James Backmon (he/him/his), a long-time resident of East Harlem, graduated from local public schools and attended Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music. He has worked with a number of choirs in the NYC area including the Boys Choir of Harlem, New York Boys Choir, and Rainbow Voices. In the late 90s, Backmon worked with the legendary folk singer Pete Seeger and other New Yorkers to form the intergenerational choral organization NYC Street Singers.

He is a member of the Unitarian Church of All Souls where he co-chaired the social justice task force for a few years. He currently serves on the board of directors of Project 142 (a concert-presenting organization). He resides in East Harlem with his wife Ana, daughter Jamie-Leigh, and son Liancy.

Jennifer Lopez (she/her/hers) was born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn and has always had a love for helping and inspiring change in her community.

She has experience managing and organizing events for those in low-income, underserved communities. Her previous work experience includes being an event marketing assistant for the National Urban League and youth leader at Divine Savior Ministries. She also works as an optometrist technician in the summers.

She is currently a junior at CUNY Queens College pursuing a bachelor’s in business administration and pre-medicine. After graduation in May 2024, she hopes to further her education by attending medical school.

Zooey Cheng (She/Her/Hers) is a classical pianist based in New York City. She constantly gives solo recitals and collaborates with instrumentalists across various venues in America and Asia.

Zooey received her BM in piano performance at Soochow University, Taiwan, and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance at Mannes School of Music, where she studied with the prestigious Russian pianist Arkady Aronov. During her studies, she received coaching from Heidi Louise Williams, Meng-Chieh Liu, Chih-hung Shang, and Alexander Sung. In 2019, Zooey received a merit scholarship from Mannes School of Music to pursue her degrees. In 2021, she has also been awarded the Government Scholarship from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan.

To develop her artistic interests and get involved with more musicians and artists worldwide, Zooey is currently working as an intern for the international performing arts company, Inpulse Creatives. As a piano educator, Zooey is a Steinway & Sons Teaching Artist. She currently holds her private piano studio in New York City.