Lift Every Voice

Meet the 2024 – 2025 Lift Every Voice Fellows!

Javon Charles, B.M., M.M., is a classically trained mezzo vocalist from Baltimore, MD. After a three-year sabbatical, her dedication to her vocal excellence has provided her with recent oratorio and operatic appearances including The Angel in Mendelsohn’s Elijah with the Georgetown Chorale, and ensemble performances in works by Verdi, Charpentier, and Bruckner with the Ariosto Chorale of Washington, D.C. and Cantate. She has studied under esteemed voice teachers such as Dr. Liana Valente, Medea Namoradze, and Elizabeth Ridgeway, gaining a strong foundation in both performance and technique. Her operatic experience includes roles

in Die Zauberflöte and Dialogues of the Carmelites, as well as performances with the Washington Opera Society. She has also performed in masterclasses with world renowned artists such as J’Nai Bridges, Lisa Gwyn Daltirus, and Deborah Voigt. Her solo performances have been featured at venues like the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, showcasing a versatile repertoire ranging from oratorios to spirituals. Javon is an active Schola Cantorum member of St Matthew’s Cathedral and Saint John Paul II Shrine.

Shikahi Jones, a lyric baritone from Norfolk, Virginia, and U.S. Navy medic veteran, is recognized for his dedication and patience in his vocal journey. After seven years of military service, he realized his dream of studying Classical Voice Performance at Howard University, where he is currently a junior. In 2023, Shikahi achieved a significant milestone by performing as a soloist at the Presidential Inauguration, representing the College of Fine Arts. A decade older than most students, Shikahi uses his experience to support his peers, and promote self-advocacy. Under the guidance of his voice teacher and professor, Angela Powell-Walker, he has gained valuable experience and growth as a performer through masterclasses with Baritone Eric Greene and Soprano Brandi Sutton. In 2024, he reached the semifinals of the CS Vocal Music Competition. Shikahi’s talents are highlighted in high-profile choirs such as The Washington Douglass Chorale, The Sam Bonds Chorale, and The Georgetown Chorale, based in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Maryland.

Jared Marshall is a countertenor based in New York City, native to the Washington, DC, area. After beginning to develop his classical bearings with organizations such as the Chesapeake Choral Arts Society, The Maryland State Boychoir and Washington National Opera, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education at George Mason University in December 2021 under the tutelage of esteemed tenor, John Aler. He recently received a Master’s degree in Voice Performance in the studio of Joan Patenaude-Yarnell at Manhattan School of Music, where he made his mainstage debut as L’Enfant in the concert

production of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges in January 2023, and covered the role of Oberon in the conservatory’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that same year. He is currently pursuing a Professional Studies Certificate at MSM and will soon be performing in the title role (Rinaldo) in Handel’s Rinaldo in April 2025. He has sung and attained fellowships with professional ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic Chorus, The Thirteen, and the former National Philharmonic Chorale.

David Pelino, tenor, is a vocal artist well versed in both solo and ensemble repertoire. Some of David’s solo credits include tenor solo repertoire in works such as Theodore Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, G.F. Handel’s Messiah, and Adolphus Hailstork’s I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes. He most recently made his Soo Opera Theatre debut as Sam Polk in Susannah, in addition to his work in other roles such as King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and the Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Awards include the Grady-Rayam 2018 Upper Division Negro Spiritual Prize and the 2019 Central Region NATS Advanced Division 1st Place Winner, as well as being named a National NATS semifinalist in 2020. Equally at home in ensemble singing, David with nationally and internationally renowned ensembles such as the American Spiritual Ensemble, Prometheus, Seraphic Fire, and Kinnara.

Praised for her “enchanting and heart-wrenching soaring lines,” Korean-American soprano Nuria Shin is a second-year Master’s student at the Maryland Opera Studio under Dr. Teri Bickham. In the 2024-2025 season, Shin made her off-Broadway debut, reprising the role of Ximena in Christian De Gré Cárdenas’ Orgullo. She recently performed as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and will portray Frau Fluth in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor in April. In the 2023-2024 season, Shin performed in a robust scenes program with MOS, debuted as Ximena in Orgullo, and covered Florencia in Florencia en el Amazonas. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her roles included Countess (Le nozze di Figaro) and Ottavia (L’incoronazione di Poppea). Shin has also performed with the Greensboro Symphony, NC Triangle Wind Ensemble, and UNC Baroque Ensemble

What is Lift Every Voice?

LEV is the evolution of Cantate’s Young Artist of Color (CYAC) residency. Launched in 2021 the CYAC – now LEV – aims to address the widespread racial inequity in the field of classical music by providing mentoring and performance opportunities to exceptional young BIPOC artists. This year, five extraordinary young singers will join Cantate Concert Choir to provide skilled support to each of the sections while receiving professional-level training and first-hand experience in the performance of varied choral repertoire. In the program’s first full year (2024-2025) each of these fellows will

Participate as paid choristers in three performances with Cantate Concert Choir.
Receive resume and biography coaching from Cantate’s professional network.
Coach solo oratorio repertoire with Cantate’s artistic director as well as up to two collaborating choral or orchestral conductors.
Attend soloist, orchestra, and dress rehearsals, as well as oratorio performances of collaborating organizations.
Participate in two masterclasses with leading local experts on varied oratorio repertoire.
Perform solo and small ensemble repertoire with orchestra at a LEV showcase incorporated into a Cantate season concert. The performance will be professionally recorded for the singers’ personal use, and leading area choral and orchestral conductors will be invited.

Fellows emerge from their residency with Cantate better prepared for careers in the choral/oratorio field, and with a network of supporters and advocates to enable their success. Fellows are compensated competitively for rehearsals and performances and provided a travel stipend. Resume and biography consultation, vocal coaching, rehearsal and concert access, and masterclasses are provided to LEV fellows free of charge.

Applications to this season of LEV were open to pre-professional singers – those pursuing a career in music but not yet subsisting on income provided by performing or teaching in the field. Vocational singers aged 30 and under without professional representation were considered. The 24-25 cohort of LEV fellows will perform on Cantate’s Verdi’s Requiem, Heal, and Journey, in which they will be featured as soloists with orchestra, performing works polished and perfected during their residency with Cantate. Fellows are compensated for rehearsals and performances and provided a travel stipend. Resume consultation, vocal coaching as appropriate, and masterclass participation are provided to LEV fellows free of charge.

Additional questions about the program may be addressed to Cara Schaefer, Cantate’s Executive Director, at exec@cantate.org.