Valerie Naranjo Valerie Naranjo began singing as a young child, was the first woman to play gyil (African marimba) publicly in Ghana, and received “first prize” at the 1996 Ghanaian Kobine Festival of Traditional Arts. Valerie has played percussion in NBC’s Saturday Night Live for 32 years, with such artists as Paul Simon, Mick Jagger, Ariana Grande, and Cher. She has recorded and performed with Broadway’s Lion King, the Philip Glass Ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, Native American Women’s group Ulali, and many others, and has performed solo on six continents, including the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, CA. Valerie has received the Drum! Magazine ”Mallet Performer” and “World Music” reader’s choice awards several times, and was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2021. She heads the African song/dance/percussion program at New York University and is a member of NYU’s Global Institute for advanced studies. She has recorded 10 CDs and produced “West African Music for the Marimba Soloist” and concerti for gyil with orchestra, wind ensemble, and percussion ensemble. She endorses Pearl, Zildjian, Vic Firth, Encore Mallets, Rhythm Tech, and Jag Drums. Barry Olsen Trombonist, pianist, percussionist, and composer Barry Olsen has played trombone with Latin artists Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, Hector Lavoe, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, La India; and with Paul Simon, David Byrne, and Charlie Persip, among many others. He’s played piano and percussion with Paul Winter, the Latin-jazz group Syotos, African gyil masters Kakraba Lobi and Bernard Woma, and Broadway’s Lion King. He played trombone with the Broadway show Buena Vista Social Club, and trombone and keyboards with the Broadway show Fela!, featuring the music of afro-beat icon Fela Kuti. Barry completed, in 2006, a U. S. State Department tour of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar with Annette A. Aguilar, and has performed in Ghana several times. Jianpeng Feng Percussionist and educator Dr Jianpeng Feng has performed on Broadway and as a concerto soloist. He has played percussion for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular since 2021, performed on the Grammy-nominated cast album of Soft Power and was the solo musician for the Broadway revival of M. Butterfly. As a founding member of the Percussive Arts Society China Chapter, he has organized international percussion festivals in Beijing since 2016. An expert in Chinese percussion, Dr. Feng has presented masterclasses and lecture-recitals worldwide. His online music channel, Dao-Dao-Feng, has nearly one million subscribers across the internet. He teaches at the University of Delaware and The Hartt School Community Division. Morgan Parker Drummer and percussionist Morgan Parker is based in New York City. She has subbed on Broadway for MJ the Musical and A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, and was the chair holder of the Off-Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, The Bridges of Madison County, and Parade. Her touring career includes national runs with MJ the Musical, The Doo Wop Project, and A Beautiful Noise. She can be heard on records accompanying Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Darlene Love, and Bernard Purdie. She appeared on camera in the television series The 5 Star Weekend.