Soul Voices

Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson, Director

Darrell Nickens, Piano

Ayende Webb, Drums

Pete Malinverni, Founder

The Soul Voices:

 Daniel Abramson
Vladimir Aguilar-Perez
Brody Ajemian
Chloe Alten
Riana Aquino-Richards
Jadesola Asekun
Holly Bancroft
N’Dea Banks-Mackey
Kendra Bellamy
Tyrell Bradley
Tayon Burton
Samantha Cancro
Summer Carty
Inyoung Cho
Jonathan Corrales
Jonathan Davis
Kayla Dike
Nadal Fadli
Biyao Feng
Noel Fletcher
Kamille Forde
Madeline Gallagher
Pascale Gantt
Tyler Greenfield
Rian Hall
Ruby Hentoff
Madison Heritage
Ada Israel
Chenelle Kennedy
Bobbi Kirkwood
Lilah Koszalka
Alex Leake
Xinbei Lian
Crisbelly Lopez
Joanna Louisime
Christian Martin
Yaleisy Mercedes Minier
Benjamin Milstein
Sierra Moore
Norah Muhaxheri
Jihyun Nam
Victoria Pacheco
Maeve Palma
Emmanuel Perez
Pierre Regensburger
Isis Richards
Christain Rosa Robles
Antonio Salazar
Scarlett Salgado
Chae won Seo
Clidus Sims
Francesco Tarantino
Logan Toth
Madison Valdez
Daniel Velasquez
Zynn Ventura
Tionne Watson
Kayla Weinstein
Rainbow Williams
Adam Wood

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.