Gala Artist 2026 •

Louise Toppin has received critical acclaim for her operatic, orchestral, and oratorio performances in the United States, Europe, Czech Republic, Sweden, Uruguay, Scotland, China, England, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Bermuda, Japan, and Spain. Toppin has appeared in recital on many concert series including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center.

Gala Artist 2026

Damien Sneed is a pianist, vocalist, organist, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, and arts educator whose work spans multiple genres. He has worked with Aretha Franklin, Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ashford & Simpson, Denyce Graves, Lawrence Brownlee, and many others. He is a faculty member at Howard University and the Juilliard School.

Founder • Griot

Patrick Dailey, countertenor, has been described as possessing “a powerful and elegant countertenor voice” (Los Angeles Daily News) and performs regularly with Harlem Opera Theater, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Soulful Symphony, Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Bass Vocalist | Pianist

Gary Mitchell, bass vocalist and pianist, has performed in Denmark, Japan, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. He has been featured as a collaborative pianist, vocalist, conductor, and music director at Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theatre, Lincoln Center, New Federal Theater, The Harlem Opera Festival, The United Nations, Teatro alla Scala, Dance Theater of Harlem, and 54 Below.

2026 Burleigh Spirituals Festival Scholar, Dr. Jean E. Snyder, is the foremost scholar on the life and works of Mr. Harry T. Burleigh of Erie, PA and New York City. She has given lectures at Carnegie Hall, Oxford University, and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. She has appeared on PBS, NPR, and the BBC. Her biography,"Harry T. Burleigh: From the Spiritual to the Harlem Renaissance,"[University of Illinois Press] is considered groundbreaking and represents over 30 years of research.

Dr. Chris Petit is the Director of Choirs at Mercyhurst University and Director of Music at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul in Erie, PA. He earned a DMA and MM in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and a BA in Art History from The College of Wooster. Recently, he selected repertoire and conducted singers for WQLN’s first installment of the “Chronicles” documentary series on H.T. Burleigh. In December 2025, he hosted the concluding concert of Burleigh Week 2025 at the Cathedral.

Established in 2008, with support and in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the HBCU National Choir "105 Voices of History” is still today the first-of-its-kind. The choir has performed at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Conference, Washington D.C. and at the National Civil Rights Museum/Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee for the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King's death.

Michael Berlin is the Executive Producer of WQLN/PBS/NPR’s Chronicle docuseries. He is an award-winning professional with two decades of production expertise across studio and location settings. His versatile background encompasses producing, directing, crew management, equipment operation, and production oversight in films, music videos, web content, live events, commercials, and reality television programming.