Angelique Palmer is a performance poet and kindergarten teacher, and a Spoken Word instructor at Wilkes University Maslow Family Creative Writing Graduate Program. A competitor with the Womxn of the World Poetry Slam, Ms. Palmer was the 5th-ranked woman poet in the world in 2015 and is currently ranked 19th among the top 96 poets in the world.

After 10 self-published chapbooks, Ms. Palmer’s first full-length book, The Chambermaid’s Style Guide, debuted on Sargent Press in 2016. Her second book is the 2021 follow-up Also Dark on Etruscan Press. Honored to be a part of such anthologies as The Queer Cookies Poetry Cookbook, and Sign & Breath: Voice and the Literary Tradition, she has also published online in Drunk in A Midnight Choir; Wus Good?: A POC Magazine; Borderline; and The Mud Review.

The New Orleans native and Florida State University Creative Writing graduate has called Virginia home since 2010 and Fairfax County home since 2017. She makes her own ice cream, shares kindness freely, and never hesitates to bond with anyone over “The Golden Girls.”

Local bluegrass ensemble.

Parody. Power. Protest.

History is fragile. Democracy is on the line. And sometimes, the best way to speak truth to power… is to sing it.

Meet the Sassy Raging Grannies — a fearless new parody choral group blending sharp wit, biting humor, and unapologetic harmonies to confront today’s political chaos. From “The Liar Sleeps Tonight” to “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be MAGA”, these aren’t your grandmother’s lullabies.

Armed with clever rewrites of beloved classics and a healthy dose of sass, the Grannies tackle the headlines, call out hypocrisy, and turn outrage into laughter — all while reminding audiences what’s truly at stake.

Timbre Trio—sopranos Robin Amie Pennington, Tammy Rogers, and Eileen West—featuring Greg Hutton on hammered dulcimer, fuses original works for treble voices with their own arrangements of traditional folk songs. Timbre Trio's performances blend enchanting harmonies, rich textures, and captivating melodies into a truly distinctive musical experience.

Sumona Apsara Parii is a dedicated, devoted Bharata Natyam (South-Indian Classical Dance) and Bollywood Danseuse, Exponent, Choreographer and Artistic Director of ShivShakti Dance Productions in Falls Church, Virginia.  

Sumona has performed in several prestigious venues, including the Smithsonian and Wolftrap.  She is a recipient of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) and, currently, she is a recipient of the 2025 and 2026 Touring Artist Grant of the Virginia Commissions for the Arts (VCA).  

She loves to share her undying love-passion of Indian Dance by travelling and performing around the world.

Sopranessence is an ensemble unlike any other. The group will take you on a musical roller-coaster from operatic arias to Broadway show tunes and beloved songs from American culture. Not a fan of opera? You don’t have to be! After seeing one performance, you’ll be laughing, crying and held in suspense by the beautiful voices of these talented Divas!

Sopranessence is an ensemble of seven professional female singers (sopranos) that perform unique arrangements of opera, musical theater and other traditional American repertoire. The goal for the ensemble’s performances is to break the modern pop culture stereotype that this kind of music is stuffy and distant. 

Sopranessence brings this music to life in new and joyous experiences for audiences of all ages and levels of musical sophistication. The performances are noteworthy for being fast-paced, fun and entertaining. Sopranessence envisions a world where teenagers, truck drivers and tax accountants alike, can relate to, enjoy and, yes, even have fun with some of the greatest musical compositions of all time. Public performances awaken audiences from all walks of life to see classical music as an art form meant for everyone, one that mirrors our joys, shortcomings, dilemmas, and passions – the shared experiences expressed by this wonderful art form!