Who We Are
Transformance Art is a multidisciplinary nonprofit arts organization bringing artists, individuals, and communities together through meaningful creative experiences. Through performances, remembrance events, retreats, collaborative projects, and community participation, we create space for stories and experiences that can be difficult to put into words, giving people an opportunity to reclaim dignity within the hard stories they carry. Rooted in faith and committed to artistic excellence, we work alongside churches and communities to foster remembrance, healing, connection, and hope.
Mission
Transformance Art bears witness to human stories through the arts by creating transformative experiences that foster connection, hope, and healing.
Vision
We envision communities where human stories are honored and the arts create pathways to expression, remembrance, healing, and transformation.
Transformance = Transformational + Performance
transformance (adj.)
A performance that has a transformational impact on the viewer; a performance that has been transformed from the way it is traditionally presented.
Our Team
Belle Toh
Founder and PresidentBelle Toh is a collaborative pianist, educator, producer, and arts visionary who has brought people together through the transformative power of the arts for more than four decades.
Ada Hernandez-Bell
SecretaryAda Hernandez-Bell brings two decades of nonprofit administration experience, with a focus on trauma-informed relationships within child and family systems. She serves as Executive Director of the United Way of Anderson County.
Natalie Thompson
TreasurerNatalie Thompson brings experience in education finance, customer service, project management, and web development. Her lifelong background in dance, piano, and violin adds a creative perspective to her technical work.
Advisory Board
Greg Tardy |
Composer, Jazz Reedman, and Associate Professor of Jazz Saxophone at UTKSaxophonist, multi-reedist, and composer Gregory Tardy is among the most versatile jazz musicians of his generation. His international career includes major festivals, celebrated collaborations, and fourteen recordings under his own name.
Nick Kircher
Ethnomusicologist and Registered Piano TechnicianEthnomusicologist and registered piano technician Nick Kircher has tuned, repaired, and taught piano technology for decades. He also works with musicians worldwide to develop songs rooted in their own language and musical culture.
Carla Hanson |
Soprano and Instructor in Music Voice at Luther CollegeSoprano Carla Thelen Hanson has earned acclaim for leading operatic roles and concert performances across the country. She brings dramatic depth, vocal power, and a wide-ranging repertoire to opera houses, orchestras, and recital stages.
William Thompson
Business StrategistWilliam Thompson is a business strategist and autodidact with experience in military intelligence, fintech, and entrepreneurship. He blends big-picture vision with grounded, systems-oriented strategy.