Lyrical Affair is October 3rd!
Tickets + Sponsorships

who we are

our team

Jaren Atherholt

Benjamin Atherholt

Leda Hardesty

Mya Gibson

Arianna Bohning

Jamalle Wilson

Madison Khan

our collaborators

Christ Church Cathedral
Pel Hughes Printing
N.O. Vative Printing
The Roots of Music
KID smART
New Orleans Friends of Music

The Tchoup Yard
Crescent City String Academy
Palacios House of Arts
University of New Orleans
Smallcode
Langston Hughes Academy

Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra
The Willow School
St. Katharine Drexel Prep
YAYA Arts Center
herWARD Consulting

our board

Shelton Shugar,
president
Dwight McGhee,
immediate past president
Sharon Cassiere,
treasurer
Christopher Pell,
secretary
Tamer Acikalin
Gail Asprodites
David Levy
IdaMae Monconduit
Maybell Romero
Loki Karuna
Maitreyi Muralidharan
Marissa Joseph

our advisors

Baty Landis
Melanie Fawer
Michael Harold
Okyeame G. Haley
Robyn Schwarz
Maria Fernanda Castillo
Kim Martin Long
Susan Zatorski
Ed Lewis
Kelly Harlan

uniting communities

through chamber music

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Jaren Atherholt

executive director

The founder of Lyrica Baroque, Jaren Atherholt is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She previously served as principal oboist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for eleven seasons. A native of Alaska, Jaren has performed to stellar reviews as a featured concerto soloist and has been guest principal oboist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony and International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, as well as guest associate principal oboist with the Pittsburgh and Atlanta Symphonies. Jaren spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and currently performs each summer with the Grand Teton Music Festival. She has served on the faculty of John Mack Oboe Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, the Wintergreen Music Academy, and the Vianden International Music School. Jaren plays Loree oboes. Contact Jaren at jaren@lyricabaroque.com

Benjamin Atherholt

Programming Director

Benjamin Atherholt is Programming Director for Lyrica Baroque, and the Contrabassoonist and Assistant Principal Bassoonist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also the Contrabassoonist with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra performing each summer in upstate New York. His specialty as a Contrabassoonist has engaged him in performances with orchestras including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and Houston Symphony, where he is featured on the 2013 Grammy Award winning recording of Berg’s Wozzeck. A passionate educator, Ben is the Instructor of Bassoon at Tulane University and frequently teaches as a featured guest artist in masterclasses and residencies across the country. Ben grew up in Houston, Texas and holds a B.M. in performance and composition from Oberlin Conservatory studying under the tutelage of George Sakakeeny and Jeffrey Mumford respectively. Contact Ben at ben@lyricabaroque.com

Leda Hardesty

Graphic Designer

Leda Hardesty is a Graphic Designer from New Orleans who believes design is more than a utility and can be superior in any art direction. Leda received her Bachelor’s of Art degree in Digital Design from Tulane University, where she combined her education in graphic design with her interest in community engagement and cultural diversity. She is passionate about sharing her artistic creation with others and spreading the importance of equity.

Leda brings experience working with other creatives in New Orleans and is excited about the opportunity to leverage her graphic design skills to make a positive impact on local communities. Leda enjoys spending her free time strengthening her art abilities such as photography, videography, and animation. She also enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, and being surrounded by art, music and fashion.

Mya Gibson

Social Media Content Manager

Mya Gibson is a devoted and passionate clarinetist who is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she received her Bachelor in Music Performance. She was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama and has always had an interest in performing, teaching, and arts administration. During her time at UNCSA, she has performed clarinet and bass clarinet with the Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute. She looks forward to continuing to share her love for performance and administrative work with her community and future generations.

Arianna Bohning

Administrative Assistant

Arianna Bohning is a professional collaborative pianist located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Arianna is a recent graduate of UNCSA and studied with Dr. Allison Gagnon. While at UNCSA, Arianna collaborated with a variety of instrumentalists and vocalists, as well as larger ensembles such as the UNCSA Wind Ensemble, Nu Ensemble, Undergraduate Opera Scenes, and the 2019 and 2020 UNCSA productions of The Nutcracker. She served as the pianist for the Fletcher Opera Institute’s Outreach production of “The Town Musicians of Bremen” in 2021-22. She has consistently premiered new works, including the world premiere of the piano trio, “Journey of the Wood Thrush,” in 2021 by K. C. Pyle, commissioned by Forsyth Audubon for its 50th anniversary. Arianna has participated in many masterclasses at UNCSA with prominent musicians such as Margo Garrett, Gabriel Dobner and Viktor Valkov. In April 2021 Arianna was awarded the UNCSA Artpreneur Grant for her app idea, Colllab, which is an app for connecting partners in need of collaborative pianists.

Jamalle Wilson

Information + Technology

Jamalle Wilson is a family man, hardworking, creative thinking, with a passion for learning technology. In the IT field his position is Level 1 Help Desk Specialist which specializes in a different range of issues and experiences. In those experiences Jamalle has acquired certifications to master different aspects of IT. His current certifications include Azure Administrator, MCSA Windows 10, Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2016, and CompTIA A+. Jamalle is currently Studying Google Cloud and Amazon AWS to further establish himself as a relevant professional. The eyes of his passion look to ambitiously provide solutions creatively, illustrate his competency, and have fun.

Madison Khan

Madison Khan is a student at Tulane University, where she studies History and Anthropology. She has been playing bassoon since middle school, and has played in various orchestras and wind ensembles around her home in southeastern Massachusetts. After receiving her M.A. in history, she plans on pursuing a career in education. Madison currently plays bassoon in Tulane’s orchestra and concert bands. She also plays clarinet in the Tulane University Marching Band and the Tulane Soundwave Pep Band, of which she is a vice president. Madison is aware of the impact that community music organizations can have, and aspires to spread that positive impact in any community that she is in.

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