Steve Hackman, conductor and creator
Denise Carite, vocalist
Jecory Arthur, vocalist
Marcus Tenney, vocalist
TaRon Lockett, drums
Nick Clark, bass
In conjunction with The Phoenix Symphony’s performance of Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection” one week earlier, conductor and music visionary Steve Hackman fuses highlights from Mahler’s Second Symphony with the rap music of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur into Resurrection Mixtape, a transformative exploration of life and death, legacy, struggle and triumph. Recordings such as Biggie’s “Juicy,” “Hypnotize” and “Who Shot Ya” and Tupac’s “Changes,” “Ghetto Gospel” and “California Love” are interpolated in thematically-linked mashups that speak of hard roads, ravaged communities, gangster life and letting loose. As Mahler’s music whirls and rises to its triumphant climax, you’ll be reminded of the powerful and profound legacy of these two rappers, who, twenty-five years after their deaths, are as relevant and essential as ever.
About Steve Hackman, conductor and creator
His groundbreaking orchestral fusions, such as Brahms X Radiohead and The Resurrection Mixtape (Mahler X Notorious BIG X Tupac Shakur), are introducing the symphony orchestra to its future audience; he has conducted these pieces to sellout houses across the country with the orchestras of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Colorado, Phoenix, Nashville, Oregon, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Columbus, Charlotte, Southwest Florida, Alabama, Colorado Music Festival, and the Boston Pops.
Hackman has teamed up with some of the biggest pop superstars of today to add a signature virtuosic and classical dimension to their work, including Steve Lacy, Doja Cat and Andrew Bird. He was trained at the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Piano Performance. He recently taught his first course at the Juilliard School entitled ‘Fusion, Re-imagination and Revelation.’
About Denise Carite, vocalist
From then on, there was a career flourish that brought on the opportunity to tour with recording artists, Mary J Blige, Anita Baker, Demi Lovato, Eric Benét, American Idol Top 10, Jazmine Sullivan, Usher, & Lalah Hathaway. For tv work she’s been in the House Band on the Voice for 11 seasons, 1 season in the House Band of To Tell The Truth hosted by Anthony Anderson, 1 Season of The Winner Is Hosted by Nick Lachey, 1 Season of Hollywood Game Night by Jane Lynch, and Vocal Coached for two seasons of the Four on Fox. She was also a featured singer on Scandal, and did small ensemble and choir work on Blackish, The Mayor, select The Lion Guard episodes, The Oscars, the Grammys, BET awards, American Music Awards, and iHeart Radio Awards.
She has recorded with Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, 30 Seconds to Mars, Adam Lambert, Moby, Coldplay, and has sung on the films Jordan Peele’s Us, The Lion King, Just Mercy, Hidden Figures, the Boss Baby, Monster High: The Great Scarrier Reef, and is the singing voice of R&B on Trollstopia. She has two song placements as a co-writer with Coldplay on “Higher Power” and Daya’s “Sit Still, Look Pretty” debut album.
While these life-changing opportunities have fueled her artistic fire, they have simultaneously kept Denise humbled and inspired. Her main goal is to not only apply what she has learned to her own artistic and creative presence, but also share it and help others reach their highest potential.
About Jecorey Arthur, vocalist
About Marcus Tenney, vocalist
His latest release entitled “DrumTapes” uses the drum set as the center piece for creation. This project was inspired by the great drummers that Tennishu has been working with over the years and represents the commitment to sit down and learn how to speak the language of the drum.
About TaRon Lockett, drums
Dallas native TaRon Lockett is a 2x Grammy Nominated drummer/producer has worked with Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Ceelo Green, Prince, Liv Warfield, Willie Nelson, Sheila E, and DJ DNice and currently tours with Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles.
About Nick Clark, bass
Nick has played an integral role in producing and programming shows, including Coachella, Kanye West’s YEEZY clothing line (Season 8—Paris), South By Southwest (SXSW), and Austin City Limits (ACL). The list also comprises various late-night television programs and numerous award shows, including the Billboard Awards and the Video Music Awards.
Before becoming a professional musician, Clark played college football at the Naval Academy and Texas State University, where he graduated as a four-year starter and received all-conference honors. He was a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Award for student-athletes who excel on the field and in the classroom.
While pursuing a Master’s in Physics, Clark became well-known within the national physics community and the local Austin music scene. After graduation, Samsung recruited him, beginning a dual lifestyle as an “engineer by day, musician by night.” Although engineering in a competitive, fast-paced environment presented tremendous personal and corporate growth, he decided that music would be his avenue to encourage and inspire the world.
