Wanda Baez
Wanda started the piano at age 6 and later continued formal music education at conservatory level while concurrently seeking her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico; and MPA from The American University, Washington D.C. This experience allowed her to introduce the piano and her love of music, dance and art to her children later on. In her arts advocacy role, Wanda served as Arlington Arts Commissioner and board member of Hispanic Theatre Teatro de la Luna. In her civic advocacy role, Wanda serves as Advisory Member of BoricuActivated, non-for profit organization with its primary mission to educate average citizen on how to engage with their elected officials on behalf of P.R. Wanda has been a management analyst with the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for 25 plus years..
Danielle Cho
Co-founder & Cellist Danielle Cho is Assistant Principal Cellist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and also performs regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra. Dedicated to bringing music outside of the concert hall coupled with her love of travel has brought her to perform and teach in Argentina, Costa Rica, Haiti and Panama. She was the first Fulbright alumni to be selected to serve on two missions with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) Global Leaders Program. Danielle is a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and the New England Conservatory and studied in Barcelona, Spain on a Fulbright Scholarship. In her spare time, Danielle enjoys boxing, hiking and photography.
Jerome Gordon
It’s a toss up between the viola and food for Jerome. While probably more excited to start in on a plate of oxtail, rice ‘n peas, and fried plantain than a practice session, he’s somehow made a living doing the latter. To this day he’s grateful that his scheduled changed and the sixth grade trumpet teacher taught him viola and not saxophone. Being a violist has taken on many different guises for Jerome and he’s excited to join the Sound Impact family and add educator to the mix.
Joshua Hermias
Joshua Hermias is a vice president at Of Place, where he uses varied experiences in the hospitality and economic development sectors to guide commercial real estate strategies. Previously he was the executive chef of the two-Michelin-starred minibar in Washington, DC. His development work includes posts at the Georgetown BID, the Fenty administration, and the Brookings Institution. Josh sings with the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral and recently began studying viola da gamba with Amy Domingues.
Keisha Johnstone
Born in St. Catherine, Jamaica Keisha Johnstone is a passionate advocate for at-risk youths. Currently the Director of Children’s Clinical Services for Community Support Services Inc. Keisha has served the special education community field for over 20 years. She received her Master of Arts in Education and Human Development (M.A. Ed.) for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders from George Washington University. Keisha has lent her talents in choreography, artistic design, and program development for a plethora of African American, Caribbean, and various other cultural programs.
Chase Maggiano
Equally at home with a violin under his chin or a spreadsheet on his screen, Chase has devoted his life to making more art happen. Chase has served as Executive Director of The Washington Chorus as well as the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. He worked in the education and fundraising departments of Washington Performing Arts, and has been a freelance violinist as a section violinist in the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and Savannah Philharmonic, and as Concertmaster of the South Pacific national tour. Chase is particularly passionate about arts education and using art for social change, having led historic LGBTQ rights concert tours in Ukraine and Cuba, and having started the DC Honor Chorus to help fill the gaps in DC Public School arts education. He was an original member of Arts Action DC, and remains an advocate for transparent and equitable public arts funding.
Tiffany Richardson
Sound Impact Co-Founder and Violist Tiffany Richardson enjoys a multi-faceted career as a performer, teaching artist and administrator. She performs regularly at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, and Wolf Trap, along with juvenile detention centers and schools across the country. Tiffany has been an advisor for the Kennedy Center’s Citizen Artist Initiative and Program Administrator with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. As National Philharmonic’s Co-Director of Learning and Engagement, she builds community initiatives forging connections between the arts and social justice, technology, and wellness.
(photo by Natalia Sun)
Michael Sapienza
Michael Sapienza is the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer advocacy group in the country. He lost his mother to colorectal cancer in May 2009. He turned his profound grief into action, inspiring and challenging the colorectal cancer community, family, friends, and professional associates to follow his lead and dedicate themselves to ending colorectal cancer within our lifetime—the mission of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Michael founded The Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation and served as its President from 2010-2015. In 2016, he led the team that merged the Foundation and the Colon Cancer Alliance, creating the nation’s largest colon cancer specific nonprofit, which changed its name to Colorectal Cancer Alliance in 2017 to embrace both the colon and rectal cancer communities.