The Greatness of Gospel XX:
My Soul Look Back In Wonder

Rebekah Acquah is the Founder of Eve's Grace Scholastic Innovation, author, creator and host of Fiery Faith TV, and an actress with BUSCH Talent Management. A survivor of Liberia's civil war, she draws on her testimony to inspire resilience, authenticity, and bold faith. Through her creative projects — whether film or theatrical work — Rebekah aspires to blend history, storytelling, and spiritual insight to empower and impact audiences worldwide.

Greg Aubin is a talented musician that excels in playing the bass and drums. In addition to being skilled in music, Greg Aubin is also a sound tech, using his knowledge to create amazing sound mixes. Greg Aubin is a skilled carpenter, utilizing their creativity and precision to build beautiful structures and remodels. With a passion for music and craftsmanship, Gregory Aubin is truly a multi-talented individual.

Joyce has been involved with music and the arts since elementary school. Starting in the second grade, she played the violin, then switched to the flute in the third grade. In the fourth grade, she auditioned and became part of the elementary school glee club. She sang and played the flute through middle school, and then in high school became involved in theater – doing costume design. Joyce graduated from Rhode Island College majoring in fine arts, squeezing in a few music courses when she was able. In her thirties, Joyce joined the Diocesan Gospel Choir and the Latin Choir at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus. In 1997, Holy Name Church started a gospel choir and in 2006, Joyce became the director of the Holy Name Gospel choir, the only Catholic gospel choir in the state of Rhode Island. Joyce also has been singing with RPM Voices of RI since 2004 and Mixed Magic Theatre's Exult Choir since 2017. In 2023 she performed in Mixed Magic Theatre's Well of a Woman and in 2024 and 2026 in From Free to Freedom.

With his natural talent as a drummer, Lenny was playing for his local church by the age of 13. Upon entering high school, he was one of the most sought after young drummers in the area. During high school (1997–2001), he was the sole drummer for the Cruise Rhythm Band, a group of fellow students who played many genres of music such as classic rock, jazz, funk and hip hop. Lenny's dedication to his craft, fascination with beats & sounds, along with a relentless work ethic, helped him to develop his skills as a professional drummer, which eventually led to the creation of his own signature style. Lenny joined the U.S. Army in his junior year of high school. While serving our country in three combat tours overseas, he played with several gospel bands alongside other troops in many dangerous war torn countries such as Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Upon returning to the U.S., he joined the Governor's own 88th Army National Guard Band which performs as a marching, concert, orchestra, jazz & rock band. Mr. Burrell also trained the Royal Bahamas Defense Force Rangers drumline prior to their performance in the 2015 Bristol, Rhode Island, 4th of July Parade. Lenny retired with 25+ years of service in July 2025. In January 2008, Lenny founded Burrell Drumming Academy (aka BDA) with a vision to "build musicians for the future." BDA offers drum lessons to students beginning at age 5 and, to this day, Burrell Drumming Academy has taught over 500 students the art of acoustic drums. BDA also offers after school drum lessons at various educational institutions throughout the region, such as Barrington Christian Academy, Times2 Academy, Social Sparks (which caters to special needs children and those with autism) and E3 Academy, and in 2016 BDA became incorporated. Burrell Drumming Academy has hosted several drum clinics featuring special guest performers such as Creation Drums, Pinch Clip, Zildjian & Vic Firth endorsed Urban Award winner (2010) Zeke Martin, DW Drums, Vic Firth and Zildjian artist, gospel drummer Larone (skeet_dabeat) McMillan, and former Shed Sessions gospel artist, Brooklyn, New York's own Isaiah David Johnson. Lenny has also expanded BDA with BMA, Burrell Music Academy, which offers hourly lessons in acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, and vocal, taught by people such as singer/songwriter Kim Trusty, bassist Samuel Joseph, and keyboardist Shawn Rowe. Currently, Lenny is in a rotation of musicians that plays for the world renowned Harlem Gospel Choir, recording artist singer/songwriter Kim Trusty, stage and television actress/singer and playwright Rose Weaver, vocalist/recording artist Sarah Barbosa, singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist Ana Paola-Monteiro, Mixed Magic Theatre Exult Choir, RPM (Brown University & Providence College) Choir, Portuguese singer/songwriter Michelle Romeiro Medeiros, a Boston Premier wedding band, RPM Voices of Rhode Island, Earl Bright & Elevated Choir, Redemption Band (which includes Bob Theodore of Sandy Shore Productions and singer/songwriter and worship leader Mrs. Teneille Ward Burke). Lenny Burrell is currently endorsed with TRX Cymbals, Cympad, Big Fat Snare Drum, Tru Tuner, Rtom products, Wambooka drumheads, and Mee audio. Find him online: facebook.com/Lenny.LennyJr · Burrell Drumming Academy · @Soldierlen · @BurrellDrumming

