Jacob Ryan Smith is a composer and performer out of New York City, originally from Atlanta, GA. He graduated from The University of Michigan where he received his BFA in Musical Theater Performance & was the first ever graduate of the new Musical Theater Composition minor.
In composition, he is known for his prolific writing in a variety of different mediums, including Musical Theater, Ballet, Television, Film, and Pop Music. In 2020, he accomplished a yearlong project he entitled “The Song Smith,” where he wrote and produced a song every day for the entire year (resulting in 366 unique songs). He’s worked with an all-star list of Broadway veterans, including Ashley Park, Andrew Barth Feldman, Joe Serafini, Michael McElroy, and many more. His work has been highlighted by NPR, The Today Show, IHeartRadioBroadway, Out Magazine, and many other publications.
In performance, Jacob has been doing regional theater all around the country for years. He’s originated roles in multiple new workshops in New York City, and been a featured singer at multiple cabaret venues.
More than anything though, Jacob simply loves to create art in any fashion. He’s always game to collaborate and make something new out of nothing. He feels lucky every day to get to do this as a profession.
Jonathan Palant is Associate Dean of the Arts and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at Dallas and is founder and conductor of both Credo, a 140-member community choir, and the Dallas Street Choir, a musical outlet for those affected by homelessness.
Dr. Palant currently serves as president emeritus of the National Alliance for Music In Vulnerable Communities, Repertoire and Standards Chair for the Southwest American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA), and sits on the board of directors of the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses. He has also served on the state board of the Michigan chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and Youth First Texas where he was founder and conductor of Dallas PUMP!, a choir serving at-risk youth.
In late 2017, the Dallas Morning News named Palant one of nine “Texan of the Year” finalists, and in 2016, Musical America named him one of their “Innovators of the Year” for establishing the Dallas Street Choir.
Both Palant’s book, Brothers, Sing On! Conducting the Tenor-Bass Choir, and The Jonathan Palant Choral Series are published by the Hal Leonard Corporation.
Dr. Palant holds degrees from Michigan State University, Temple University, and the University of Michigan.
Terence Odonkor (he/him), known affectionately to most as “T”, is an Orchestrator, Arranger, Copyist, Music Assistant and Music Supervisor based in New York City. Terence’s talents have quickly become sought after by many leading artists in the industry. Some notable credits include (but are not limited to) Some Like It Hot, the 75th Tony Awards, White Girl In Danger, Dear Evan Hansen, A Strange Loop, and Here We Are.
Passionate about new works, Terence currently sits on the creative team of a number of projects in development, working to bring new stories to the stage and screen.
Stephanie Leah Evans (she/her/hers), a.k.a. “SLE”, is a musician who wears many hats — from transcriber and copyist to singer and composer!
Credits include stage productions Maybe Happy Ending (Broadway), Hell’s Kitchen (Broadway), The Tempest (The Public), Sweeney Todd (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec (Hartford Stage), and The Wrong Man (MCC Theater). Stephanie has also served as an assistant to Alex Lacamoire, for whom she did music preparation and score coordination on the films In the Heights, VIVO, and Tick, Tick…Boom!
Stephanie’s performance background is in opera, musical theater, and choir. Throughout her education, she played roles such as Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro, Miss Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief, Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. All the while, she performed choral pieces from Bach to Esenvalds, recorded albums of global Jewish music and studied the psychological implications of chromatic harmony in film scores.
Currently, Stephanie is working on her own writing — exploring her passions of social justice, mental health, Jewish identity, and romance through musical storytelling.
Melissa M. Young is a Honduran American raised in Santa Ana, California. She attended Orange Coast College with a focus in Business Administration. She is a graduate of The Ailey School—The Official School of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. During her Fellowship studies, she was one of five students selected to train as an exchange student at Amsterdam University of the Arts in the Netherlands.
