Meet the People
of United Sounds of America
Al Mills & Nnamdi Chukwuocha
Twin Poets, The United Sounds of America
Among many awards and honors, Twin Poets Albert Mills and Nnamdi Chukwuocha have been Delaware’s Poets Laureate since 2017 and in 2020 were named Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellows. Their art is profoundly integrated with their lives and their work in the community. In addition to being celebrated urban spoken-word poets, they are mentors, activists, veterans, coaches, historians, master social workers, non-profit administrators, and elected representatives in city and state government. Al and Nnamdi are involved in prison poetry programs across the Mid-Atlantic region and are the founders of Art for Life - Delaware, a youth and community development organization rooted in the arts. Anyone who has witnessed a performance or read a poem by the Twin Poets has felt the power of their work.
Makeda Hampton
Award-winning soprano Makeda Hampton is widely recognized for her warm and shimmering voice. She holds a doctorate from the University of Kentucky and has studied and performed across the United States and in Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Austria. Makeda appears regularly in the Metropolitan Opera chorus and performed in the Met's Grammy-winning recording of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and the Met premiere of Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. In addition to her work as a performer, Makeda is dedicated to equity in the classical music field.
Jonathan Whitney
Jonathan Whitney is a drummer, composer, and artivist who, in addition to composing and performing, uses the arts to connect people to create positive change in our communities. He recently received Delaware Division of the Arts Established Artist Fellowship for Jazz Composition and released his first CD with his ensemble The Whitney Project. Jonathan holds a masters in Jazz Studies from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts.
Mark Hagerty
Mark Hagerty is an award-winning, highly individualistic composer who pursued classical training as an instrumentalist, singer, and composer and then determined his own path, outside of any tradition or institution. His music has found enthusiastic audiences from Carnegie Hall to Iceland to Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro. While much of his work is inspired by science and nature, he is increasingly dedicated to using music in the service of social change.
Oksana Glouchko
Pianist Oksana Glouchko brings a persuasive, idiomatic, and commanding voice to the piano literature. A Russian-born Israeli, Dr. Glouchko has been a featured soloist at international festivals, performing with orchestras such as the Chile Symphony Orchestra, Rishon-Lezion Symphony Orchestra, and Carter Symphony Orchestra of Tel Aviv. She has won numerous piano competitions, including the prestigious Claudio Arrau International Competition in Chile. Dr. Glouchko holds advanced degrees in piano performance from Tel Aviv University and Stony Brook University, where she earned her Doctorate in Musical Arts, and has served on the piano faculty of various institutions.
James Allen Anderson
Award-winning maestro, pianist, and composer James Allen Anderson continues to engage audiences worldwide with entertaining and thought-provoking performances. Anderson’s pioneering projects, such as the University of Delaware Cultural Fusion Initiative (CFI) and Cinema Symphony Series, are stretching the boundaries of the traditional concert experience.
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“Along with our roles as Poets Laureate, this is by far my favorite project—I love how it brings artists and communities together. Jim and Mark’s expertise has allowed our words to ascend to new heights, and I’m sure it’ll inspire many artists and future collaborations.”
— Al Mills