Aya Aziz is a writer, performer, and composer from New York. Her musical, Eh Dah? Questions for my Father, had a sold out run in New York Theatre Workshop’s 2019 “Next Door” series. An earlier iteration of the show, then a one-woman musical, ran at the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) in 2016 where it won awards for Most Outstanding Book and Outstanding Individual Performance. Aya is a 2020 NYFA grant recipient and is currently working on her debut album. She is also a current fellow of the 2020 Emerging Writer’s Group (EWG) at The Public. Her notable concert credits include Signature Theatre, Cherry Lane, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Joe’s Pub, and Disney’s Women of Broadway.

Riley Mulherkar has been recognized as a “smart young trumpet player” by The New York Times, praised by The Wall Street Journal as a “youngster to keep an eye on,” and is a 2020 recipient of Lincoln Center’s Emerging Artist Award for his work as “an original bandleader, composer, arranger, educator, community activist and advocate for jazz and the arts.”

Ellen Winter (she/they) is a composer, performer, and teaching-artist with roots in theater and an affinity for synthesizers. Last year she released her debut album, Every Feeling I've Ever Felt. In 2017, she co-wrote/directed/composed the world's first Broadway-caliber podcast musical, 36 Questions. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, MTV News, Marie Claire, and Playbill.

During her Fellowship, Ellen will be writing a new EP of original songs about yearning, longing and “almosts.”

Soul Science Lab (SSL) is a music and multimedia duo using compelling stories, timeless sound and dynamic visuals to inspire the future. Formed by emcee, songwriter and creative director, Chen Lo, and multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, Asante Amin, SSL is a beacon of indelible music, iconic performances and stellar artistry. Their current projects include Soundtrack ‘63, Make a Joyful Noize and Renaissance Mixtape.

During their Fellowship, Soul Science Lab will be creating Make a Joyful Noize (MAJN), a visual album that explores the affirming and unifying experiences that uplift the human spirit in the face of oppression. MAJN will be a 30-minute film scored by our original soundtrack. The immersive production blends sound and multimedia using music, film, interviews, custom images, spoken word and dance to celebrate unapologetic Black joy as a healing force for cultural resistance.

Acclaimed composer Michael Thurber’s musical career defies categorization. From composing for The Royal Shakespeare Company and co-founding the smash YouTube channel CDZA, to creating his Thurber Theater variety show at Joe’s Pub, teaching at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute, and performing in the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as well as around the country in duo with violinist Tessa Lark, Thurber’s musical journey has been remarkably singular. As a theater composer & lyricist, Thurber made his international debut with his score of Antony and Cleopatra, a co-production between The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Public Theater directed by Oscar winner Tarell McCraney. He has since written numerous scores for The Public Theater, Manhattan Theater Club and has developed original musicals with The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Joe’s Pub, The Kimmel Center, Williamstown Theater Festival, SPACE on Ryder Farm and Theater Latte Da. Thurber’s concert music has been performed by orchestras around the country including The Louisville Orchestra, The Williamsburg Symphony, The Evansville Philharmonic and The Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra. His work has been commissioned by such esteemed institutions as NPR’s “From The Top” , The International Horn Society and Elisa Monte Dance. Thurber was co-founder and music-director of one of YouTube’s biggest music collectives, CDZA, which within its first 2 years of formation garnered over 26 Million views and 300k channel subscribers. CDZA performed at TED@nyc and was featured on NPR as well as headlining the first ever YouTube Music Awards alongside Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Eminem and MIA. Michael proudly serves on the Board Of Directors for NPR’s From The Top. He is an Adjunct Faculty member at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute. Michael studied music at The Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School.

The recipient of the inaugural Bryan Gallace/Posthumous Prodigy Productions Fellowship is singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer and spoken word artist Celisse. Her deep and varied career has seen her on stage, from the recent revival of Godspell at Circle in the Square Theater to Bridget Everett’s Rock Bottom at Joe’s Pub at The Public; on television, in PBS’s The Electric Company, 30 Rock, Rescue Me and more; and in concert, at venues ranging from the Beacon Theater, supporting Mariah Carey, to MGM Grand Garden Arena, with PHISH to singing with Melissa Etheridge at the Apollo Theater. With support from the Bryan Gallace/Posthumous Prodigy Productions Fellowship, Celisse completed the recording of her debut album at the legendary Dreamland Recording Studio in Woodstock, NY in 2019. To learn more, visit celissehenderson.com.