Melissa spent thirty seasons with Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT). Young started her career at DBDT as a dancer for eleven years, then moved up the ranks as Rehearsal Director, Academy Director, Associate Artistic Director, Interim Artistic Director, and was appointed as Artistic Director in September 2018. Her most notable performances include The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, and for the U.S. Ambassadors to Ireland and Zimbabwe. She has restaged and rehearsed the diverse repertoire of DBDT, which spans over 100 ballets. She was an Assistant to the Choreographers, Hope Clarke for The Dallas Opera’s Porgy and Bess and Christopher L. Huggins for Dallas Theater Center’s production of The Wiz. Melissa is most proud of thoughtfully leading DBDT through the pandemic by using the many restrictions as a guide to push the boundaries of her imagination into a creative reality.
Darian Sanders is a versatile performer, celebrated for his dynamic roles in musical theater and his contributions as a singer, songwriter, author, and speaker. Hailing from Kentucky, Sanders initially pursued a career as a high school band director and later served as a pastor for sixteen years. His transition into theater was serendipitous, sparked by a manager’s interest after hearing him sing the national anthem at a basketball game.
Sanders’ theatrical journey includes significant regional theater roles such as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Seaweed in Hairspray, and Curtis in Dreamgirls. He gained national acclaim portraying Simba in Disney’s The Lion King on the North American tour and on Broadway.
Beyond the stage, Sanders leads worship across the country and is dedicated to creating original music. He is also an author, sharing his experiences and insights to inspire others. Balancing his professional endeavors with family life, Sanders is a devoted husband to Jessica and father to Titus.
Bryan Terrell Clark is an accomplished actor and singer/songwriter who has performed in hugely successful Broadway shows and a wide range of popular television programming for various networks.
In 2019, Bryan reprised his role as George Washington in the record-breaking Broadway hit Hamilton. He made his Broadway debut playing the iconic role of Marvin Gaye in Motown: The Musical, which received a 2014 Grammy Award nomination for “Best Musical Theater Album”. Bryan also starred opposite Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett in the acclaimed drama Fences at the Pasadena Playhouse. Additional theater credits include the Mark Taper Forum’s production of Immediate Family directed by Phylicia Rashad, the Alliance Theatre’s Sophisticated Ladies and His Girl Friday at the Guthrie Theater.
Most recently, Bryan appeared in Ava DuVernay’s 2020 Peabody Award winning Netflix mini-series When They See Us, Cherish the Day and Queen Sugar on the OWN network. He will appear in Shonda Rhimes’ Inventing Anna on Netflix and Warner Brothers Snowpiercer.
As a singer, songwriter and producer, he was co-writer on Mary J. Blige’s Irreversible on the album My Life II and has performed with such artists as Maxwell, Brandy, Ne-Yo, Anita Baker, Michael Bublé and many others.
Clark is the co-founder of inDEFINED, an initiative that inspires and teaches young people to use their voices to erase constrictive labels in our society. He is also the recipient of the 2018 VOICE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARD From Rutgers University, the 2019 GALLERY OF SUCCESS AWARD from Temple University, HELP USA 2019 “Help Hero Award” for Volunteerism for his ongoing commitment to social change and activism. Clark has recently performed Motown originals at Carnegie Hall in NYC in March of 2024. Bryan is currently co-starring in a BET+ Original titled Diarra from Detroit as Mr. Tea.
Bryan Terrell Clark graduated from the Yale School of Drama and Temple University. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and currently lives in Los Angeles, California and New York City.
Denise Lee is an award-winning Dallas based actress/singer who has performed in all genres of entertainment for almost four decades. She has performed on stage in almost every theater in the DFW metroplex playing iconic characters such as Wiletta Mayer in Dallas Theater Centers ‘Trouble In Mind’, to Amanda Wingfield in Circle Theatre’s ‘The Glass Menagerie’ and creating characters for World Premieres of new works like Imani Othello in Bishop Arts Theatre’s ‘The Tragedy of Othello’ by Frankie Gonzales and ‘Ethel’ in Jubilee Theatre’s ‘Bread & Gravy.
