ARJUN SODHI
Climate Goals and Initiatives
Arjun Sodhi is a globally recognized designer, visionary, and ethical innovator whose career defies categorization. As the Director of Climate Goals and Initiatives at Nexus Arts Group, he brings decades of cross-disciplinary expertise spanning sustainable design, regenerative systems, architecture, renewable energy, and public engagement. Known for uniting poetic creativity with environmental pragmatism, Arjun believes design must serve a greater social and ecological purpose.
A Renaissance Perspective in a Climate-Critical Age
Arjun Sodhi’s work flows from a deep lineage of artistic, scientific, and philosophical inquiry—what he calls “a direct descent from the Renaissance.” From his earliest forays into design, he has sought to transcend superficial aesthetics, instead extracting the structural and emotional essence of objects, systems, and spaces. He builds with the belief that form must always follow a profound function: to heal, to connect, and to sustain life.
This approach has led to a vast and protean body of work—spanning over 3,000 realized and conceptual projects globally. His portfolio includes minimalist, zero-waste furniture lines; immersive ecological architecture; urban agriculture installations; biomaterials research; sustainable mobility solutions including next-gen electric vehicles; and community-driven renewable energy infrastructure.
Visionary Design Meets Environmental Stewardship
At Nexus Arts Group, Arjun leads with a transformative vision: to embed climate consciousness into every layer of creative and operational practice. He directs interdisciplinary teams to develop and implement green strategies across productions, exhibitions, architecture, energy use, and audience engagement. Under his leadership, NAG has committed to achieving a zero-carbon footprint, embracing circular design systems, and forging cross-sector collaborations that promote innovation in democratic ecology.
Arjun’s understanding of “dematerialization” — reducing the environmental burden of design while enhancing its meaning and impact — is at the core of his methodology. His projects often eliminate excess, illuminate essentials, and highlight materials that respect and regenerate the planet.
JONATHAN TAYLOR
Orchestra Nexus Business Manager
Jonathan Taylor graduated from Penn State University with a BS degree in Accounting in 1990, and became a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York since 1994. Jon began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young reaching the level of Audit Manager. From 1996 through 2022 Jon continued to practice public accounting becoming an Audit Partner in 2000. Industries serviced included Private Equity, Entertainment, Digital Marketing, Distribution, Not-for-Profit Organizations, Advertising, and others.
Jon also handled intellectual property and royalty examinations for clients including the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Beginning in 2023, Jon is the President of Outset Solutions, LLC providing Accounting and Consulting services and outsourced Chief Financial Officer Services, primarily to the Entertainment, Sports, Not-for-Profit, Advertising, Digital Media and Private Equity industries.
JAMES JORDAN
Choral Activities
World Music Education
Grammy-nominated conductor James Jordan, Conductor Emeritus at Westminster Choir College, is internationally recognized as one of America's pre-eminent choral conductors, educators, authors, and innovators in the field of choral music. His influence spans more than three decades, transforming choral pedagogy and conducting instruction worldwide.
Daniel Hyde, conductor of The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, has described the choirs under Jordan’s direction as “The Rolls-Royce of Choirs.” Jordan has been praised for his visionary leadership, with The Choral Journal calling him “a visionary,” and his acclaimed book Evoking Sound cited as a “must-read” for conductors.
He is the author of more than 60 books on musicianship, conducting, rehearsal pedagogy, and the philosophical and spiritual foundations of music-making. His publications have become essential resources for conductors around the world. A selection of his most important works can be found at: thechoralacademy.com/library.
At Westminster Choir College, Jordan served as Professor and Director of Choral Studies, leading the historic Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, as well as earlier conducting the Chapel Choir and Schola Cantorum. He spent 12 years developing the Westminster Williamson Voices into one of the world’s most celebrated ensembles, with 10 critically acclaimed CDs to their credit. Their Grammy-nominated recording of Annelies by James Whitbourn (Naxos) is now among the most frequently performed choral works worldwide.
He is Artistic Director and Conductor of The Same Stream, a professional choral ensemble, and co-founded The Choral Institute at Oxford in 2012 with the late composer James Whitbourn. Jordan also directs the Westminster Conducting Institute and has mentored thousands of musicians through summer programs at Westminster from 1991 to 2019.
