McKenzie Duncan is a dancer and choreographer from Knoxville, Tennessee. She spent the ages of 12-18 dancing with the pre-professional company, Go! Contemporary Dance Works in East Tennessee, which shaped her appreciation for innovative choreography and storytelling, ultimately sparking a desire to continue professionally. During this time, she supplemented her training at summer intensives with well-recognized companies such as the Nashville Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theatre.

Immediately after graduating high school, she accepted a contract as a trainee and then as an Artist with Columbia Classical Ballet. Following this, she continued to broaden her professional experience, holding trainee positions with Ballet 5:8 and Tulsa Ballet, and an Apprenticeship with the Montgomery Ballet. During her time with these companies, she performed in many classical and neoclassical ballets, as well as works by sought-after contemporary choreographers such as Ma Cong and Jera Wolfe.

Currently, she is an artist, teacher, and choreographer for Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, where she participates in storytelling and ministry through dance. She believes and bases her works on the knowledge that the arts and creativity are gifts from God and can be used powerfully to bring people to Him.

Margaret Fitz, a Minnesota native, is a ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She trained pre-professionally in high school, performing in works like The Nutcracker and Coppelia. She then joined the Conservatory at Ballet 5:8 in Chicago, completing their rigorous program in two years with honors and performing original works by Artistic Director Julianna Rubio Slager.

After graduating, Margaret became a Ballet 5:8 trainee, continuing her training under Slager and Brette Benedict. She excelled, performing the principal role in Beyond The Nutcracker and completing the program in one year. She then spent two seasons in Ballet 5:8's Second Company, performing in BareFace, The Lost Women of Juarez, and other productions.

In 2024, Margaret relocated to Kansas City, MO, to join Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre as a company artist. She recently completed her first season with the company, where she had the opportunity to perform the principal role of Amber in I Remember. In addition to performing, Margaret teaches and choreographs for several pre-professional ballet schools and studios in the area. She was recently appointed Upper School Director at Dramatic Truth School of the Arts.

Margaret is passionate about the art of dance and is committed to bringing excellence to the stage. She is thrilled to have been invited to perform in "Beauty From Ashes" and wishes to thank everyone who made this event possible.

Katarina Larson holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Dance Science from Texas A&M University and a Certificate of Dance from Storling Conservatory. She has performed with Arrows International, Storling Dance Theater, Maranatha Arts Collective, and Earthen Image Movement. She is honored to be a part of Beauty from Ashes, and she hopes to use dance as a blessing to all those present.

Carys Kaatz began dancing in the UK at the age of 3 and was accepted into the Royal Ballet Associate program at age 9. Over the next few years she continued her training both with the Royal Ballet and also with the associate programs at Central School of Ballet and London Contemporary Dance school. At 16 Carys began her full time vocational training at Central School of Ballet in London. Since graduating. Carys has danced with many companies around England including Eliot Smith Dance Company, Balbir Shing Company and Springs Dance Company. Carys is a volunteer artist in residence with Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre, and is currently studying towards her PHD in Biblical theology at Calvary University.

Eleanor Johnson began her ballet training at the age of three years old in Costa Rica. She then moved to the U.S and trained at Dramatic Truth School of the Arts under Liz Dimmel and Laura Morton. She graduated in 2024 after having completed their program and after one year as an apprentice with Dramatic Truth. Eleanor is now entering her second year as a company member and is preparing for her third year as the lead role in Dramatic Truth's production of the Mystery of Christmas.

Janet Burroway grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, did her undergraduate degree at Barnard College, and then went on to Cambridge University (England) as a Marshall scholar, and then to the Yale School of Drama as RCA-NBC Fellow.

At Yale she married Belgian director Walter Eysselinck, in 1963 they moved to Ghent, where he directed for the Flemish National Theatre, and Timothy Alan was born. In 1965 Walter was made director of the Sussex University Arts Center, Janet was a Lecturer in English Studies, and she gave birth to their second son, Tobyn Alexander.

But the marriage did not last. In 1971 Janet returned to the US with the boys, and she taught at the Florida State University for the next thirty years. Alex eventually returned to England, where he raised a family and still has a career as a manager of the London Tube.

Tim never wavered from his ambition to become a soldier. Over the years he was deployed to Sarajevo, the Congo, Sierra Leon and Namibia, where he married and became father of a daughter, Thyra. His Army job was privatized in 1999, and when the US invaded Iraq, he left his family for Baghdad to train Iraqis in humanitarian mine removal. He returned to Namibia in 2004, disillusioned by the war, and most likely suffering from PTSD. He took his own life in 2004.

In the years since that loss, Janet has written many poems and a play about her son, and a memoir, Losing Tim.

She is the author of some twenty books, including novels, children's books, essays, and poetry. Her craft book Writing Fiction is the most widely used fiction writing text in America. Her ninth novel, Simone in Pieces, will appear in November. She is a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Emerita from FSU, and in 2014 received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Writing from the Humanities Council of Florida.

In the early 2000s Janet's three children's books were set to symphonic music by composer Philip Wharton, and these have been performed throughout the Midwest and in New York City. She has since collaborated with Philip on a variety of Art Songs, including "Seven Songs for a Dead Son."

Janet married Peter Ruppert, a film scholar, in Tallahassee in 1993, and they "retired backwards," as they like to say, to the Midwest. Son Alex and his wife have raised two daughters: Holly, a film-maker, and Eleanor, a manager with the LIDL corporation. Tim's daughter Thyra has just finished an MA in Astrophysics at CUNY and is headed for a PHD. Janet and Peter live in Chicago with a brindle cat named Nutmeg.

Few artists enjoy such high praise for both of their disciplines as composer/violinist Philip Wharton. Of his playing, The New York Times proclaimed, "a rousing performance!" and The Waterloo Courier wrote, "a golden tone with breathtaking execution." His compositions, heralded from coast to coast, are described by the New York Concert Review as, "...decidedly contemporary...both engaging and accessible." Writing from symphony to song, past seasons saw the Santa Fe Opera's remounting of Two Saintes Caught in the Same Act as part of their apprentice scenes program, the Grammy-nominated Borealis Wind Quintet perform his Quintet on their concert tours, his chamber symphony, Passing Season performed by regional orchestras, premiere of his Symphony, his tribute to Shakespeare's 450th birthday, a song cycle entitled Fools, and concerts with Grammy-nominated soprano, Caroline Worra. Other projects include collaborations with author Janet Burroway and illustrator John Vernon Lord to create musical settings of their books for children: The Giant Jam Sandwich, The Truck on the Track, and a vocal-monodrama, The Perfect Pig. Recent recordings include Albany Records' release of his Flute Sonata - performed by flutist, Katherine Fink, and pianist Rose Grace, Crescent Phase Records' release of his Woodwind Quintet - performed by the Madera Woodwind Quintet, and Kenneth Thompkins' (principal Detroit Symphony Orchestra) recording of his Alto-Trombone Sonata. Expect to see the release of a CD by Elizabeth Sombart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the coming year.

My journey has taken me across continents and cultures, cultivating a rich tapestry of musical mastery and innovative expression. With roots in esteemed institutions, a thirst for out-of-the-box ideas, and over four decades of experience, I've honed my craft - earning accolades and igniting passions along the way.

My experiences range from accompanying world-renowned vocalists and leading chamber ensembles to securing approval from the Chinese government to collaborate with a choir of Miao minority singers in staging Handel's Messiah at the Yunnan Minority Village, delivering a worship concert to an audience of over 3,000. I'm more than just a virtuoso pianist - I'm a multifaceted artist, dancer, and educator, dedicated to empowering others through the transformative power of art.

As the Founder and President of Transformance Art, my life is a testimony to the benefits of art, and I aim to share this with others through a vibrant hub where creative artists can connect and use their talents to uplift and inspire others. I want to see transformance artists build bridges through music and art and create a world where artistic expression will act as a powerful catalyst for personal and societal transformation.

Carla Thelen Hanson has garnered attention for exciting and vocally thrilling performances of opera's leading heroines in leading opera houses throughout the country and abroad including New York City Opera, Seattle Opera, and Santa Fe Opera, to name a few

While she has concentrated most of her singing life to Classical Music pursuits she is no stranger to other genres of music and was seen as Francesca Johnson in Calliope Theatre's production of The Bridges of Madison County and Dreamer in New Media Opera's workshop of Tempest Fugit. Upcoming she will be in Knoxville, TN with Transformance Art and their Meraki Project debuting original works by composer Philip Wharton on the subject of death by suicide.

Ms. Thelen Hanson is Instructor of Voice and Opera at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and has recorded an album of classical music titled Chanson d'amour with her long time collaborator and friend Ainhoa Urkijo available on Spotify, Google Play, YouTube and Amazon.

Saxophonist, multi-reedist, and composer Gregory Tardy is one of the most versatile jazz musicians of his generation, equally comfortable in a variety of musical and improvisational situations. Born into a musical family, he began his musical career studying classical clarinet. In his early 20s, while preparing for a symphony career he discovered jazz saxophone and hasn't looked back.

In 1992, he started playing with the legendary drummer, Elvin Jones, and he recorded his first CD, Crazy Love. As a sought after sideman he has played with many prominent jazz artists including: Andrew Hill, Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter, Don Byron, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali, Ellis Marsalis, Brian Lynch, John Patitucci, and many more. He has also performed and/or recorded along with many other notable saxophonists, such as Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Dewey Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and others. In more recent years, Tardy has gone full circle, by focusing on his clarinets more, using them on recordings by Tom Harrell, Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow, Stefan Harris, Chris Potter and Andrew Hill.

His performance schedule has taken him all over the world, playing at all of the major jazz festivals and on some of the biggest stages in jazz. As a sideman, he has been featured on several Downbeat Albums of the Year and also several Grammy nominated recordings; including a Grammy winning CD with Brian Lynch in 2006. He also has recorded fourteen CDs under his own name featuring his unique compositions, blending his love of traditional jazz with a more modern seeking style. His latest project, If Time Could Stand Still, was released in the fall of 2020 on WJ3 Records.

Abigail Tardy is so grateful to be emceeing this beautiful event for the evening. She is a junior at University of Tennessee majoring in Journalism & Media, but performance art is where her heart lies. Her own connection to the arts aided her own struggles with a deep depression. She is a singer, actress, dancer, and photographer. She has performed recently as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof (Wordplayers), Claudette/Diane/Charlotte in Walk, Don't Ride! (Wordplayers), Soeur St. Charles in Les Dialogues des Carmelites (UTOT), and the Narrator in The Journey: A Pilgrim's Progress (Gregory Tardy Tentet). She hopes everyone will be touched by the performances and art seen this evening.

Rob Linton began his journey as a bassist at the age of 18 in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned his undergraduate degree at UNC Charlotte where he studied with Ron Brendle, Will Campbell, and Mike Hackett. He continued on to complete his masters degree at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he primarily studied with Jon Hamar, Greg Tardy, and Mark Boling.

After school, Rob focused on performing and has had the opportunity to play with many world-class musicians within different musical genres. These include Eric Reed, Jason Marsalis, Greg Tardy, Abraham Burton, Jazzmeia Horn, Dave Potter and Retro Groove, Cecil Alexander, Taber Gable, Rod McGaha, Darren English, Jonathan Barber, and many others.

Rob is currently located in Nashville, Tennessee where he is the professor of Jazz Bass at Vanderbilt University.

Following his graduation from Florida State, Potter was chosen from a national pool of applicants to be a member of the Louis Armstrong Quintet at the University of New Orleans. Unfortunately, the tragedy of hurricane Katrina temporarily ended his hopes for a career in Louisiana. Soon after, Potter was awarded a full scholarship to The Julliard School in New York City. However, after several days of intense meditation he declined the offer and returned to Florida State University, where he received his master's degree after further collaboration with his mentor Marcus Roberts. The drummer is now based in Atlanta where he maintains a busy teaching and performing schedule while also touring with The Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet, Greg Tardy, Eric Reed, and Marcus Roberts, as well as his main project as a leader, Retro Groove.

Margherita Fava, is a pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator based in Knoxville, Tenn.

She was born on October 16, 1995, into a family of classical musicians in the small village of Follina in northeast Italy. Her parents are baroque specialists, her father a violinist and her mother a cellist and singer.

Fava started piano lessons at 10, picked up the electric bass as a teenager, and at 17 enrolled in a summer jazz program in nearby Venice sponsored by The New School from New York. One day she learned by ear Miles Davis' solo on "So What" from Kind of Blue. It changed her life.

"It was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me!" she says.

A scholarship to Michigan State brought Fava to East Lansing, where she studied piano with Xavier Davis and came into the orbit of the charismatic bassist Rodney Whitaker. After graduating with a degree in jazz studies, she earned a master's degree in music at the University of Tennessee, studying piano with Eric Reed and composition with Greg Tardy.

She currently collaborates with the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra on various projects like the concert series "NXT GEN" and the Knoxville Jazz Workshop.

In August 2022 she released her first EP of original music entitled "Okra/Search of the Unknown", available on bandcamp.

On March 10th 2023 her debut album "TATATU" was released, featuring Gregory Tardy, Michael Reed and Javier Enrique. The record received numerous positive reviews, including 4 stars on Downbeat and AllAboutJazz.

Leanne Thomas is a full-time mother to three boys, a passionate art teacher, and a practicing artist. She is honored to join Transformance Art as both an exhibiting artist and live painter for the event Beauty From Ashes. Her work for this show explores the redemptive and healing potential of creativity - how beauty often emerges through struggle, surrender, and transformation. She is excited to partner with artists from all genres and share stories of hope and survival.

Beauty from Ashes comes at an uncanny time in my life. September in years' past have held my own struggles with suicide and suicidal ideations. My first experience considering suicide was sophomore year of college. Life seemed increasingly vain, short lived, and meaningless, especially if death was the end. Through these trenches of despair I learned the beauty of life by its brevity. Thus, there was a certain mercy that creeped into the foundation of my existence and life. Second, September of 2021 had me deconstructing false narratives and names I believed about myself. Being completely undone and unraveled, I was at the end of myself. Here God stepped in and rebuilt me according to who He says I am.

Each time, art was an outlet to process and engage with these depths of darkness. And now I get to paint for this event; shining light, beauty, and hope that even the darkness succumbs to light and color.