Alexa Clawson is a student at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (BCB), where she will earn a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance in 2025.  At BCB, she studies with Nancy Zeltsman, Samuel Soloman, and Jon Bisesi.  Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, Alexa studied percussion with Luke Rinderknecht and Bill Ransom.  Prior to her college career, she was a member of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, where she had the honor of working with Cleveland Orchestra percussionist Tom Sherwood.  Throughout middle school and high school, Alexa was also a Musical Pathways Fellow at the Cleveland Institute of Music and a member of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony.  In addition, Alexa has participated in multiple summer music festivals and seminars, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival; the National Alliance of Audition Support Audition Intensive with members of the U.S. Navy Band; and the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar.  Alexa’s goal is to win a position with a major symphony orchestra, in addition to recording scores for movies, television, and video games.

 Cosmo Fernandez is a percussionist with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) and YOLA Institute under the direction of Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  He is skilled in various percussion instruments such as drum set, snare drum, glockenspiel, and timpani.  His natural affinity for music started at an early age, picking up any instrument in sight and often creating his own with household objects.  He used his imagination and ingenuity to compose unique pieces full of his creative spirit.  As a part of the YOLA family, along with being a percussionist in the Culver City Middle School Concert Band, Cosmo is discovering the joy of playing music with others.  He is enthusiastic to continue his musical journey filled with collaboration, exploration and rhythm.

Gabriel Harvey was always fond of music.  When he was very young, he began learning the piano and guitar.  At the age of 10, he started studying percussion and enjoyed percussion so much that he set himself on a journey to make it his living.  Gabriel is currently an undergraduate at Cal State Long Beach where he is pursuing a degree in Music Performance and Education in Percussion.  He has already made strides in his career by being one of the only freshman in his class to be in Long Beach’s Wind Symphony and performing at the John Sousa festival in Washington, DC.  Two of Gabriel’s future goals are to travel the world while playing music  and, more importantly, to connect with people when he plays music.

 London Johnson currently attends Burbank High School in Burbank, CA.  He was born and raised in Canton, Mississippi where his love of music originated from his gospel-loving family.  As he got older and reached middle school, his talent strayed toward instrumental music.  His love of percussion grew from there, and his talents in the performing arts resulted in his move to California in 2019.  While in California, the tutelage of many professional musicians contributed to London’s growth as a percussionist in marching band, big band, and orchestra at his school.  In early 2024, he participated in the Rise Diversity Orchestra as a part of the nonprofit organization “Musicians At Play,” and performed on the recorded soundtrack of the upcoming Netflix series, Beverly Hills Cop.  His ultimate dream and goal is to be able to touch people’s hearts and connect with them through his musical talents.

 Shain McDougald, Jr., 19 years old, hails from Raeford, North Carolina.  Shain developed discipline early on, shaped by his parents’ influence and his involvement in basketball, marching band, and other sports activities.  He is currently a freshman at Virginia State University, pursuing an undergraduate degree in Music Education.  Shain’s passion for music began when he started marching for his high school drumline in middle school, eventually leading him to explore concert percussion.  At Virginia State University, he serves as principal percussion under the guidance of Dr. Lamon Lawhorn and Dr. Samuel Rowley.  Shain recently achieved success by winning the 2024 IMA Student Recital Competition.  He aspires to become an educator and professor in music, aiming to inspire his community with a shared love for music and the power to move hearts and minds through it.