A.I.M. 

Aaliyah, a native of Winston-Salem, NC, discovered her passion for music and the arts at an early age. Raised by her mother, Ronee Walker, she was recognized as having a unique gift by the age of five, which led her to explore performing arts. Aaliyah has showcased her vocal talents through various praise teams, choirs, and music groups over the years.​ Aaliyah further honed her craft at the AMDA Conservatory in New York City, where she studied studio recording, and later graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. An accomplished performer, Aaliyah has won numerous talent competitions both locally and regionally. In September 2023, she released her debut single, “Without You,” available on all major streaming platforms.

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Aliyah is deeply passionate about singing, ministry, makeup, and fitness, striving to grow in all areas of her life; her favorite scripture, James 1:2-3, serves as a guiding principle: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience

Nathaniel Ward is a Winston-Salem based jazz guitar player, recording artist, music educator, and community arts advocate with over twenty five years of experience performing, teaching, and promoting. Nathaniel teaches guitar and electric bass to students of all ages in all styles, and also teaches mandolin and ukulele.

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Some of his recent projects in partnership with the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County include three successful seasons promoting the “Sizzlin’ Summer Nights” jazz series at Simon’s Community Garden, at the SGACDC Enterprise Center, and a three year run promoting the successful “Jazz at SECCA” series, also in partnership with the NCMA (formerly SECCA). Frequent collaborators include Kassem Williams, John Daniel Ray, Michael Kinchen, and Joseph Dowdy, representing a cross section of Winston-Salem locals who happen to be some of the most in-demand musicians in North Carolina. He has also recorded extensively with genre bending hiphop artist and Winston-Salem based producer, Volz. Ward’s performing groups offer a modern, progressive take on traditional, straight-ahead jazz, as well as original compositions and collaborations that re-imagine the vocabulary of American improvised music in a contemporary setting.

D. Jerome Wells (Winston-Salem, NC) is a regular to many theatres along the east coast. Since his first Nat’l tour with GDAVIS Productions in 2010, Wells has earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Theatre Credits include: THE COLOR PURPLE, GYPSY, DREAMGIRLS, HAIRSPRAY (MUNY). Upon moving to New York City in 2014, D. Jerome was recognized as a formidable triple-threat in the “Out & About Magazine”review of Tony-Award recipient, George Faison’s The Wiz is 40revival. D. Jerome Wells is a proud member of The Actors’Equity Association.

Trevor Gabriel is a self-taught musician, born and raised in New York City. Since 2013, Trevor has served the city of Winston-Salem NC and surrounding areas as a full-time musician, recording-performing artist and music-mentor; teaching private piano, percussion and voice lessons.
Trevor expressed a deep love for creating and performing music since the age of 5; sharing that same passion on stage with music artists such as Rock and Roll Hall of famer and "Lynyrd Skynyrd" drummer, Artimus Dorothy Norwood & Dominique 'Doe' Jones of "Forever Jones".

Eli Womble is a Percussionist based in the Piedmont Triad area. He graduated from Catawba College in 2018 as a member of the Catawba College Marching Band and the Salisbury Swing Band (current member). It is there where Eli also earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a concentration in Music Business, as well as Popular Music. Eli has continued his career in music, working in a variety of genres with artists such as Sue Folley, Adrian Crutchfield, Dorothy Norwood, and more.

Kacey Leak is a guitarist with experience of over 20 years; over 15 years professionally. Kacey plays a variety of styles and genres including Gospel, Jazz, Rock, Pop, R&B and more. For years, Kacey has provided his services in many instances (such as Music Production) and for a variety of occasions, including weddings, festivals, the 'Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame', as well as touring with the legendary Original Drifters. Kacey's goal is to help guitarists reach their full potential and enjoy the whole process along the way! Kacey currently provides both acoustic and electric guitar lessons to beginners.