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Michelle Rofrano
Founder and Artistic Director
Michelle Rofrano is a Sicilian-American conductor with a keen interest in the intersection of art and social activism. An avid opera conductor, she is the current Resident Music Director of City Lyric Opera, a women-led company in NYC. Upcoming projects include serving as cover conductor for Proving Up with Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Merry Wives of Windsor with The Juilliard School. Previous engagements include conducting The Queen of Spades and Trouble in Tahiti with The Glimmerglass Festival; Don Quichotte at Comacho’s Wedding with Opera Saratoga; Le Nozze di Figaro with The Crane School of Music; An Evening of Contemporary American Opera and Trouble in Tahiti with Westminster Choir College; and Così fan tutte and The Turn of the Screw with DC Public Opera. She has served as assistant conductor for productions with Juilliard Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Saratoga, Florida Grand Opera, and Opera Birmingham. Rofrano is the Founder and Artistic Director of PROTESTRA, an activist orchestra that advocates for social justice through classical music. She is also a co-creator of Girls Who Conduct, an initiative that mentors young women and non-binary musicians in an effort to achieve gender parity on the conducting podium.
Michelle Rofrano is a Sicilian-American conductor with a keen interest in the intersection of art and social activism. An avid opera conductor, she is the current Resident Music Director of City Lyric Opera, a women-led company in NYC. Upcoming projects include serving as cover conductor for Proving Up with Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Merry Wives of Windsor with The Juilliard School. Previous engagements include conducting The Queen of Spades and Trouble in Tahiti with The Glimmerglass Festival; Don Quichotte at Comacho’s Wedding with Opera Saratoga; Le Nozze di Figaro with The Crane School of Music; An Evening of Contemporary American Opera and Trouble in Tahiti with Westminster Choir College; and Così fan tutte and The Turn of the Screw with DC Public Opera. She has served as assistant conductor for productions with Juilliard Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Saratoga, Florida Grand Opera, and Opera Birmingham. Rofrano is the Founder and Artistic Director of PROTESTRA, an activist orchestra that advocates for social justice through classical music. She is also a co-creator of Girls Who Conduct, an initiative that mentors young women and non-binary musicians in an effort to achieve gender parity on the conducting podium.
Ian Vlahović
Co-founder of PROTESTRA and Director of Operations and Chairman of the Board
Ian Vlahović is a co-founder of PROTESTRA and serves as Director of Operations and Chairman of the Board. Ian is a brass instrument repair technician by trade and, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, maintained a busy performance schedule as a freelance horn player in the NYC metropolitan area. He is a regular member of the Adelphi Orchestra (Oradell, NJ), the Richmond County Orchestra (Staten Island, NY), and the Westchester Symphonic Winds (Tarrytown, NY).
Ian is a certified K-12 music educator in the State of New Jersey. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Spanish from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. This past January, Ian returned to Rutgers, where he is now pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Ian is fascinated by the power of art and culture to affect broader societal change and is passionate about harnessing the power of the public and nonprofit sectors to support those efforts. He hopes to see PROTESTRA become a model of what a 21st century classical music organization can and should be. He is inspired and heartened to see—and is excited to be a part of—a growing community of people who believe that music and advocacy can be one and the same.
Ian Vlahović is a co-founder of PROTESTRA and serves as Director of Operations and Chairman of the Board. Ian is a brass instrument repair technician by trade and, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, maintained a busy performance schedule as a freelance horn player in the NYC metropolitan area. He is a regular member of the Adelphi Orchestra (Oradell, NJ), the Richmond County Orchestra (Staten Island, NY), and the Westchester Symphonic Winds (Tarrytown, NY).
Ian is a certified K-12 music educator in the State of New Jersey. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Spanish from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. This past January, Ian returned to Rutgers, where he is now pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Ian is fascinated by the power of art and culture to affect broader societal change and is passionate about harnessing the power of the public and nonprofit sectors to support those efforts. He hopes to see PROTESTRA become a model of what a 21st century classical music organization can and should be. He is inspired and heartened to see—and is excited to be a part of—a growing community of people who believe that music and advocacy can be one and the same.
