THE ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT PRESENTS
SENIOR SEND-OFF
QAADIRAH ABDUR-RAHIM
SENIOR SEND-OFF SPEAKER
DENIELLE WILSON
GUEST ARTIST & SPEAKER
MAY 6 | 6:30PM
AMP CENTER FOR PERFORMANCE & EDUCATION
Atlanta Music Project Board of Directors
Philip M. Juravel, CPA, Chair
Jennifer Dorian, Vice-Chair
Byron Gibbs, Treasurer
Racheal Woods, Secretary
Sarah Griesenauer-Barros, Ben Cherian, Anne Cross, Deva Hirsch, Valerie L. Holmes, James F. Lock III, Aaron C. Mitchell, Ceasar C. Mitchell Jr.,
Aisha Moody, Shawn Pacely, Andy D. Pittman, Dantes Rameau, John Sparrow
Atlanta Music Project Staff
Aisha Moody, Co-Founder & Chief Program Officer
Amber Taylor, Associate Director of AMP Academy
Breanna Johnson, Director of Choral Programs
Cruz Duhart, Operations Associate
Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dennis Freeman, Van Driver
D’Laney Bowry, Development & Grants Manager
Durand Bailey, Senior Director of Operations
Isaiah Cuffey, Preparatory School Program Manager
Jack W. Wagner, Director of Grants
José L. Morales, Marketing & Graphic Design Associate
Lauren Jones, Program Operations Associate
Lauren Spence, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer
Liesl McWhorter, Youth Orchestras Program Manager
Lydia Falcon, After-School Programs Associate
Michael Crawford, Facilities Manager
Miriam Huppert, Director of College & Career Services
Nassareen Rahman, Van Driver
Ron Pace, Finance Manager
AMP CLASS OF 2025
Adrianne Johnson, clarinet
Anaya Ricketts, violin
Antwan Hailey Jr., voice
Asha White, violin
Azza Obeng, violin
Bailey Mines, voice
Brooklyn Chaney, double bass
Chase Matthews, flute
Christian Ramos, tuba
Coco Perkins, voice
Destiny Sutton, voice
Eden Kearse, voice
Jackson Betts, violin
Joshua Croom, viola
Keila Rodriguez-Porras, violin
Kendel Felton, cello
Koa Edwards, violin
Makaylah Owens-Cook, voice
Makyla Platt, voice
Nailah Ruffin, voice
Neilah Bell, voice
Nicholas Doyle, viola
Raiah Wright, cello
Tyaire Charles, voice
Virika Earl, cello
Zeniobiah Arif, voice
Congratulations to all graduating seniors!
Special thank you to the Chestnut Family Foundation for its major support of AMP’s College & Career Services program.
DENIELLE WILSON
Her interest in a career as an orchestral musician began while spending five years in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program, studying with cellist Joel Dallow. In this program, she and other students with Black and/or Latinx backgrounds received an advanced music education from the ASO through lessons, performances, and scholarships in preparation for college-level music studies and eventually careers in Western classical music. She went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance and Music Education from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, with her primary mentors being Hans Jørgen Jensen and Wei Yu. While at NU, she played in the school’s Symphony Orchestra and the NU Cello Ensemble, as well as participated in chamber music groups coached by the Dover Quartet.
After graduation, she spent two years performing in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as a fellow and co-principal cellist, helping create and present educational programs for a variety of audiences. She found additional performance opportunities throughout several communities within Chicago through the Grant Park Music Festival String Fellowship, the Matt Jones Orchestra, and Groupmuse house concerts. She also temporarily became a full-time string orchestra instructor and sectionals coach for various elementary, middle, and high schools in the Evanston and Skokie areas.
More recently, Denielle completed her master’s degree through the Diversity Fellowship with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Alongside her academic studies, she received regular mentorship, audition coaching, and performance opportunities from musicians of the CSO. After winning first prize in the Strings and Harp division of the Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions (SOPA) Excerpt Competition in 2021, she was invited to play with the Charlotte Symphony as an acting section musician for their 2021-2022 season.
Her past summer musical experiences include the Interlochen Arts Camp, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Franklin Pond Chamber Music, Meadowmount School of Music, Aspen Music Festival and School, Grant Park Music Festival, and Orchestra of the Americas. Other musical mentors include Alan Rafferty, Hiro Matsuo, Ilya Finkelshteyn, Robert deMaine, Melissa Kraut, Abraham Feder, and Nan Kimberling.
QAADIRAH ABDUR-RAHIM, M.B.A
The Urban Fellows program recognized Qaadirah Abdur-Rahim as one of “America’s Leaders of Change.” She is a transformative Tri-Sector leader with a proven track record of leading impactful organizations. A decorated military veteran, she leverages her experience as a nonprofit founder and CEO, Cabinet-level government official, and corporate executive to align social impact, DEI, and belonging initiatives to cultivate thriving communities, build resilient cultures, and deliver measurable commercial success.
In her role at BlackRock, Qaadirah spearheaded a community strategy that significantly amplified the Atlanta innovation hub’s reach, resulting in a 350% surge in website traffic and a 100% increase in volunteerism within the first year. As Atlanta’s Chief Equity Officer, she codified the city’s first Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, launched a city-wide equity task force, and overhauled city branding to reinforce Atlanta’s commitment to equity. She also championed a children’s savings account program, providing all Atlanta Public School kindergarteners with a financial head start.
Before her government service, Qaadirah co-founded and led Future Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty. Over 17 years, she scaled the organization from two staff members to 50, serving over 30,000 students and achieving a 400% revenue increase. A graduate of UC Berkeley with an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, Qaadirah’s leadership is grounded in her experience as a U.S. Air Force Reservist, demonstrating a consistent commitment to service and excellence.
Named one of America’s “Leaders of Change” by the National Urban Fellows Program and a “Next Generation Activist & Philanthropist,” Atlanta Magazine.