Denise is the founder and Executive Producer of the DLO Cabaret Series and the Dallas Cabaret Festival. She is a 4-time recipient of the Dallas Voice’ ‘Best Vocalist’ in the Reader’s Voice Awards and a 3-time Leon Rabin Award winner. She has the distinct honor of being the 1st recipient of the Sammons Center for the Arts ‘Cabaret Artist of the Year’. She also has an extensive film and television resume. She has delighted international crowds with performances in jazz clubs in Shanghai, Beijing, Switzerland and France. Her first play ‘Funny, You Don’t Act Like A Negro’ had its World Premiere at the Historic Theatre Three in February of 2020.
Denise’s commitment to Equity and Social Justice led her to establish Visions For Change, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, where she serves as the Executive Director. Visions For Change, Inc was created and is committed to building bridges between communities through conversations, activities and programs. Because she strongly believes that the Arts play a major role in unifying our communities (she considers herself an Artivist) she is also committed to using art as a way to increase awareness and promote inclusion and equity in our society. Through her role with the DLO Cabaret Series, she uses the unique artform of Cabaret to promote not just quality entertainment but thought-provoking topics with which to engage the audience.
For her work in the arts and community, Denise has been awarded the Rudy Eastman Diversity Award by the Live Theater League of Tarrant County and a Special Citation of Recognition by the DFW THEATER CRITICS. She is also the recipient of the 2019 Hero of Hope Award for her courageous stand for the rights of all people without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. In 2022 she received the Broadway Dallas Fullinwider Award in honor of her accomplishments within the North Texas theater community and beyond. Also that year, Black Tie Dinner presented her with the Dale Hansen Ally of the Year Award. Black Tie Dinner annually recognizes a distinguished ally of the LGBTQ community who, through personal and professional activities has made a significant, positive impact on the LGBTQ community.
Denise currently serves on the Board of Directors at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, has served as a member and Board Chair of the Dallas Street Choir and is the Social Justice Strategist for the Dallas Children’s Theater.
She is the very proud mom of 2 dedicated artists, Traci Elaine Lee & Janelle Nicole Gray.
The Dallas Street Choir, a recognized 501(C)3 organization, was established in October 2014 and is conducted by its founder, Dr. Jonathan Palant. Its mission is to provide a musical outlet for those affected by homelessness. To date, over 2,000 individuals have attended at least one rehearsal and singers have collectively amassed more than 15,000 hours of cultural enrichment. The Dallas Street Choir has performed at the Winspear Opera House, the Moody Performance Hall, the George W. Bush Presidential Library, and at schools and places of worship throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region. In 2017, the choir made history when it performed at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall alongside classical music stars Frederica von Stade, Harolyn Blackwell, Jake Heggie, and Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz. In 2018, the Dallas Street Choir was invited to perform at the Texas Choral Directors statewide conference, and in March 2019, traveled to Kansas City to sing at the American Choral Directors Association National Convention. In February 2022, the Dallas Street Choir performed in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Southwest American Choral Directors Association Conference.
With more than 100 students enrolled, University of Texas at Dallas choirs offer inclusive musical opportunities that welcomes students from nearly every academic program on campus. The program hosts two distinct ensembles: the Chamber Singers, an auditioned choir spotlighting exceptional singers from diverse academic backgrounds, and the University Choir, welcoming students with any level of musical expertise. In a spirited and educational atmosphere, UTD students embrace a diverse repertoire, skillfully maneuvering through both accompanied and unaccompanied pieces with fervor and proficiency. Under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Palant, the UT Dallas choirs have experienced rapid growth and have garnered acclaim both on campus and throughout North Texas.
Taking its name from the Latin word meaning ‘I believe,’ the Credo Community Choir is a140-member non-auditioned, mixed chorus based in Dallas, Texas. Founded and conducted by Dr. Jonathan Palant, Credo’s mission is rooted not only in the power of music, but also in community, learning, equality, and in sharing one’s fortunes with others. Credo, now in its thirteenth season, has performed throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and has undertaken concert tours to Argentina, Australia, Cambodia, Cuba, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Vietnam, and, in June 2016, made its first of two Carnegie Hall appearances. This May, Credo will perform in both Croatia and Slovenia.