Samuel Gray
Executive Director
Samuel Gray is a New York-based violinist, violist, administrator, producer, and music contractor. Sam currently holds concertmaster positions at Centre Symphony and PROTESTRA—an orchestra that advocates for social justice through classical music—and is a member of Parlando Chamber Orchestra, Bronx Arts Ensemble, and Rendez-Vous Orchestra. He performs regularly at venues throughout New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, 54 Below, Tenri Cultural Institute, and the DiMenna Center.
A fervent believer that music is healing to the soul, Sam produces intimate chamber music performances in unconventional places around New York. He is the co-producer and co-founder of Mini Masterworks, an annual series of living room concerts, in collaboration with cellist, singer, and composer Anthime Miller.
Sam began his musical studies at the age of nine. He currently studies with Ming-Feng Hsin and Gary Kosloski, and his formative teachers include Patricia Cosand, Steven Moeckel, and Sarah Plum.
Sam performs on two modern instruments: a 2014 Samuel Zygmuntowicz on loan from Jay and Michiko Jones and a 1972 John Sipe on loan from an anonymous sponsor.
Samuel Gray is a New York-based violinist, violist, administrator, producer, and music contractor. Sam currently holds concertmaster positions at Centre Symphony and PROTESTRA—an orchestra that advocates for social justice through classical music—and is a member of Parlando Chamber Orchestra, Bronx Arts Ensemble, and Rendez-Vous Orchestra. He performs regularly at venues throughout New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, 54 Below, Tenri Cultural Institute, and the DiMenna Center.
A fervent believer that music is healing to the soul, Sam produces intimate chamber music performances in unconventional places around New York. He is the co-producer and co-founder of Mini Masterworks, an annual series of living room concerts, in collaboration with cellist, singer, and composer Anthime Miller.
Sam began his musical studies at the age of nine. He currently studies with Ming-Feng Hsin and Gary Kosloski, and his formative teachers include Patricia Cosand, Steven Moeckel, and Sarah Plum.
Sam performs on two modern instruments: a 2014 Samuel Zygmuntowicz on loan from Jay and Michiko Jones and a 1972 John Sipe on loan from an anonymous sponsor.
Natasha Loomis
Co-founder
Flutist Natasha Loomis is an engaging and versatile performer, a dedicated music educator, and a passionate proponent of new music. Natasha is committed to seeking out overlooked works of the repertoire as well as commissioning new works, and has to date commissioned and premiered 11 new works from young composers, primarily through her work with the Meraki Chamber Players.
She has performed as a solo, chamber, and orchestral artist throughout the United States and abroad, and memorable past engagements include the XXXII Festival Internacional de Flautistas in Lima, Peru, where she was a guest artist and clinician, as well as performances with the Lake Tahoe Music Festival Orchestra, The Orchestra Now (TŌN), and the Asian Cultural Symphony, among others. Additionally, she has given performances at the National Flute Association Convention, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, the New York Flute Club Fair, and the NJ Flute Society Fair.
In addition to her work as a founding member of PROTESTRA, Natasha is currently the Director of Flute Ensembles at New Jersey Youth Symphony, Assistant Director of Con Vivo Music in Jersey City, Adjunct Music Faculty at Kent Place in Summit, and runs a successful private teaching studio.
Flutist Natasha Loomis is an engaging and versatile performer, a dedicated music educator, and a passionate proponent of new music. Natasha is committed to seeking out overlooked works of the repertoire as well as commissioning new works, and has to date commissioned and premiered 11 new works from young composers, primarily through her work with the Meraki Chamber Players.
She has performed as a solo, chamber, and orchestral artist throughout the United States and abroad, and memorable past engagements include the XXXII Festival Internacional de Flautistas in Lima, Peru, where she was a guest artist and clinician, as well as performances with the Lake Tahoe Music Festival Orchestra, The Orchestra Now (TŌN), and the Asian Cultural Symphony, among others. Additionally, she has given performances at the National Flute Association Convention, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, the New York Flute Club Fair, and the NJ Flute Society Fair.
In addition to her work as a founding member of PROTESTRA, Natasha is currently the Director of Flute Ensembles at New Jersey Youth Symphony, Assistant Director of Con Vivo Music in Jersey City, Adjunct Music Faculty at Kent Place in Summit, and runs a successful private teaching studio.