Michael Capeles has been drumming since he was a child, surrounded by his father's compadres who played instruments and had Afro-Caribbean, Puerto Rican Salsa and Navidena music playing at home. Although he was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, he grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and Cayey, Puerto Rico, for most of his adolescence, and was fascinated by live music. Influenced heavily by rock 'n roll, hip hop, and reggae, he later fell in love with heavy metal and funk. His knowledge and taste for drummers is extremely diverse, and he plays a variety of percussion instruments from the drum kit to congas, bongos, timbales, and maracas. From traditional styles like Bomba to jazz, blues and soul, Michael loves to play, preferably not alone. Through his research and experience as a teacher and performer at a variety of community events, festivals and performance arenas, he has become an educator of Afro-Indigenous history and culture through music, inspiring people of all ages.

Jeannie Carson is a native Rhode Islander and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, with a double B.A. in Theater and English. As well as being one of the original Mixed Magicians, she has worked as an actor with the lauded touring company of Looking Glass Theater, was featured as Anna in Rites and Reason's Skips in the Record by Rose Weaver, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sandra in Rose's Money by Kevin Broccoli. Recent roles include Edna in The Oldest Profession to sold out performances at the Barbage Theater Company in Pawtucket, RI, and the role of Momma in A Raisin in the Sun at The Players at Barker Playhouse. Jeannie has studied jazz, tap, and ballet. She has also worked as an assistant director, dramaturge, stage manager, and done costume and set construction. Jeannie is also a featured member of Mixed Magic's Exult Choir, including From Free to Freedom in the summer of 2026. Some of her stage roles at Mixed Magic include Alpha in the acclaimed adaptation of Frankenstein; Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet; Coretta Scott King in Fate Comes Knocking; Goneril in King Lear; Grumio in Taming of the Shrew; and Elijah and Fleece in Moby Dick: Then and Now, the adaptation by Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and multiple other venues.

Melody Forrest was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. A child piano and vocal prodigy at an early age, she began playing the piano at her family church where she learned how to play by ear. At the age of thirteen, Melody had the opportunity to sing background for Earth, Wind & Fire with her sisters, who had a family singing group. Melody was always around music, and remembers vividly how when she would walk down the street, she would hear construction work in the community and make music in her head as though it were a symphony to the so-called noise — her parents knew that she was a blessed child, and her mother often tells the story of how God told her to name her child Melody. Melody attended Hope High School's Essential Program, a college prep/music arts program partnered with Brown University. At fifteen she attended the Berklee College of Music/Boston Conservatory ten-week summer program, training as a classical pianist at the Boston Conservatory and a jazz performing art vocalist at Berklee. After high school she attended Rhode Island College, conferring her Bachelor of Arts degree while directing the Rhode Island College Gospel Choir; she also directed the Johnson & Wales Gospel Choir and the Brown University Gospel Choir. Melody later earned her M.Ed, specializing in Special Education, from Concordia University, writing her dissertation (based on Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory) on how people learn in different ways while incorporating music to aid memory, healing, and acceptance. She created a Music Appreciation Program for ALL, offered through local daycare schools in Cranston and Lincoln, Rhode Island. Melody is happily married to her husband Chris and has three children. She is an independent recording artist and 1/3 of the group Refined 313, who have shared the stage with artists including Michael Bublé, The Hamiltones, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Twinkie Clark (The Clark Sisters), Donnie McClurkin, Rance Allen, Dr. Bobby Jones, Mary Mary, John P. Kee, and Hezekiah Walker. Melody currently serves as Music Director for the Annual Rhode Island Juneteenth Festival. Her goal: to help people heal through music, globally.

Danielle Grise (she/her) has been involved in singing organizations, both onstage and backstage, for her entire adult life — from a cappella to gospel to barbershop. She has sung with the Rhode Island Feminist Chorus, Coastline Show Chorus, RPM of Rhode Island, Raging Grannies, the Beneficent Church Choir, Prism of Praise, and the Exult Choir. She believes that singing brings people together and sparks joy. She also works as the stage manager for Mixed Magic's Exult Choir, including for From Free to Freedom in the summer of 2026. Danielle lives in Pawtucket with her wife, and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and niblings.