Jordan’s pedagogical lineage includes mentorship from some of the 20th century’s leading conductors and educators: Elaine Brown, Gail Poch, Janet Yamron, Joseph Flummerfelt, Frauke Haasemann, Helmut Rilling, Volker Hempfling, and Eric Ericson. He studied music psychology under Edwin E. Gordon, with whom he collaborated extensively to reshape the musicality and approach of choral education around the globe.
As the first musician to apply Rudolf von Laban’s Effort/Shape movement principles to conducting and rhythm pedagogy, his book The Conductor’s Gesture is widely considered the foundational work in this area.
Jordan’s discography includes 20 CDs with the Westminster Choir, Westminster Williamson Voices, and The Same Stream. His recording of Annelies was praised by Choir & Organ for its “profound and emotionally charged” interpretation.
Recent releases include:
A Serenity of Soul– Westminster Choir
Mozart Requiem– Pittsburgh Symphony, conducted by Manfred Honeck 30th Anniversary Recording of An Evening of Readings and Carols – available on CD and PBS.
His work with The Same Stream is also featured in a documentary produced by J.W. Pepper, viewable at thesamestreamchoir.com.
Jordan has been featured on various podcasts, including Luminous: Conversations on Sacred Arts, and his celebrated episode of Choralosophy is available here: YouTube link.
His honors include induction into Temple University’s Hall of Fame and the Distinguished Alumni Medal from Susquehanna University. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree by the University of Aberdeen in Scotland—an honor shared by only one other American, Morten Lauridsen, and historically by Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten, and Dame Joan Sutherland.
A passionate advocate for living composers, Jordan serves as Executive Editor of the Evoking Sound Choral Series, which includes more than 300 published works. He also created The Virtual Classroom at GIA Music, one of the most comprehensive online resources for choral and conducting pedagogy.
Study opportunities and educational content from James Jordan are available at thechoralacademy.com.
TIM SHARP
Choral Activities
Discovery Series
Tim Sharp served from 2008-2020 as Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association, the world’s largest organization of choral conductors, teachers, students, scholars, composers, and choral industry representatives. Under his leadership, ACDA pursued an aggressive agenda of strategic planning and progressive and innovative initiatives to keep the Association energized and relevant in the 21st century. Dr. Sharp represents choral activity in the United States as a Board Member of the International Federation for Choral Music, and he serves as Vice-President of Musica International. Sharp appears regularly as conductor and clinician around the world, with recent performances in Austria, China, England, Greece, Ireland, and Thailand, and in major concert halls throughout the United States.
As a composer, Tim’s Come Away to the Skies: A High Lonesome Bluegrass Mass has elicited critical acclaim, with reviewers observing that the work is “…unfailingly true to itself, lacking in pretense, simple, direct, and heartfelt,” and a “dynamic, crowd-pleasing performance.”
Before joining ACDA, Sharp was Dean of Fine Arts at Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, where he conducted the Rhodes Singers and Master Singers Chorale. Prior to Memphis, Tim conducted the Belmont University Chorale and Oratorio Chorus, Nashville, TN, where he received choral credits on the Grammy Nominated and Dove Award winning recording, A Glen Campbell Christmas.
A prolific author, Dr. Sharp’s publications include Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts, Precision Conducting, Up Front! Becoming the Complete Choral Conductor, Achieving Choral Blend and Balance, Memphis Music Before the Blues, Nashville Music Before Country, Jubilate! Amen!, The German Songbook in the 19th Century, A Short History of the American Choral Directors Association, Collaborative Creativity, and a wide variety of published articles, essays, and CD liner notes for recordings by Helmuth Rilling, Iona Brown, Neville Marriner, and The King’s Singers. His most recent book publications include the historical-critical edition Johannes Herbst: Hymns to be Sung at the Pianoforte (published by Steglein) and Collaborating in the Ensemble Arts: Working and Playing Well with Others (published by GIA). GIA has also released Tim’s third book in his ensemble series, Innovation in the Ensemble Arts: Sustaining Creativity.
