Maia Livramento is a Cape Verdean/Native American visual and spoken word artist born, raised and residing in New Bedford, MA. She specializes in performance poetry known as “Slam” and won 1st place in the 2023 Juneteenth Virtual Poetry Slam. She served as a judge for New Bedford Art Museum's Echoes of Expression Poetry Contest and is a Team Leader and Program Director with the nonprofit organization3rd Eye Youth Empowerment. She is a featured artist in Ethan de Aguiar’s short film “Love Letters for New Bedford”.

Emmanuel “Manny” Escobar is a dynamic musician and educator, with roots firmly planted in Jazz, R&B and Afro-Latin creative traditions. He is a graduate of the Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory at Merit School of Music and Berklee College of Music and studied under Jan Berry Baker at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Emmanuel has performed and recorded with; Esperanza Spaulding, Reggie Workman, Loren Allred, Mayra Andrade, Pentatonix, Thaddeus Hogarth, Louis Cato, Roberta Miranda, Jermaine Paul, Cesaria Evora Orchestra, Grace Evora, Mika Mendes, Boy Ge Mendes, Tito Paris, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Emmanuel is an endorsing educator for Cannonball Musical Instruments, Rigotti Reeds and Syos Mouthpieces, a signed performing artist with Nightshift Entertainment - New England, adjunct faculty at Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts, and Music Director at Providence Country Day School.

Garrett Olson is a professional working actor, director, screenwriter, film maker, and seasoned fight director/stunt coordinator for stage and screen. He is currently the Technical Director and Associate Artistic Director for the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company, co-founder and one of the managing/creative producers for Danu Pictures, and is the former Technical Director/acting coach for the Boston Zombie Apocalypse.  An accomplished teaching artist and combatant instructor, Garrett’s classes in public speaking, acting, staged violence, and improv are crafted for students of all levels and abilities. Classes include adaptive programs to accommodate all abilities creating a truly immersive and inclusive opportunity for learning and growth.

Born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, “Candida Rose” Baptista is a 2nd generation American-born Cape Verdean. She is a vocalist, songwriter, entertainer, music and cultural educator, as well as a mother and grandmother. Her 10-song debut CD entitled “KabuMerikana: The Sum of Me”, combines her Cape Verdean musical roots with her American (primarily jazz) influences, a mixture she calls “KabuJazz”. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, specializing in African-American/World music performance and African-American Studies. She earned her Masters of Science from UMASS Boston in Transnational, Cultural, and Community Studies (now known as Critical Ethnic and Community Studies). Through her company Golden Rose Music, Candida spends her days traveling throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a Life Enrichment Entertainer singing for Nursing Homes, Assisted Living and Adult Day Care facilities, as well as for various senior groups and associations.

Geovanny is the Community Relations Specialist for the City of New Bedford, serves on the Board of Directors for the Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford, and was Chair of the 2023 MLK Day Planning Committee. He has taught Cape Verdean dance styles at Our Lady of Assumption Church and The Zeiterion’s Decades Dance Party.

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Deb picked up her first ukulele and instantly fell in love with this small but mighty instrument. Her passion for the ukulele led her to become one of the few New England teachers certified by the prestigious James Hill Ukulele Instructor Institute. A lifelong music lover, she also directs a ukulele band and has studied with musicians both local and international.

Originally from Washington, DC, T. Blair Taylor, relocated to New Bedford in the fall of 2022, accepting the position of Director of Education at The Z.  However, Blair has a long history with the stage. Using the stage name, “TinaB.”, she has trained under vocal coach, Eric Arceneaux of the popular AApproach and has been a certified AApproach instructor since 2009. In 2008, Tina B. was one third of a Washington, DC based R&B group, releasing several singles before releasing her solo debut ‘Pretty Monster’ in 2011, a work that received the attention of Grammy award-winning songstress, Jill Scott. Her desire for music inspired her to switch careers, focusing on modern vocal pedagogy and arts education.  She served as the Assistant Vocal Director at the Maryland Performing arts Center in Severna Park, MD from 2012-2015 and the Vocal Director of the SEED Falcon Theatre (SEED School of Washington, DC) in Washington, DC from 2015 until her move to New Bedford.

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Sue Young’s passion for dance started at just 6 years old when her mom signed her up for dance classes, laying the groundwork for a lifelong love of dance. She has studied under a diversified group of instructors and is experienced in ballet, jazz, tap, Irish Step, Latin, swing and ballroom. After recuperating from open heart surgery in 2012, she returned to teaching and became The Z’s Salsa instructor in 2016. But Sue doesn’t just stay in the classroom, she’s also a Zeiterion Volunteer Usher!