Elia Foster
Development Coordinator
Erin Schwab
Marketing Coordinator
Erin Schwab is an experienced performer, arts administrator, and teaching artist with a special interest in the intersection of art and social activism. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she studied Vocal Performance and was the recipient of the Michael Fardink award for “Outstanding Vocalist” and the Olga Marsano Burian award for “Outstanding Achievement in Music.” She received further vocal and stage training through scholarships at Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, The Chautauqua Institution’s Opera Conservatory, and an artist residency at The Crested Butte Music Festival. She is adept at multiple styles of singing, ranging from the Baroque to the 21st century, and has performed many operatic roles including Susanna (Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro), Venus (Blow’s Venus & Adonis) Soeur Constance (Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites), La Princesse (Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortilèges), Zan (Blitzstein’s Regina), Ginevra (Handel’s Ariodante), Nanetta (Verdi’s Falstaff), Lucia (Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia), Noémie (Massenet’s Cendrillon) and Lucy Lockit (Britten’s The Beggar's Opera). She is a highly accomplished and sought after concert soloist and choral ringer, and has been the soprano section leader at The Community Presbyterian Church in Ringwood, NJ since 2010.
In addition to her active freelance singing career, Erin currently serves as the Marketing & Communications Director for Music in the Somerset Hills, a nonprofit with the mission of creating high-quality musical experiences and fostering education, artistry, and community through music. In January 2022, she became the Chorus Manager for Downtown Voices, a semiprofessional choir in NYC made up of volunteer singers and GRAMMY®-nominated members of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. In September 2022, she signed on as the Executive Director of Skylands Music Academy, a tuition-free after school program for students grades 1 through 8. She is also the Marketing Coordinator for PROTESTRA (protest + orchestra), a nonprofit organization with the mission of educating audiences about social justice issues through the context of classical music.
Erin Schwab is an experienced performer, arts administrator, and teaching artist with a special interest in the intersection of art and social activism. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she studied Vocal Performance and was the recipient of the Michael Fardink award for “Outstanding Vocalist” and the Olga Marsano Burian award for “Outstanding Achievement in Music.” She received further vocal and stage training through scholarships at Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, The Chautauqua Institution’s Opera Conservatory, and an artist residency at The Crested Butte Music Festival. She is adept at multiple styles of singing, ranging from the Baroque to the 21st century, and has performed many operatic roles including Susanna (Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro), Venus (Blow’s Venus & Adonis) Soeur Constance (Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites), La Princesse (Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortilèges), Zan (Blitzstein’s Regina), Ginevra (Handel’s Ariodante), Nanetta (Verdi’s Falstaff), Lucia (Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia), Noémie (Massenet’s Cendrillon) and Lucy Lockit (Britten’s The Beggar's Opera). She is a highly accomplished and sought after concert soloist and choral ringer, and has been the soprano section leader at The Community Presbyterian Church in Ringwood, NJ since 2010.
In addition to her active freelance singing career, Erin currently serves as the Marketing & Communications Director for Music in the Somerset Hills, a nonprofit with the mission of creating high-quality musical experiences and fostering education, artistry, and community through music. In January 2022, she became the Chorus Manager for Downtown Voices, a semiprofessional choir in NYC made up of volunteer singers and GRAMMY®-nominated members of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. In September 2022, she signed on as the Executive Director of Skylands Music Academy, a tuition-free after school program for students grades 1 through 8. She is also the Marketing Coordinator for PROTESTRA (protest + orchestra), a nonprofit organization with the mission of educating audiences about social justice issues through the context of classical music.
Tyler Hefferon
Board Treasurer
Tyler Hefferon is a percussionist with a background in nonprofit financial and operations management. His work has supported the missions of a number of organizations addressing national food insecurity, healthcare accessibility, environmental conservation, affordable housing, and education. He studied at Temple University and Boston Conservatory.
Tyler Hefferon is a percussionist with a background in nonprofit financial and operations management. His work has supported the missions of a number of organizations addressing national food insecurity, healthcare accessibility, environmental conservation, affordable housing, and education. He studied at Temple University and Boston Conservatory.
