Castle of our Skins' Team
Ashleigh gordon, Artistic & Executive Director
Photo Credit: RobertTorresPhotography.com
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Ashleigh Gordon has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Hong Kong, ranging from chamber and orchestral music settings to off-Broadway and new music productions. She has worked and recorded with Germany's Ensemble Modern, Switzerland's Ensemble Proton, and the Grammy award winning BMOP; performed with Boston Landmark's Orchestra, Odyssey Opera, and A Far Cry; and has performed with Chineke! Orchestra, Europe's first majority Black/minority ethnic orchestra at the prestigious BBC Proms Festival. In recognition for her advocacy of cultural awareness, she has presented at IDEAS UMass Boston Conference and 180 Degrees Festival in Bulgaria; has been featured in the International Musician and Improper Bostonian magazines as well as the Boston Globe; and was awarded the 2016 Charles Walton Diversity Advocate Award from the American Federation of Musicians. She is a 2015 St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award recipient, a 2019 Brother Thomas Fellow, a nominee for the 2020 "Americans for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities,” and named one of WBUR’s “ARTery 25”, twenty-five millennials of color impacting Boston’s arts and culture scene. www.violashe.com
CONTACT ASHLEIGH: ashleigh@castleskins.org
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Anthony R. Green, associate Artistic Director
Photo Credit: Colin Conces
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The artistic practice of Anthony R. Green (composer, performer, social justice) includes the creation of original works of music for various vocal and instrumental forces, collaborations, and performances as a pianist, music-based performance artist, improvisor, and conductor. A 2018 McKnight Visiting Composer with the American Composers Forum, Green has had original works performed in over 20 countries, including premieres in the American Composers Alliance Summer Festival, the Gaudeaumus Music Week, the 2015 World Sax Open, and the 2018 Omaha Under the Radar Festival. As a performer, he has presented in venues across the US, as well as in the UK, Europe, Israel, Cyprus, and South Korea. He has been a resident artist at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Escape to Create, the Visby International Centre for Composers (Sweden), Space/Time (Scotland), atelier:performance (Germany), and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, among others. He has lectured about his research and presented his works at various conferences and institutions across the US and the UK, and has been recognized by the Argosy Foundation, Meet the Composer, and ASCAP, among others. www.AnthonyRGreen.com
CONTACT ANTHONY: anthony@castleskins.org
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Taylor lena mctootle, Director of education
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Taylor Lena McTootle is an educator and writer from the Washington, DC area now living in Roxbury, MA. Living, working, and attending school in vibrant metropolises has afforded her access to artistic discourse that centers elements of the creative along with all of the ways they are used to express the human condition. In particular, rhythm has been central to her studies as, from a young age, she explored classical ballet, modern dance, and poetry. From this, she has become sensitive to the subtleties of meaning and emotion that are necessary for critical thinking and understanding in young people. Over the last 10 years, Taylor Lena has worked with students of color ranging from elementary to high school. Her commitment to education began at Spelman College where, outside of her undergraduate studies, she taught chess and tutored math. Since then, she has been finding inventive ways to reach high educational standards and enrich lives. She believes in the essential need for students’ learning to be grounded in artistic forms while also elucidating the theories that shape and inspire creativity. With charter schools in DC and Boston and with teachers in Colombia, South America, she has worked to execute and build curriculum using poetry, rhythm, and historical context. In her role as Director of Education she is committed to using black musical genius as a portal for young minds. Taylor Lena has published several articles for The Boston Compass, Boston Hassle, and Mother Mercy, reviewing local art exhibits and music projects. Her knowledge of black musical history and innovation has a strong presence in her writing. She also co-authored a syllabus on Afrofuturism for Boston University’s Lifelong Learning program.
CONTACT TAYLOR: taylor@castleskins.org
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Kelley Hollis, digital media manager
Photo Credit: James Jones
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Kelley Hollis is a classically trained soprano known for her interpretations of new and lesser
known works. Kelley is featured on the recently released LP of Arnold Rosner’s Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra from Toccata Records. In 2018 she performed a concert at the Prague Castle in the Czech Republic, along with a series of recitals in cities around the country, as a featured artist with the Americké jaro festival. Home in Boston, Kelley is the singer-in-residence for Juventas New Music Ensemble. She also performs regularly with and serves as social media director for Opera on Tap Boston. In 2019 she sang the role of Rosalinda in MassOpera’s critically acclaimed production of Die Fledermaus, and premiered the role of Juana in the Omar Najmi’s En el ardiente oscuridad. Her other opera roles include Mimi in Puccini’s La boheme, Beth in Adamo’s Little Women, Eliza in Muhly’s Dark Sisters (Third Eye Theater Ensemble); Florencia Grimaldi in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Micaela in Le Tragedie de Carmen, Harper in Eötvös’ Angels in America (Boston University Opera Institute), and Nina in Pasatieri’s The Seagull (Opera del West). In 2014, she was a finalist for Lyric Opera Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center and received an encouragement award at the district level from the Metropolitan Opera National Council. Kelley Hollis received both her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Northwestern University. www.sopranokelleyhollis.com CONTACT KELLEY: kelley@castleskins.org
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castle of our skins' board of Directors & advisors
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Board of Advisors
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