Featured Artists:
Dr. Herbert Vincent-Ricardo Pea’dro Jones
Principal Conductor Director of The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh since its founding, Dr. Jones is one of the nation's foremost figures in choral conducting and pedagogy and an expert in the intersection between theology and musical expression. A Southern transplant to Pennsylvania, Dr. Jones has cultivated a broad-based, multifaceted career as a choral conductor, educator, operatic and oratorio bass, liturgical dancer, orator and pastor, teaching and performing across the United States and Europe. Dr. Jones holds numerous degrees: B.S. in Music, M.S. in Counseling Psychology, M.Mus. in Choral Conducting/Music Education, M.Divinity (M.Div.) in Sacred Music, Dance & Drama, D.M.A. in Music, Choral Conducting, Performance Pedagogy & Choral Music Education, and has done Ph.D Studies in Ethnomusicology. Dr. Jones has taught in the Public Schools of Mississippi (grades 6-12), the Private High School sector (The Piney Woods School, Mississippi, The Neighborhood Academy-Pittsburgh) and colleges in universities in North Dakota, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi, respectively. Dr. Jones is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Tau Beta Sigma, and the National Guild of Sacred Dancers. He has published articles in the Mississippi ACDA/Mississippi Music Teachers Journal, the Academic Division of GMWA, the Milestone Christian Bookstore Newsletter, and several others. Dr. Jones is listed in: Who's Who Among American Teachers (dual listing); Distinguished Church Musicians In America, Outstanding Personalities of the America, Marquise International Who's Who, Residential Scholars, Choral Scholar, (University of Mississippi); in 2011, 50 Men of Excellence (selected by the New Pittsburgh Courier), in 2013, one of 5 men selected as “Men of Distinction” recognized by the Rachel Randall Education Ministry of the Pentecostal Temple Church of God In Christ, Pittsburgh, PA., and several others. Dr. Jones is considered a leading authority on the music of Moses George Hogan. His Doctoral Dissertation, “THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUAL AND GOSPEL SONG: THE MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF MOSES GEORGE HOGAN, COMPOSER AND ARRANGER”, is the only definitive work on the life, music, compositional style of the composer. An Ordained Minister of Music, Dr. Jones is Executive Administrative Assistant to the Academic Dean, Academic Division, of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. (GMWA), and sits on the Boards of The Simmons Scholarship Foundation, Inc. (Columbus, OH), the Afro-American Music Institute (AAMI) (Pittsburgh, PA), ‘All Nations Dance’ (Pittsburgh, PA), the Pentecostal Temple Development Corporation, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA), Professionals for Christ, Inc. (Birmingham, AL), and RAISE Academy (Columbus, OH), and is on the faculty of Community College of Allegheny County, Allegheny Campus – Department of Music. Dr. Jones continues to maintain an active schedule conducting seminars and workshops, guest conducting, and adjudicating choral festivals and competitions. |
Dr. Zuly Inirio is an Afro-Latina Dominican-American soprano, scholar, and TEDx speaker, originally from the Dominican Republic and currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is known for her advocacy in promoting Afro-Latinidad within classical music. As the founder of the Afro-Latinx Song & Opera Project, she has commissioned new works from Afro-Latin composers and championed underrepresented voices in the classical canon.
Zuly recently had her vocal solo debut in Carnegie Hall (New York City). Her other performance credits include Verdi's Requiem in Munich and Aida in Sicily. Dr. Inirio has collaborated with esteemed institutions such as Lincoln Center, Duolingo, and Carnegie Mellon University, and she is affiliated with organizations like NALAC, 1Hood’s Artivist Academy, The Scale Fellowship, Opera America’s Opera Leaders of Color, and SphinxLEAD. With a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from Louisiana State University and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Inirio integrates her artistic and community-driven influences into her international and domestic work, advocating for equity and inclusion in classical music. She continues to perform, speak, and collaborate on projects that reflect the cultural richness of Afro-Latinx communities and broader social justice movements. |
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