Forward Campaign Launch

Terrapin Steel is the University of Maryland’s official steelband program, founded in 2024 by Dr. Josanne Francis. The idea gained momentum following a 2022 collaboration between Francis and Dr. Andrea Brown, director of the Mighty Sound of Maryland (UMD Marching Band), on a vibrant Caribbean-themed halftime show. This performance featured the marching band alongside the Maryland Steel Collective—a group made up of Francis and other local pannists—and included special guests on the field.

The show highlighted steelband arrangements of Caribbean hits such as Arrow’s "Hot Hot Hot," Rihanna’s "Raining Men," Ken “Professor” Philmore’s "Pan by Storm," and Machel Montano’s "Like ah Boss." Arrangers included Francis, Adam Grisé and Professor Philmore. Local Caribbean DJ Giovanni and a spectacular “Queen of the Band” costume by designer Joanne Meighoo added to the high-energy production. The excitement and visibility from that performance helped spark interest and support for a formal steelband program at UMD.

With backing from the School of Music and the campus-wide Arts for All initiative, Terrapin Steel launched in Fall 2024 with two classes. Over that winter break, steelpans handcrafted in Trinidad arrived on campus. In Spring 2025, the program expanded to include four middle school steelbands through the Terrapin Community Music School.

In its first year, Terrapin Steel completed six public performances, including a special performance for soca artist Nailah Blackman during her visit to campus. The ensemble performs on MITTCO pans and uses Pantuner stands.

Featured musicians include:

Ally Rizzo
Daniel Melendez
Soleila Harewood
Keiannah Davis
Emily Blake
Nicholas Gonzalez
Jay Smith
Grace Tifford
Henry Sheppard
Darren Shillingford

The Terrapin Trumpet Ensemble is a graduate student ensemble at the University of Maryland. These students perform with the top ensembles at the School of Music, including the Wind Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Brass Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble as well as the Graduate Fellowship Ensemble Terrapin Brass Quintet. Members come from all around the country including states such as Alabama, California and our home state of Maryland. Featuring four Masters level students and one doctoral candidate, this ensemble is proud to help showcase the rich musical artistry of the University of Maryland.

Featured musicians include:

Tatiana Giesler
Dillon Niles
Faith Kirschling
Theodore Hornsby
Gerardo Granados

The Quantum Choreographies Project features Dr. Carl A. Miller, a National Institute of Standards and Technology mathematician and the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science co-director, and dancers from the University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS). The performance explores how dance and the human body can serve as a visual metaphor to communicate the mathematical principles as well as the awe-inspiring phenomenon that makes quantum computing such an exciting frontier of science. 

The research and creative team behind “Quantum Choreographies” includes Miller; Professor Jonathan David Martin (Immersive Media Design); Professor Adriane Fang and Professor Sam Crawford (TDPS); and Professor Tim Kelly (Oregon State University). Funding for this project has been provided by the University of Maryland’s Arts for All Initiative and Division of Research in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance.

Featured performers include:

Bree Breeden
Jamie Chen
C. Macko
Beatriz Moreira-Leite
Layla Nordrum
Peter Pattengill
Angela Smith
Julie Zalalutdinov
Dr. Carl A. Miller

The UMD Chamber Singers have garnered international acclaim for their distinguished performances of complex choral repertoire that spans over 500 years of music history. The Chamber Singers maintain an active performance schedule in collaboration with prestigious orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In addition to their symphonic engagements, the ensemble is particularly noted for its interpretation of seminal a cappella works of the 20th and 21st centuries, and collaborates regularly with esteemed conductors of international renown.

Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand serves as the director of choral activities at the University of Maryland, assuming the role in Fall of 2022. He is very humbled to be standing on the shoulders of his mentor, Professor Edward Maclary, who guided the choral program for over 20 years. He maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and lecturer at schools, universities, churches, and choral festivals and conferences, both domestic and international. Ferdinand holds degrees from Oakwood University, Morgan State University, and the University of Maryland, where he earned a doctorate in choral conducting.

Featured singers include:

David Agia
Emilia Alban
Ellie Arenstein
Adwita Arvind
Erica Axtell
Julion Beckham
Abigail Bilenki
Sarah Borruso
Yu-Hsuan Chen
Giovanni Clarke
Genavieve Clayton
Kevin Crouch
Hanako Duffie
Cassidy Eyres
Lily Gallihue
Matré Grant
Camille Handerhan
Daphine Henderson
William Hernandez
Kirsten Holmes
Henry Horst
Julie Huang Tucker
Michael Hudlin
Jacqueline Hull
DeAndre Johnson
Sasha Kandybin
Mary Shea Kealey Kustas
Eric Beomjin Kim
Joshua Kinsinger
Jonathan Kite
Zoe Kushbar
Ana Lane
Joshua Lee
Isabel Marcus
Nicholas Mathew
Jess Momanyi
Jason New
Ayocuan Pachego
Joshua Pelzer
Abha Phillips
Cecilia Plumer
Matthew Podsednik
Jude Reagan
Sammy Shay
Eleanor Smedberg
Nina Staniszewska
Eleanor Sturm
Noah Tarjan
Trevor Tran
Matthew Tremba
Ella Weikert
Madison Weil
Aidan Wilbur
Deacon Withers
Nathaniel Wolff