Sharp holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the School of Church Music of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He is a Clare Hall Life Fellow at Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK, and has studied at the Aspen School of Music and the Harvard NEH Medieval Sacred Music Studies program.
NICHOLAS SIMPSON
Artist Management
Internationally acclaimed tenor Nicholas Simpson brings a wealth of artistic excellence, industry insight, and global perspective to his role as Head of Artist Management at Nexus Arts Group. Praised by Opera News for his “full-bodied, brightly projected voice” and by Corriere di Rimini for his “technical and expressive capability,” Simpson has forged a dynamic performing career that spans all seven continents, with a repertoire encompassing grand opera, oratorio, Broadway, and contemporary works.
Nicholas Simpson’s 2024–2025 season reflects the breadth of his artistry: from Tosca with Teatro Lirico D’Europa and The Barber of Seville with Druid City Opera to international concert tours in Europe and Africa. He recently returned to Carnegie Hall as tenor soloist in the world premiere of Loretta Notareschi’s Climate Mass, and performed in festivals, gala benefits, and masterclasses across North America. His notable operatic roles include Don José (Carmen), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), and King Charles II (Prince of Players), with performances that have earned widespread critical acclaim.
Mr. Simpson made his Lincoln Center debut in The Barber of Seville with Teatro Nuovo and was featured in the New York premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s final opera. His contemporary work includes lead roles in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night and Daniel Catán’s La hija de Rappaccini. He has also performed as a soloist in Messiah and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with symphony orchestras across the U.S., and presented solo shows internationally with Azamara Cruises.
In his leadership role at Nexus Arts Group, Simpson brings his deep experience as a performer, educator, and advocate for emerging talent to support and develop the next generation of artists. As Head of Artist Management, he oversees strategic development, career coaching, and artistic planning for a diverse roster of vocal and instrumental performers. His mentorship is rooted in real-world knowledge and a passion for helping artists navigate the evolving landscape of performance, education, and creative entrepreneurship.
A dedicated educator, Simpson has served on the faculty at Southwestern University, Spotlight on Opera, and the Mediterranean Opera Studio. He has led masterclasses at Brown University, Mount Saint Mary University, and high schools across the country. His students have gone on to study at top conservatories including Eastman, Carnegie Mellon, Mannes, Northwestern, and the Royal College of Music (London), and have appeared with leading festivals and young artist programs.
Nicholas Simpson holds a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Missouri and a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He continues to perform internationally and is represented by Lombardo Associates.
DIANE LESSER
Orchestra Management
Diane Lesser is one of America’s foremost oboists, recognized for her remarkable versatility, expressive artistry, and deep contributions to orchestral, studio, and solo performance. Her playing has captivated audiences across concert halls, recording studios, and broadcast platforms, making her one of the most sought-after oboists in both classical and commercial music spheres.
Ms. Lesser currently serves as principal oboist with the New York Pops, Amici New York, Greenwich Symphony, Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra, and the National Chorale. She is a frequent principal with some of New York City’s most esteemed choral and sacred music ensembles, including Voices of Ascension, Musica Sacra, the Oratorio Society of New York, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s Great Music in a Great Space series, St. Ignatius Loyola’s Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, and the Grace Church Choral Society. She also performs on English horn with the Little Orchestra Society.
Ms. Lesser’s discography includes Grammy-nominated recordings such as Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road and Uri Caine’s The Passion of Octavius Catto, both performed with conductor Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York. These works highlight her commitment to contemporary music and her distinctive voice within modern oratorio repertoire.
Beyond the concert stage, Ms. Lesser is a fixture in the commercial music world. Her oboe can be heard on an extensive array of recordings by celebrated artists across genres, including Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Amy Winehouse, Paul Simon, Barry Manilow, Lena Park, and Cynthia Erivo. She has recorded soundtracks for films such as Maggie’s Plan, The Forgotten Kingdom, Excuse Me for Living, and Remember Me, and has made televised appearances on Good Morning America, Ugly Betty, and The Chris Matthews Show, including accompanying Andrea Bocelli on national broadcasts. Her sound is also familiar to millions through hundreds of radio and television commercials, with clients ranging from Coca-Cola and Budweiser to General Electric, Lucky Charms, Nasonex, and Reynold’s Wrap.
Ms. Lesser has performed at major venues and festivals across the country and internationally, including the OK Mozart Festival, Caramoor, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and the Ravinia Festival outside Chicago. She has toured extensively in Asia, Europe, and South America, bringing her artistry to global audiences.
Her range of performances is as diverse as it is distinguished. She has performed at high-profile events including the Grammy Awards, Sesame Street’s televised specials, and the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. She played for Z100’s Jingle Ball, at New York’s Gracie Mansion, and at the White House. In moments of profound national and spiritual significance, she performed at the 2015 Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at Madison Square Garden and at the 1995 Papal Mass for Pope John Paul II in Central Park. She has also contributed to the celebrated space-themed productions of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.
Ms. Lesser is a proud alumna of The Juilliard School, where she studied under the legendary Robert Bloom and won the school’s prestigious Wind Soloist Competition. She earned her Master of Arts degree from Queens College, studying with Leonard Arner and winning the Concerto Soloist Competition. Her solo career includes a debut at both Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center with Alexander Schneider and the New York String Orchestra. She toured for two decades as principal oboist of the Brandenburg Ensemble, conducted by Schneider and violinist Jaime Laredo, and has appeared as a recital soloist at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the University of Pennsylvania—where she was uniquely honored as the only oboist selected by the national arts organization Affiliate Artists.
Her work in the theater includes performances in the acclaimed Roundabout Theatre Company production of She Loves Me at Studio 54, conducted by Broadway legend Paul Gemigniani, and a notable appearance with Roger Daltrey and The Who during their 2018 tour at Madison Square Garden.
Ms. Lesser has previously served as principal oboist of the Long Island Philharmonic, the Eos Ensemble, and l’Orchestre des Portes Rouges. Her career, spanning elite classical ensembles, boundary-crossing collaborations, and high-impact media, exemplifies a rare breadth of talent and a lifelong commitment to musical excellence.
JOHN ROBERT LIEPOLD
Choral Activities
Program Development
John Robert Liepold brings to Nexus three decades of experience as a conductor, teacher, arts administrator, and producer. He is the founding conductor of New York City’s dynamic professional men’s chorus, The Singing Apes. John is a graduate of Wesleyan University and has done graduate work at Columbia University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, the University of Oregon, and Westminster Choir College. Liepold has performed and studied conducting with John Alexander, Marin Alsop, Peter Bagley, Neely Bruce, James Conlon, Allen Crowell, Charles Dutoit, Eph Ehly, Elmer Eisler, Joseph Flummerfelt, Vance George, Dennis Keene, Neville Marriner, André Previn, Helmuth Rilling, and Robert Shaw.
Maestro Liepold has led vibrant choral programs in New York, Connecticut, and Virginia. He received critical acclaim for his work with the Connecticut Choral Society and Orchestra and the University of Virginia Men’s Glee Club, with whom he made several recordings and commissioned and premiered a dozen major new additions to the repertoire. A career music educator, Liepold has served as department chair and music teacher at the Allen-Stevenson, Dalton, Hewitt, Trevor Day, and Trinity Schools, the New School University's Mannes College of Music, and Grace Choral Society in New York City; and at Hampden-Sydney College and Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. Liepold has two decades of experience as a church musician, having served as Music Director for Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Unitarian Universalist communities. He is currently Director of Music at Morristown (NJ) United Methodist Church.
Choruses under Liepold’s direction have given command performances at regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors’ Association and the Intercollegiate Men’s Chorus Association, on national and international tours, at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and for the President of the United States. His choruses have been broadcast on NBC’s Today Show, National Public Radio’s Performance Today, Connecticut and Virginia Public Radio, and the Voice of America.
International projects have included concerts in honor of the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing and Shanghai, at the Haydn Bicentennial Festival (Vienna), at Christ Church Cathedral (Oxford) and Southwark Cathedral (London), and at the Cathedrals of Notre Dame in Chartres and Paris. Liepold returned to France to conduct concerts in Rouen and Paris commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Normandy landings. Maestro Liepold recently made his conducting debut in Italy, with concerts in Lake Como (Opera House) and Venice (Basilica San Marco).
Carnegie Hall has recognized Liepold as one of the “rising generation of choral leaders,” inviting him to take part in their annual Professional Conductors’ Workshops with Robert Shaw and others. As a several-time Chorus America Conducting Fellow, he has conducted Voices of Ascension and the Gregg Smith Singers, and studied with some of the world’s most respected Master Conductors. Mr. Liepold remains active as a singer, having sung regularly with the Robert Shaw Festival Chorus and as a founding member of the Dennis Keene Festival Chorus. Liepold recently had the privilege to serve as Music Director for the venerable Blue Hill Troupe's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Yeomen of the Guard. The performances were the world premiere of G&S scholar Colin Jagger's critically-acclaimed new chamber orchestration of Yeomen, published by Oxford University Press.
JAMES BALMER
Choral Activities
Program Development
James Balmer has led church and school choirs across the United States, including in New York City, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In collaboration with Mary Nelson, he has conducted choir tours along the East Coast, in Quebec, and throughout Europe. His ensembles have performed at prestigious venues such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Harvard University in Cambridge, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, Chartres Cathedral in France, and St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, the historic church of J.S. Bach.
Balmer has served as conductor at numerous churches, including Christ Church in Avon, Connecticut, First Presbyterian Church in Champaign, Illinois, and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. He has also worked extensively in both public and private schools, including Avon Old Farms in Connecticut, Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts, Fairfield Country Day School in Connecticut, Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut, and Saint Andrew’s School in Florida.
He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Misericordia University and a Master’s in Music Education and Choral Music from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. His doctoral studies (ABD) in Choral Conducting and Choral Literature were completed at the University of Illinois, with additional graduate work at Westminster Choir College, the Laudinella Institute, and The Juilliard School.
Balmer’s repertoire spans major choral and orchestral works, including Bach’s Cantata No. 4 and Magnificat, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Credo Mass,and Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Fauré’s Requiem, Rutter’s Gloria, Requiem, and Mass of the Children, Mendelssohn’s Festgesang an die Künstler, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Copland’s In the Beginning, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium.
In addition to his choral expertise, Balmer is equally accomplished in musical theater. His productions as a conductor include Grand Hotel, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, High Society, Chicago, Oklahoma!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Damn Yankees, Grease, Godspell, Pippin, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, among others.
With a career spanning multiple genres and generations of performers, Balmer continues to inspire excellence in choral and theatrical performance alike.
LINDA SWEETMAN-WATERS
Collaborative Pianist
Ridgewood, NJ
Linda Sweetman-Waters is a distinguished keyboard artist whose multifaceted career spans roles as a piano soloist, chamber musician, accompanist, and organist. Her performances have graced prestigious venues in New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, Merkin Hall, and WQXR’s Listening Room.
She has appeared as guest soloist with the North Jersey Philharmonic and the Williamsburg Symphonia in Virginia, and has been a frequent guest artist with the Ridgewood Symphony. Notably, she premiered Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by Richard Lane, a work composed especially for her. Her international appearances include a featured solo performance with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra in China and acclaimed performances at the White House and the National Gallery of Art.
Linda has captivated audiences both nationally and internationally. She performed at Vienna’s famed Musikverein as part of the International Haydn Festival, and in celebration of the XXIX Olympiad, she appeared in Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall and Shanghai’s Oriental Arts Center. As pianist and organist with the New Jersey Choral Society, her tours have included performances in Berlin, Prague, Sydney, Rome, London, and Paris. Her chamber music collaborations have taken her to Copenhagen, Brussels, Zurich, and London.
An accomplished accompanist, Linda has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Lenora Thom, Joshua Greene, Diane Wittry, Janna Hymes, and currently works with Eric Dale Knapp of the Connecticut Choral Society. She has also performed under the baton of John Rutter with Mid-America Productions in New York City.
Linda is an alumna of the Vienna State Academy of Music and holds a degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In addition to maintaining a private teaching studio, she has served as adjunct faculty at William Paterson University, Vice-President of the Professional Music Teachers Guild, and as a dedicated organist in the Ridgewood, New Jersey community.