Our Team

Representing a new generation of performing arts executives, Kevin Kwan Loucks has cultivated a distinguished leadership profile founded on artistic excellence, entrepreneurship, and innovative strategic design. Loucks was appointed CEO of Chamber Music America in 2021 after co-founding Chamber Music | OC and serving as Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

Geysa Castro joined CMA as Membership Manager in 2018 and was appointed Director in 2022. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Castro is a classically trained ballet dancer who has worked professionally with artists and companies in both Brazil and New York City. In 2002, she embarked on a new venture as a partner at Ginga P. Culture Business, a multifaceted Brazilian company that promotes cultural and business exchange through project and event production, business and marketing consulting, and artist development. Castro holds an MBA in Cultural Production and Administration with a focus in Creative Economy. She is the first Brazilian member of the professional networking organization Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA).

Susan Dadian came to CMA in 2002 from the New Jersey Chamber Music Society, where she served as executive director. A classical guitarist, Dadian received a BFA in Music History from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and did graduate work at the Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia.

José R. Feliciano is a versatile nonprofit professional whose experience is balanced between nonprofit administration and strategy; education; and community development. His past work includes nonprofit administration and grant-making; public policy and civic engagement work; creating people-centered and place-based approaches; and leadership development for creative professionals. He has a background in movement-based arts and music. He holds a BS ED from Central Connecticut State University and an MA from Penn State. He joined CMA in 2022.

Athena A. George is a versatile finance executive with more than 25 years of progressive experience in finance, operations, and business management within start-ups and global multi-billion-dollar organizations. She is a proven team builder who delivers effective support to C-level executives and other stakeholders. Globally, she has variously functioned as Controller, Director of Finance, and Chief Finance Officer for enterprises in the United States, Australia, Canada, England, France, and Mexico. Her lifelong connection to and interest in the arts has led her to apply her financial expertise to work involving the creative aspect of media, advertising, and TV production. Ms. George has also provided her financial expertise pro bono to art-related venues including several community-based entities in New Jersey. She joined CMA in 2022.

Nichole L. Knight is an experienced performing arts administrator, communications professional, and community builder. Before joining Chamber Music America, she worked in Marketing and Communications at The New School, home of the Mannes School of Music, and in Student Affairs at The Juilliard School. On staff at CMA since 2016, she served as Director of Operations from 2018-2022. She holds a BA from Smith College and an MA from The New School.

Orchid McRae (she/they) is a percussionist and composer based in Brooklyn, NY. She joined CMA as its Digital Content Editor in 2018; she is closely involved with conference planning, communications, and content creation at CMA. Prior to joining the CMA team, Orchid had interned for New York-based record label Pi Recordings, worked for press promotion company Pusher Music Publicity, and served as an artistic personal assistant. She has worked as a drummer with a wide range of acts including Tree Signs, Inana, Sofia Zarzuela, choreographer Alicia Steeves, Bald Uakari, and the collaborative trio Dot Iso. Current projects also include their new quartet, orchiddBB, and Active Field 6. Orchid is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, where she studied Jazz Composition.

Erica Murase is a classical pianist, educator, and arts administrator. She has premiered various solo and chamber works. She has taught students of all ages and worked as a chamber music coach at Stony Brook University. Before joining CMA in 2022, she worked at performing arts organizations including the Baruch Performing Arts Center and New York City Ballet. She earned a DMA in Piano Performance from Stony Brook University, an MM in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and an MA in Nonprofit Management from Baruch College.

Brenden is a media sales professional who has been assisting CMA constituents to reach broader audiences since 2002. He oversees print and digital sales for CMA’s quarterly magazine, Chamber Music, e-newsletter, Accent, and special events including CMA’s annual national conference. 

CJ Salvani joined CMA as a Membership Services/Accounting Associate in 2022.  His past work includes Operations for both the Pantages Theatre Los Angeles and the Public Theatre New York, along with his recent experience in the Education Department for Edge Studio; a Voice Over Organization.  He holds a BFA from AMDA LA, and continues his support for the Arts through his work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Ofir Tomer is a violist, violinist, educator, and chamber music advocate. He performs as a chamber musician and soloist, and has served on the teaching faculty of Juniata College, Susquehanna University, and the Penn State School of Music. Before joining CMA in 2023, he co-founded and served as director of Harbor Front Chamber Music in Port Jefferson, NY. He earned a DMA in viola performance from Stony Brook University, an MM in viola performance from Penn State University, and a dual BA in psychology and music from Susquehanna University.

Adriana Vergara, a New York City-based singer, composer, and educator, joined CMA in 2023. As Grant Programs Associate, she helps maintain and optimize grant-making data systems, processes, and procedures while supporting strategic development priorities that ensure CMA’s continued grant-making work. Adriana’s previous professional experiences encompass operations, arts administration, and arts education. A student of Jazz and Latin American music performance, she holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory and is currently completing a Master of Music from New Jersey City University. 

Larry Blumenfeld has written features, essays and interview pieces for Chamber Music since 2018, and previously served as a guest editor. He has written regularly about music, books and culture for The Wall Street Journal for the past 20 years, and writes often for Daily Beast. His work during the past 25 years has appeared in The Village Voice, The New York Times, New Orleans Times Picayune, Pitchfork and Salon, among others. His reporting often focuses on connections between the arts and social justice; as a critic, he specializes in jazz and Afro-Latin music. He was the 2019 Jeanette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Humanities at Syracuse University, and has received the Jazz Journalists Association’s Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing, an Open Society Institute Katrina Media Fellowship and a National Arts Journalism Fellow at Columbia University. He programs and hosts the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s “Jazz and Social Justice” series, and has lectured and presented at Harvard University, Yale University, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Lincoln Center, among others. He curates the jazz series of Spoleto Festival USA, in Charleston, S.C. and the Deer Isle Jazz Festival in Stonington, Maine.  

Andrew Frank is a freelance editor, journalist, and communications strategist. His work with CMA spans nearly a decade and includes more than six years as Editor of Chamber Music Magazine and two years as the organization’s Communications Director. In his current role as Managing Editor of Chamber Music, he supports the Editor and handles day-to-day production needs. When he’s not writing or editing, he moonlights as a guitarist and recording engineer.

Ben Schonhorn is a New York City-based reed doubler who recently graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Music in multiple woodwind performance. A freelance musician, Ben has performed with the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, the Garden State Philharmonic, PROTESTRA, and more. Prior to joining CMA in 2023, Ben held various roles at NYU including working on social media accounts for NYU. He is excited to utilize his skills at CMA.

Elva Tang joined CMA as Grant Programs Administrative Assistant in 2022. A trained flutist, Elva has earned performance degrees–a BM from UC Irvine and an MM from Michigan State University–in addition to a BS in Public Health Sciences from UC Irvine. She is currently completing her Graduate Professional Diploma in Flute Performance at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford.