HEAVY
HEAVY
Saturday, November 15th - 2pm
Ganz Hall - Roosevelt University
COMMUNITY PARTNER
COMMUNITY PARTNER
playOUT! is thrilled to partner with Alexandria Hoffman and Sound Mind, an organization dedicated to cultivating mental wellness in the classical music world. They empower musicians to be vulnerable and hold space for one another through interactive workshops, digital media, and open conversation. Together, we can end the stigma around mental health in classical music.
25% of HEAVY’s proceeds will support their mission.
FALL COMMISSION
FALL COMMISSION
playOUT! is proud to award its first official commission to genre-bending composer Devin Clara Fanslow.
Performers
A native of Aurora, IL, David Sands began his cello studies at age 10. After graduating from DePaul University in 2014, he joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, serving as assistant principal and teaching artist for CSO Connect. David returned to DePaul University to earn his Master's degree and now serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Music Education Department. As a recording artist, David has contributed to studio work for the film "Chi-raq" and is credited on the track "Mama" from the hit TV show "Empire." He has performed on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's contemporary chamber music series MusicNOW and was featured as a soloist and chamber musician for The Line-Up at Wrigley Field. David's playing can be heard in Chicago Fringe Opera's micro-opera series "A City of Works" and on the April 2023 album release with Lexicon Classics featuring Haydn's chamber work "Schottische und Walisische Volkslieder." David currently serves as Senior Advancement Manager for the Grammy Award–winning baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire and is the Founder and Executive Director of playOUT!Cameroonian-Ugandan-American mezzo-soprano Veena Akama-Makia, praised for her voice “like burnished metal” (The Theatre Times) and its “clarity” (Operawire), is currently a Jette Parker Artist at the Royal Opera House. In the 2024-25 season, she captivates audiences with roles such as Annina (La
Traviata), Mércèdes (Carmen), and Inès (Il Trovatore), while covering roles like La Voix and La Muse (Les Contes d’Hof mann) and the Witch (Hansel and Gretel). Her 2023-24 debut season at the Royal Opera House featured roles in Rigoletto, Elektra, and Madama Butterfly, alongside her Royal Philharmonic debut as Marta (Iolanta). Previously, she shone as a Young Artist with the Chicago Opera Theater, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Merola Opera Program, earning accolades for roles in Carmen, Die Zauberflöte, and Quamino’s Map. A celebrated competition finalist and award winner, including the 2023 American Opera Society of Chicago Best Vocal Artist Award, Akama-Makia holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Central Arkansas.Nicholas Guetterman is a rising 21st century American pianist currently based in Chicago. Nicholas began to show great musical interest at the age of four, when he started taking piano lessons from his mother, Denise. At the age of 11, he began to take intensive piano lessons through Webster University’s Community Music School with Vera Parkin, and he participated in the university’s exclusive college preparatory chamber music program in St. Louis, Missouri. Nicholas studied with George Vatchnadze at the DePaul University School of Music where he received a substantial scholarship. Upon final graduation from DePaul in 2023, Nicholas received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in piano performance. Nicholas has been named a Classical All-Star and has received awards at regional Steinway competitions. He has participated in many summer festivals, such as the Green Lake Festival of Music, Villa Sandra Piano Academy, and completed a fellowship at Montecito International Music Festival. Nicholas is currently based in Chicago.Alexandria Hoffman is a freelance flutist and mental health advocate based in Chicago, IL. She has performed with the Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, and has appeared as a soloist with Yo-Yo Ma. Alex was previously Acting Associate Principal Flute in the Auckland Philharmonia and has held fellowship positions at the New World Symphony and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Alex’s passion for mental health led her to co-found Sound Mind, a non-profit organization that cultivates wellness in the classical music world. She is currently an intern at Grace Therapy and Wellness Center and is pursuing a Master of Education in Community Counseling at Loyola University Chicago. Alex also holds a Master’s Degree in Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor’s Degree in Flute Performance and Music Education from Northwestern University. In her free time, she enjoys working out, video games, and playing with her dog, Barry.Brent Taghap, 31, is a violinist from the Tampa Bay area. Brent holds degrees from Florida State University (BM '16) and from DePaul University (MM '18; Certificate in Performance 20’). Their primary teachers include Eliot Chapo, Corinne Stillwell, and Janet Sung. As an active performer, Brent has been a part of numerous ensembles in Chicago including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Oistrakh Symphony, the Illinois Symphony, and the Artemis Chamber Orchestra. As an educator, Brent has worked with students of varying backgrounds and served as a mentor with the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, an organization dedicated to working with students from underrepresented backgrounds within Classical Music. Besides being a performer, Brent is a Donor Engagement Manager for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where he curates donor benefit events and manages the League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. Brent is also interested in preserving, cataloging, and performing works by Filipino composers in the hopes that they will become part of the canon of works for violin. Other interests include sleeping, eating, going to art museums, hanging out with friends, and playing with his cat, Wren.Chicago-based music educator, conductor, and percussionist, Cleo Goldberg (pronouns: they/them/theirs), teaches K-8 general music at Alexander Graham Bell School and serves as Director of the Lakeside Pride Pops Ensemble and the Millennial Chamber Players. As a percussionist, they have performed at festivals and competitions across the United States as well as in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Russia. Goldberg studied conducting at the New York Conducting Workshop, the International Conducting Workshop & Festival (Lviv, Ukraine), the Pierre Monteux School, and the Juilliard Evening Division. They received a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance from Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music Education and Certification degree from VanderCook College of Music.Tenor Chris Roebuck holds a degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Lawrence University and has been teaching music and voice for over fifteen years. His performance experience spans a wide range of repertoire, including appearances in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Emmanuel Chabrier’s L’Étoile. Beyond the stage, Chris has shared his passion for music internationally, teaching in Abu Dhabi where he also served as director of a local musical theatre company, leading productions such as The Wedding Singer and Curtains. He is thrilled to be performing with playOUT at a time when voices must be heard, and considers it an honor to contribute to that mission through the art of classical music. 
Chicagoland area Bass-Baritone Jack W. Ellis leads a triple life as an opera singer, a vintage wearing suburban barista, and as a chanteuse in the Chicago cabaret scene. They have been seen around town in productions with The Savoyaires, Uncommon Grounds, Chicago Summer Opera, Venus Cabaret Theatre, Chicago’s Symphony Center, and at Roosevelt University (where they graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Vocal Performance). Previous operatic repertoire has included roles such as Bartolo in Le Nozze Di Figaro, Private Willis in Iolanthe, The King in Prince Ananias, Pisch-Tusch (in the newly revised Mīkādo with Evanston’s Savoyaires), Top in The Tender Land, Mr. Kofner and Assan in The Consul, the Tsar in Der Zar Läast Sich Photographiren, and Mercurio in L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Concert and oratorio rep has included solo work in Beethoven’s Mass in C, Mozart’s Spatzenmesse, Fanny Hensel’s Hiob Cantata, and Vaughan William’s Serenade to Music. Jack also serves on the board of directors at the newly founded Great Lakes Operetta.