Judy is thrilled and honored to be part of Mixed Magic Theatre's Exult Choir. She has always loved to sing — she began in her synagogue's children's choir, joined the Glee Club in high school and traveled to the former Soviet Union, and in her sophomore year of college sang in the University Chorus during a month spent performing all over India. After college, she performed, recorded, and toured for seven years with the Boston-based women's world music ensemble, Libana. Judy was an active participant in the RPM Voices of Rhode Island community gospel choir for close to two decades, and joined the Exult Choir several years ago. She considers herself "bi-sectional," singing either alto or tenor depending on the needs of the choir. She appreciates the diversity of a smaller choir like Exult — in race/ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, economic background, and more — and has known some of the Exult cohort for 20–30+ years across a range of social and professional involvements. Singing is essential to Judy's social, spiritual, and mental well-being; she also attends weekly Sacred Harp Singings in Providence and leads Hebrew chant circles, community rituals, and worship services. She has been with her Beloved for almost 50 years, has three adult children, one toddler granddaughter in NJ, and another due in Providence in the spring.

Kathryn "She Walks with the Wind" (Po Ne Paumashau Nish Toonahash) Morrison (Hewson) (she/her) is an alto vocalist and proud member of the Pokanoket Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation. She has sung with Mixed Magic Theatre's Exult Choir for 19 years. Kathryn is the CEO of Dream Weavers Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity uplifting Native and BIPOC communities through arts, culture, education, and wellness, and she works professionally as a P2P Coordinator at P&G. Rooted in Indigenous cultural preservation, she shares traditional language and lifeways and expresses her artistry through farm-to-table cooking and community education. She resides in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with her husband Kim and their children Xzavier and Jade, and holds a loving place in her life for Kim's adult children, Robin (Dante) and Daniel.

Diane Minasian (she/her) began singing with Mixed Magic Theatre's Exult Choir in 2026. She has also sung with various local choruses including The Ruach Singers, RPM Voices of Rhode Island, The Providence Resistance Chorus and The Pomegranates (a newly formed quartet focusing on Armenian music). As a family doctor, with a focus on community health for the most vulnerable, Diane believes in the power of music to promote the wellness of communities and to unite us across differences. Diane is most drawn to the intersection of music/creative arts, faith/spirituality and social justice.

Donna Osborne (she/her) is a native Rhode Islander of Native and African American descent. She is a happily retired elementary school ELL teacher who worked for the Providence School department for 30 years. Now, she is a medium, specializing in oracle card reading and table tipping. Donna was born and raised in Providence, and is the oldest of seven siblings. She loves to sing and has been involved with community choirs since 1986. Currently, one of her greatest joys is singing with Mixed Magic's Exult Choir, with whom she performed in From Free to Freedom in the summer of 2026. She also works with the Rhode Island Black Storytellers. She lives with her wife, dog, and two cats in Pawtucket, has four children, twelve grandchildren, and over 100 nieces, nephews, and niblings — and is a breast cancer survivor.

Kim Pitts-Wiley is an enthusiastic music educator and singer with over 20 years of experience specializing in vocal arrangement and choral direction. Throughout her tenure, she has directed a 30+ member choir in many performances and conducts her loyal and devoted choir members in a diverse repertoire of music including gospel, contemporary and experimental music. Her noteworthy performances include Mixed Magic Theatre's Annual Greatness of Gospel, Mixed Magic Theatre's Annual Revival Day, Mixed Magic Theatre's Annual Great Holiday Traditions, From Free to Freedom, as well as singing the National Anthem for the inaugurations of both Gina M. Raimondo and Daniel J. McKee.

Ricardo Pitts-Wiley is an actor, playwright, composer and director. He began his professional career at Trinity Repertory in Providence, RI in 1974, appearing in productions of Brother to Dragons, Gem of the Ocean, Radio Golf, A Christmas Carol, Tom Jones, Jumpers, The Little Foxes, Another Part of the Forest, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Good Times are Killing Me, Boesman and Lena, King Lear, MacBeth, Jonestown Express, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, The Piano Lesson, Master Harold and the Boys, and The Cider House Rules. He co-founded Mixed Magic Theatre with his wife Bernadet V. Pitts-Wiley in 2000. At Mixed Magic, Ricardo has appeared in productions of Fences, King Lear, Rose's Money, Othello, The Diner and Mr. Stone, Letter From Birmingham City Jail, Fate Comes Knocking, and Reflections: Growing Up a Black Man in America, and has directed more than 20 productions for the company. Ricardo is a 2017 Pell Award recipient, and the author and lyricist for the musicals Celebrations: An African Odyssey, Trains and Dreams, A Kwanzaa Song, Sara's Jukebox, Night's People, Man, Woman, Chaos, and The Well of Woman. As a playwright, he has written the civil rights dramas Fate Comes Knocking and Reflections: Growing Up a Black Man in America, From Free to Freedom, as well as page-to-stage adaptations of Moby Dick, Frankenstein, Don Quixote, The Red Tent, and two short stories by Zora Neale Hurston — Sweat and Gilded Six-Bits. He has taught theatre at MIT, University of Rhode Island, University of Southern California, Rhode Island College, University of Dartmouth, Hofstra University, Long Island University, and Eastern Michigan University, and has appeared in film and television including About Fate, Housesitter, Detroit, The Mouse, Spenser for Hire, Respite Road, Agent Toby Barks, Spenser Confidential, SMILF, The Test, Maverick Square, A Case of Deadly Force, Julia, The Act of Reading, and Against The Law.

