Genevieve Smelser joined the first violin section of The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2023. She comes from a family of musicians in Chicago, Illinois, and her primary teachers included Mathias Tacke of the Vermeer Quartet and Gerardo Ribeiro. Smelser received her bachelor’s…
Afendi Yusuf joined The Cleveland Orchestra as principal clarinet with the start of the 2017-18 season. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he has appeared as guest principal with a number of North American ensembles, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company,…
Where there is a sword to be swung, song to be sung, or tale to be spun, there you’ll find B. T. Freeman (they/he). AKA “the sword-wielding chaos goblin,” they are an actor-combatant, writer, and singer/musician from West Lafayette, Indiana. Currently an…
Meet the creative minds behind The Gypsy & the Hermit! Cristina and Victoria are a dynamic mother-daughter duo on a mission to spread the art of mindful giving. Through their carefully curated, reusable fabric gift wraps and hand-painted greeting cards, Cristina and…
Dr. Irwin Shung, whose playing has been praised by State Magazine for its “ease, technique, and musicianship,” has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Shung teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, in addition to serving as Artistic Director…
Stephanie Ginese is an author, instructor, and stand-up comedian from South Lorain, Ohio. Her work has been featured in Las Palabritas Journal at Harvard University, The Pinch Journal at University of Memphis, Wax Nine Journal, and elsewhere. Her debut collection of poetry,…
Sarah Bullington is a jewelry artist from Medina Ohio. Sarah lost her sight from a brain tumor at the age of three, but this has not stopped her from achieving her dreams. Sarah was first introduced to art by her grandpa as…
Lucy Bailey is an artist based in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2019 and, in 2020, was the Emerging Artist Fellow at Praxis Fiber Workshop in Cleveland, Ohio. Her main goal is to create…
Christine Howey is a performance poet, theater critic, playwright, actor and director. Her one person play, Exact Change, was an official selection of both the New York International Fringe Festival (as a play) and the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival (as a film).…
William Reed Simon (aka Reed) is an Associate Professor of the Fine Arts Department at Notre Dame College where he teaches both studio Art and Design as well as Graphic Design. In 2001, Reed earned an MFA from Pratt Institute of Art…
