ART OF THE MUSE: Maria Thompson Corley; Medusa Was Black and Breeze

Maria Thompson Corley (BM, University of Alberta; MM, DMA, The Juilliard School) has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist in Canada, the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Europe. Her engagements as a soloist with orchestra include the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gunther Schuller. She and cellist Sara Male formed Duo Chiaroscuro in 2011; among their passions is performing concerts for people whose special needs prevent strict observance of concert protocols. Dr. Corley has recorded for Naxos, Albany, Parma, MSR Classics, and independent labels. Excerpts from her discs have been featured in movies and on television, radio and digital platforms, nationally and internationally.

Medusa Was Black is the Founder of Spellbound Poetry Slam based in Richmond, Va. Her work has been Emmy nominated and is a Graduate Fellow of the Watering Hole Writing Retreat. When she is not on poet time, she is a single mother of a 5 year old and cosplayer.

Breeze The Poet is a spoken word artist/ author/slam coach/battle rapper from Richmond VA. He has performed all over the country including venues such as The Broward Center for Performing Arts and the historic Apollo Theater. He is also a TV1 Lexus presents Verses and Flow alum.