Habibah Jones Quddus has been singing soprano with the Exult Choir since 2017, including performing in From Free to Freedom in the summer of 2026. She believed in her heart that it was time to find people to sing and heal with after a long term illness and years of isolation. Habibah attended Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts as a shy teen, and found her fascination with music and art exploration in the form of opera, jazz, gospel, and world music genres, live painting, voiceover, animation, and children's book creation. She later majored in Linguistic Anthropology at City College of New York, where she found a way to blend all her creative talents through songwriting, costumes, metaphysical arts, and spirituality. After spending ten-plus years learning to live and love life regardless of health and challenges, Habibah has dedicated her spirit, energy, and focus to sharing her creativity and skills to see others through the journey of living as artful a life as possible. Habibah lives in Rhode Island with her actor husband Yunus Quddus. Her most recent musical offerings can be found on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and other streaming platforms under the name Bibah Jo, with her inspirational debut song "EmotionOcean."

Jason Quinn is an actor/singer from Pawtucket, RI. He has been a member of Mixed Magic Theatre for the past 16 years, taking on diverse roles from a female maid to an African storyteller. Jason is also a member of the Mixed Magic Exult Choir. Outside of the theatre he enjoys cooking, playing piano, and guitar. Jason's previous Mixed Magic Theatre productions include When Mahalia Sings, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, Much Ado About Nothing, Frankenstein, Moby Dick, The Tempest, and Spirit Warrior's Dream. Other theatres: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Sweat, An Octoroon, A Lie Agreed Upon (Gamm Theatre); Octet, Once, Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Miss You Like Hell, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, Futurity, The Pirates of Penzance, Church, Passing Strange (Wilbury Theatre Group); One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, St. Joan, Breakfast at Tiffany's (2nd Story Theatre); Clyde's, Twelfth Night, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar (Burbage Theatre Company).

Ondrea Robinson was born in Delaware, and has lived in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, RI. Ondrea is a graduate of Classical High School and Rhode Island College. She has always had a passion for working with children and serving God; her passion for education led her to work as a special education teacher at an alternative school since 2002. She began singing in church at the age of 3, and by 15 was directing the teen choir at her church in addition to singing in two other choirs. In 2018, she challenged herself to connect with Mixed Magic Theatre and step outside of her comfort zone, and continues to assist there whenever she can. Ondrea is devoted to God and family, and lives by her favorite scripture, Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Richard Simonin has been a mechanical engineer since 1988, but his true passion is singing. He joined Exult Choir in the fall of 2017, and has performed in many shows. He has been married for 16 years, with three children and two grandchildren. He enjoys travel and playing golf in the summer.

Lauri Smalls (alto/tenor) has been singing with the Exult Choir for over ten years. She is a founding member of PTR Ministries, which launched in October 2021, and is the pastor of the historic Union Baptist Church, New Bedford, MA — the first female pastor in the church's history. Lauri has also sung with the local affiliate of the Harlem Gospel Choir, RPM Voices of Rhode Island, the Jewels Choir, The Voices of Unity, and True Worship. Lauri is the proud mother of two adult children, Lauren (Henry) Ventura and Robert Smalls, and one grandson. She is the Executive Director of Turning The Corner Residential Programs, and Vice President of M.B. Management Co. Inc., a family-owned business in Providence, RI. Lauri is treasurer for the Rhode Island Minister's Alliance, a board member of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches and the Narragansett Council of Boy Scouts of America, a member of the Black Leadership Institute (Second Cohort, Institute for Non-Profit Practice), President of the Rhode Island Coalition of Children and Families, and a founding member of both the Leaders of Color program (Building Bridges Initiative) and Leaders United for Change (CWCA).

Carlos Vega was born on February 29, 1964, in New York to Puerto Rican parents. He was raised in Pennsylvania and was always involved in church singing, in both Spanish and English. He performed in his first major play, The King and I, in 1977, when he was in middle school in Warwick, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he attended the Faith School of Theology, majoring in pastoral, human relations missions, and was involved in the school choir and the sign language choir. After graduating in 1987, Carlos moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where he worked with youth groups. He has been actively singing in community choral groups since 2009, with the Beneficent Church Choir, RPM Voices of Rhode Island, and the Providence Gay Men's Chorus. This is his first performance with Mixed Magic's Exult Choir. Music and spirituality keep him grounded.