Michaela Wright
Organizer
Michaela Wright is a Mezzo-Soprano, voice teacher, and non-profits marketing specialist based in Orlando, Florida.
She recently made her role debut with Opera Orlando in Baseball: A Musical Love Letter , made her Orlando Fringe debut as Mina in The Bloody Hatchet (Nathan Felix Opera Productions,) was seen as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera del Sol at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, as Igor Stravinsky in the world premiere of Nathan Felix’s ‘No.5’ at Timucua Arts, and as the Alto Soloist for “The Messiah.”
Michaela has a passion for arts advocacy and is an experienced and gifted educator as well. She works as a Teaching Artist for A Noteworthy Music Studio and through Central Florida Vocal Arts’ Arts 1:1 program which provides private, voice lessons to students with Title I status at no cost to the students. In addition, she maintains the role as the Director of Digital Marketing and Social Media Management for both Central Florida Vocal Arts and Opera del Sol.
Michaela holds Master of Music in Opera Performance and Literature from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Jacksonville University.
Michaela Wright is a Mezzo-Soprano, voice teacher, and non-profits marketing specialist based in Orlando, Florida.
She recently made her role debut with Opera Orlando in Baseball: A Musical Love Letter , made her Orlando Fringe debut as Mina in The Bloody Hatchet (Nathan Felix Opera Productions,) was seen as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera del Sol at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, as Igor Stravinsky in the world premiere of Nathan Felix’s ‘No.5’ at Timucua Arts, and as the Alto Soloist for “The Messiah.”
Michaela has a passion for arts advocacy and is an experienced and gifted educator as well. She works as a Teaching Artist for A Noteworthy Music Studio and through Central Florida Vocal Arts’ Arts 1:1 program which provides private, voice lessons to students with Title I status at no cost to the students. In addition, she maintains the role as the Director of Digital Marketing and Social Media Management for both Central Florida Vocal Arts and Opera del Sol.
Michaela holds Master of Music in Opera Performance and Literature from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Jacksonville University.
Olivia Coyne
Organizer
Olivia is currently a social media organization for PROTESTRA and is currently working on her Masters of Library Science at the University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she also performs with the UNC Symphony Orchestra.
She recently received a Masters in Violin Performance at the University of Mississippi under Dr. Selim Giray and a Bachelors in Music, Violin Performance at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam under Dr. Liesl Schoenberg Doty. She has managed to perform a wide range of works and has a fondness for working with current composers, premiering works such as Larry Hoffman's Antics for Violin and Viola as well as Amy Reib Mills' Flee! for Sigma Alpha Iota's 2021 National Convention.
She has also performed nationally and internationally, attending a wide variety of summer festivals and conferences including the Zodiac Music Festival, International Music of the Adriatic, UOttawa Chamber Music Festival, and American String Teachers Association National Convention 2023.
In her spare time, Olivia enjoys writing, drawing, and playing video games while playing with her three Siberian huskies.
Olivia is currently a social media organization for PROTESTRA and is currently working on her Masters of Library Science at the University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she also performs with the UNC Symphony Orchestra.
She recently received a Masters in Violin Performance at the University of Mississippi under Dr. Selim Giray and a Bachelors in Music, Violin Performance at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam under Dr. Liesl Schoenberg Doty. She has managed to perform a wide range of works and has a fondness for working with current composers, premiering works such as Larry Hoffman's Antics for Violin and Viola as well as Amy Reib Mills' Flee! for Sigma Alpha Iota's 2021 National Convention.
She has also performed nationally and internationally, attending a wide variety of summer festivals and conferences including the Zodiac Music Festival, International Music of the Adriatic, UOttawa Chamber Music Festival, and American String Teachers Association National Convention 2023.
In her spare time, Olivia enjoys writing, drawing, and playing video games while playing with her three Siberian huskies.
Priscilla Rinehart
Board Secretary
Priscilla Rinehart is delighted to have joined the horn section in the orchestra of Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera this fall, after spending two seasons as a member of the Sarasota Orchestra. Playing the horn has allowed her to travel across the globe and have countless opportunities to deepen her understanding of people and our different societies. In 2019, she performed for the first time with Chineke! Orchestra in London, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra in Detroit and Gateways Music Festival in Rochester, NY. These three organizations assert cultural variety in the representation of classical music through programming choices and dynamic concerts. Motivated by their efforts and the Black Lives Matter movement, Priscilla is working to better advocate for marginalized people inside and outside of performance spaces. Priscilla is a board member for PROTESTRA.
Priscilla Rinehart is delighted to have joined the horn section in the orchestra of Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera this fall, after spending two seasons as a member of the Sarasota Orchestra. Playing the horn has allowed her to travel across the globe and have countless opportunities to deepen her understanding of people and our different societies. In 2019, she performed for the first time with Chineke! Orchestra in London, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra in Detroit and Gateways Music Festival in Rochester, NY. These three organizations assert cultural variety in the representation of classical music through programming choices and dynamic concerts. Motivated by their efforts and the Black Lives Matter movement, Priscilla is working to better advocate for marginalized people inside and outside of performance spaces. Priscilla is a board member for PROTESTRA.
Christina Morris
Assistant Conductor
Jennifer Jordan
Website Coordinator
Cellist Jennifer Jordan imbues her work with poise, cultivation, and compassion. Especially interested in leveraging the arts to generate greater social equity, Jennifer embraces an integrated, interpersonal approach as both a musician, and in supporting the work of mission-driven organizations like PROTESTRA.
Jennifer’s extensive concertizing includes solo and chamber music performances coast to coast across the United States in renowned venues such as National Sawdust (NYC) as part of NextFest, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Eugene’s Beall Hall (OR), and Bloomington’s Ford Hall (IN). A passionate and sought-after orchestral player, Jennifer is Assistant Principal Cello of the Newport Symphony and a member of the Eugene Concert Orchestra, and previously held positions as principal cellist with the Miami Music Festival, performing at the New World Center with the Miami Opera Orchestra, and as a member of the Evansville Philharmonic. She also performs regularly with the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Mozart Players, Vancouver Symphony, and Yakima Symphony. With a highly skilled and adaptive playing style, Jennifer enjoys exploring new music, and works to promote equity and inclusion in the arts by programming works less frequently performed in the classical canon. Jennifer holds degrees from Indiana University, Boston Conservatory, and the University of Oregon, where she graduated as the “Outstanding Undergraduate in Strings.”
Committed to improving communication channels for organizations generating positive social change, Jennifer is also the Content Manager for Aligned Artistry, Oregon’s premier arts PR and strategy agency. She is energized by online brand coherence, and her growth mindset, perceptive thinking, and discerning taste are assets that inform both her strategic work and performance.
Cellist Jennifer Jordan imbues her work with poise, cultivation, and compassion. Especially interested in leveraging the arts to generate greater social equity, Jennifer embraces an integrated, interpersonal approach as both a musician, and in supporting the work of mission-driven organizations like PROTESTRA.
Jennifer’s extensive concertizing includes solo and chamber music performances coast to coast across the United States in renowned venues such as National Sawdust (NYC) as part of NextFest, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Eugene’s Beall Hall (OR), and Bloomington’s Ford Hall (IN). A passionate and sought-after orchestral player, Jennifer is Assistant Principal Cello of the Newport Symphony and a member of the Eugene Concert Orchestra, and previously held positions as principal cellist with the Miami Music Festival, performing at the New World Center with the Miami Opera Orchestra, and as a member of the Evansville Philharmonic. She also performs regularly with the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Mozart Players, Vancouver Symphony, and Yakima Symphony. With a highly skilled and adaptive playing style, Jennifer enjoys exploring new music, and works to promote equity and inclusion in the arts by programming works less frequently performed in the classical canon. Jennifer holds degrees from Indiana University, Boston Conservatory, and the University of Oregon, where she graduated as the “Outstanding Undergraduate in Strings.”
Committed to improving communication channels for organizations generating positive social change, Jennifer is also the Content Manager for Aligned Artistry, Oregon’s premier arts PR and strategy agency. She is energized by online brand coherence, and her growth mindset, perceptive thinking, and discerning taste are assets that inform both her strategic work and performance.
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