Enrico Lopez-Yañez is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Nashville Symphony where he leads the Symphony’s Pops Series and Family Series. Lopez-Yañez is quickly establishing himself as one of the Nation’s leading conductors of popular music and becoming known for his unique style of audience engagement. Also an active composer/arranger, Lopez-Yañez has been commissioned to write for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Houston Symphony, and has had his works performed by orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Ft. Worth Symphony, Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Columbus Symphony, and Florida Orchestra.

Since working with the Nashville Symphony, Lopez-Yañez has conducted concerts with a broad spectrum of artists including: Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, The Beach Boys, Richard Marx, Toby Keith, Trisha Yearwood, Kellie Pickler, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Megan Hilty, Hanson, and more. Lopez-Yañez also conducts the annual Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th fireworks show which was first televised on CMT in 2019 reaching millions of viewers across the nation.

In the upcoming season, Lopez-Yañez will collaborate with artists including Itzhak Perlman, Nas, Leslie Odom Jr., Stewart Copeland of The Police, Ben Folds, Jennifer Nettles, Boz Scaggs, Kenny G, and more. Lopez-Yañez will appear with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Pacific Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and will make return appearances with the Detroit Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, and Toledo Symphony. Previously, Lopez-Yañez has appeared with orchestras throughout North America including the Aguascalientes Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Omaha Symphony, and Utah Symphony, among others.

As Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Symphonica Productions, LLC, Lopez-Yañez curates and leads programs designed to cultivate new audiences. An enthusiastic proponent of innovating the education concert experience, his exciting concerts “breathe new, exuberant life into classical programming for kids and families” (Nashville Parent Magazine). Symphonica’s productions have been described as “incredibly special – and something that needs to become the new norm in educational programing” (Lima Symphony).

As a producer, composer, and arranger, Lopez-Yañez’s work can be heard on numerous albums including the UNESCO benefit album Action Moves People United and children’s music albums including The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Hollywood Music and Media Awards, Family Choice Awards and Kokowanda Bay, winner of a Global Media Award as well as a Parents’ Choice Award where Lopez-Yañez was lauded for his “catchy arrangements” (Parents’ Choice Foundation).

For more information, visit: www.enricolopezyanez.com

Maiya Sykes is a classically trained vocalist, producer, vocal arranger and entrepreneur. She studied independently with Nina Simone and Betty Carter. After graduating from Yale University, she went on to further her musical education at The Musicians’ Institute.

Sykes has provided back-up vocals for for The Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Michael Buble, Leona Lewis, and Rita Ora. She was a featured backup singer for Macy Gray in her live show for more than five years. She recently provided backgrounds and was featured in the Oscar award winning film La La Land.

As a recording artist, Sykes released a dance single with DJ Manny Lehman, “Body Rock,” recorded under the pseudonym Oceana, which reached number 1 on the Billboard Dance Charts in 2009.

Shortly after her for chair turning debut on season 7 of The Voice, Sykes began working with YouTube sensation Postmodern Juxebox. Her featured videos with Postmodern Juxebox have received over 3 million views and have been mentioned in Time Magazine and the Huffington Post.

Currently, Sykes has been busy as the lead singer of The Endangered. The band’s second release, produced by legendary producer Steven Miller (Dave Mathews Band, Chaka Kahn), was released in early March 2012 to critical acclaim. The band’s next release is slated for early 2018. She is also working on her own projects. The first is an album of all original music and the second will be a big band tribute to Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley. Both are slated for release in early 2018.

Singer. Songwriter. Producer. Actor. CEO. Visionary. Philanthropist. Imagineer.  

Two time Emmy Award-winner, four-time Grammy Award-nominated artist, B.Slade, is called to write, produce and perform alongside his musical idols, from Janet Jackson and Patti Labelle to Snoop Dogg and Kim Burrell. B.Slade ranks as a top favorite amongst A-listers. He began his journey over 20 years ago, and has since written and produced over 300 songs. B.Slade makes memorable appearances in all genres of music. Most recently compared to Prince, B.Slade similarly plays multiple instruments and has an unmatched vocal range—so respected that he tours with both Patti LaBelle as featured vocalist and percussionist, as well as a featured vocalist on select dates with Prince’s former band The New Power Generation.  

As a highly sought-after songwriter and producer, B.Slade has written or produced for some of the biggest artists in the industry including Chaka Khan (“I Love Myself”), Sheila E. (“Fiesta”), Snoop Dogg ( "Words Are Few" whose video garnered over 2 million YouTube plays, among other tracks on Snoop's #1 Gospel album, "Bible Of Love"), Faith Evans (“Paradise”), and Angie Fisher, for which he wrote and co-produced her 2014 debut smash hit single, “I.R.S.”, garnering Fisher’s first Grammy Award nomination and B.Slade’s third. B.Slade has also collaborated with artists such as Chris Brown, Kanye West, Janet Jackson, Ty Dolla Sign, Ledisi, Eric Benet, and many more.  

B.Slade has also penned the theme song and incidental music for the OWN Network TV Series Flex & Shanice, starring husband and wife Flex Alexander and Shanice Wilson. He also wrote and co-produced Shanice’s songs “Gotta Blame Me” and “We Can Fly”, which appeared on the series, and also feature B.Slade on co-lead vocals. B.Slade later co-directed (with Logan Alexander) and choreographed the music video for “Gotta Blame Me”. B.Slade also co-wrote and co-performed the theme song to the hit TV show, One On One (also starring Flex Alexander), with Shanice. The show was recently added to Netflix’s program.