methods. Before FSU, Davis was the Choral Director at Thomas County Central High School, GA (TCCHS), directing five curricular choral ensembles (treble, tenor/bass, intermediate mixed, advanced treble, and advanced mixed) and teaching AP Music Theory. Under her direction, TCCHS became one of the top choral programs in Southwest Georgia. Her soloists and ensembles consistently won vocal competitions and earned superiors in sight reading and stage performance. Most importantly, many students became supporters of music education, with several pursuing careers in music education, music therapy, or church music.
As an active researcher, Davis is a sought-after guest lecturer and panelist. Last year, she presented at numerous state, regional, and national conferences, including the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. (NANM) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Also, Davis is active in multiple service roles for her profession. She serves as the National Scholarship Chair for NANM, a leadership team member for Women in Choral Higher Ed (WiCHEd), and a Voices for Social Justice board member. Her scholarly interests examine the intersectionality of social, racial, and economic factors with music education and performance.
Luigi Enriquez is an active performer, conductor, and educator, based in Iowa City, Iowa. He presently serves as the Associate Director of Choirs at Iowa City West High School where he directs multiple curricular ensembles, Vox Novus Pop Acapella Choir, and the Good Time Company Show Choir. He also serves as the Coordinator of Music Ministry at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Coralville, IA where he leads a vibrant and varied church music program. Luigi currently appears on choral rosters for The Chamber Singers of Iowa City, Vocal Artists of Iowa, and most recently on Stacey V. Gibbs and Just Music, led by acclaimed composer and director, Stacey Gibbs.
Luigi is a proud graduate of Luther College in Decorah, IA where he studied viola and voice, and was heavily involved with opera, vocal jazz, and sang in multiple choirs including the Luther College Nordic Choir. Outside of music, he loves reading, cooking with friends, and is always up for a game of basketball.
Norm Kelsey is a graduate of Georgetown University's College of Arts and Sciences in Washington, DC. He holds a BA in History. However, for more than thirty-five years Norm has been a singer-songwriter and band leader and is currently based in Los Angeles. As a recording artist, his music has been heard in television programs and films. He has also done session work as a backing vocalist and bassist. Norm continues to write, record, and take the stage, while participating in music ministry programs at his church, First United Methodist Church North Hollywood. He is currently the Assistant Manager of Quality and Content Control for the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. Norm’s favorite movies include “Do The Right Thing” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” His favorite pastimes include drinking tea and record collecting.
Paul Loesel is an Assistant Conductor and keyboardist with the Broadway company of WICKED. His songs, along with lyricist Scott Burkell, have been performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Birdland. They have received a Jonathan Larson Foundation Grant and the Burton Lane Award for their musicals THE EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY and LMNOP, which is now available for licensing through Samuel French. Recordings of their work appear on Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley’s OPPOSITE YOU, Stephanie J. Block’s THIS PLACE I KNOW, Rebecca Luker’s GREENWICH TIME, and their own album, SORTA LOVE SONGS (Sh-K-Boom Records, itunes, amazon.com). As a social and political activist, Paul has brought Broadway performances to political fundraising in support of the New York chapter of Sister District. www.scottandpaul.com.
Cambodian-American Conductor, haute-contre, and composer, DARITA SETH, born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, is Founder, President, and Director of CHORAL AUDACITY, a chamber choir advocating for QBIPOC voices; and Director of Choral Studies at the University of the Pacific. Prior conducting credits include: Director of Music at St. Luke's Epicscopal Church in Long Beach, CA; Director of Music at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Danville, California; Associate Director of the Danville Girls Chorus, Associate Director of the Cantabella Children’s Chorus; and Interim Director of the Grammy-Award Winning Pacific Boychoir Academy. In 2016, Darita concluded his tenure with Chanticleer, the Grammy Award-winning, San Francisco-based men’s vocal ensemble and is currently a member of the Grammy Award-Winning Los Angeles Master Chorale. A Sigma Alpha Iota distinguished member, he has made appearances as guest soloist with the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, sounding Light Chamber Choir, Reconciliation Singers Voices of Peace, and the Philippine Saringhimig Singers. An active choral clinician, he has presented conferences on topics such as: Nurturing and Embracing Ethnic Diversity within the choral ensemble; Mysteries of the Countertenor Voice; The Aging Voice; and How To Change Your Church’s Singing Culture. Darita holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Capital University’s Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from CSU Long Beach. Outside of music and teaching, Darita enjoys cooking meals from his proud Cambodian-American heritage, weight-lifting, traveling with his partner, and being a dog-dad to his American Dingo, Remy Martin.
