Purchase Soul Voices

Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson-Wydro, Director
Darrell Nickens, piano
Peter Malinverni, founder

The Soul Voices:

Amaya Adu
Amaya Aquan
Eliana Ballman
Zak Barrera
Anthony Berini
Eleonora Binz-Scharf
Eric Buchanan
Nazareth Burnett
Tayon Burton
Kelley Cahoon
C’lonna Carmon
Jonah Caro
Alli Carpentieri
Michael Catalanotto
Brianna Cobb
Jamie Colwell
Jonathan Corrales
Will Cowitt
Amani Dao
Bella Davidson
A-zariha Davis
Jason Dobbins
Arlite Dyasi
Litsy Fernandez
Two-Moons Fields
Kamille Forde
Alice Friedman
Jasmine Fuller
Abel Garcia
Shanne Garcia
Tahj Gilford
Raven Hagen
Kyla Haley
Leo Harben
Sheen Heady
Abigail Henning
Arianna Hoover
Kai Hutchinson
Tori Israel
Chris James
Sofia Khan
Carol Leone
Sean Mahoney
Liam Markland
Yaleisy Mercedes
Jay Millan
Aaron Morgounovski
Keith Mott
Zora Myers
Violet Newman
Govea Nina
Victoria Pacheco
Luciana Pappalardo
Kylie Parker
Anthony Perrone
Cory Pittore
George Reid
Thomas Reilly
Mi-la Rios
Gavin Rivera
Joelisa Rivera
Adrian Rodriguez
Chris- taaain Rosa Robles
London Ross
Sumayah Saahir
William Salleres
Janiyah Sheppard
Layne Siegel
Jakayla Smallwood
Akeelah Sutton-Jackson
Frankie Tarantino
Nate Thorne
Evan Topcik
Sheila Verkaik
Pierre- Louis Victoria
Noah Ward
Bryce Washington
Tianna Wignal
Kaitlyn Yow
Musa Zaidi
Lily Zeidler
Max Ziegler

The Soul Voices will present a program of songs, new and old, that address our world in ways that only music of the African-American tradition can.

The Soul Voices celebrates the diverse and talented student body of Purchase College. Comprised of young people of various backgrounds, interests and major study areas, the singers in the group come together to experience and express to their audience the unity possible via the great and universal gift of the human voice.

Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson, Director

Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson is an award winning teaching artist and global performer.

Amaya joined the faculty of Purchase College Conservatory of Music in 2022 to lead the Purchase Soul Voices Ensemble founded by Pete Malinverni, former Chair of Jazz Studies at Purchase College. Knoelle is also on faculty at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where she directs the award winning Dartmouth College Gospel Choir.

Ahmaya attended The Manhattan School of Music for Jazz Vocal Studies and graduated from the American Musical And Dramatic Academy (AMDA) for Musical Theater studies.  In her career as a vocal artist Ahmaya has toured world stages singing in various productions including Porgy and Bess and starring in Mama I Want To Sing!

Ahmaya is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Mama Foundation for The Arts, the acclaimed music and arts institution in Harlem USA, and home of the longest running Black Off- Broadway Theater Musical in the history of American Theater: Mama I Want To Sing!

Following the success of Mama I Want To Sing! Ahmaya and her mother Vy Higginsen, creator of the musical, returned to their home village of Harlem, where their family has lived over 100 years. There they built The Mama Foundation for the Arts, a 501(c) 3) Non-Profit music and arts institution, to pass on to new generations their knowledge and the history of music and the theater industry. They have served thousands of youth and adults by building curriculums and by providing free music and performance education for the past 20 years.

With the continuing mission to preserve African American music as an art form through future generations, Ahmaya gathered students from her Harlem institution and founded Sing Harlem, the award winning commercial traveling ensemble and choir in which Ahmaya currently serves as Artistic and Musical Director.  Ahmaya has booked, curated and musically directed performances for Sing Harlem including: with SZA on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, Twice with Chance The Rapper on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, with Ariana Grande, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting and more. Additionally Sing Harlem has performance credits with Pharrell Williams, Alesia Cara, Likke Li, Madonna, headlining Brooklyn’s AFROPUNK, Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the APOLLO theater and Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. Under Amaya’s direction, Sing Harlem appeared on America’s Got Talent with Simon Cowell in August of 2022 and was the featured choir sensation of season 17.

Darrell Nickens, Piano

Darrell Nickens is a musician of the highest caliber. He is adept in all major keyboard instruments including piano, organ and electronic synthesizers. His talents have enabled him to perform in other countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and England. Darrell is currently and has been a musical Director for the Mama Foundation For The Arts for many years. Darrell is a published sound designer in Electronic Musician Magazine. He also scores music and orchestrations for stage plays.

The Conservatory of Music

Play a part in this extraordinary musical community!

For the serious, developing musician, the Conservatory of Music in the School of the Arts at Purchase College offers a distinctive educational experience — an intensive education within the context of a lively supportive community.

Create, integrate, grow, explore, transform

Your artistry will thrive here among other remarkable musicians, all preparing for professional careers while focused on excellence.

Work closely with world-class musicians and educators

Our proximity to New York City makes it possible for you to study with many of the most respected names in music today—and to benefit from their extensive professional experience as performers, composers, and producers. Through private lessons and small-group study, our faculty will guide and mentor you in your career choice. And because the Conservatory of Music limits its enrollment to only 400 students, including undergraduate and graduate candidates, you will receive personal attention and opportunities to perform and hear your music right from the start.

Classical, Jazz, Music and Technology

No matter what program you pursue in the Conservatory of Music, you will be encouraged to play music that spans all genres and to perform in ensembles of all sizes and styles. Let us prepare you to meet the challenges of the music world in the 21st century.