Staff
Tonya Howell
Executive Director
she/her/hers
Tonya Howell, a Hyde Park resident and single mother of two, has been an educator in Chicago since 2001, serving as a classroom teacher, instructional coach for teachers, and principal…
Char Lee Luckett
Manager of School and Remote Learning Programs
they/she
Char Lee is a writer, theater creator, and certified domestic violence counselor. Originally from Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, she has worked as an arts…
Lara Jenkins
Manager of Parks and Partner Programs
she/her/hers
Lara is thrilled to bring her musical knowledge and life-long love for teaching to Intonation Music has always been her passion and her love for jazz prompted her to get a BA in vocal performance….
Izzy Olive
Marketing Manager
she/her/hers
Izzy Olive is a musician and arts administrator originally from Southern Illinois. Upon graduating from the University of Chicago, she worked in marketing and PR for Eighth Blackbird…
Emily O’Brien, PhD
Development and Communications Manager
she/her/hers
A lifelong musician, Emily O’Brien grew up participating in community programs. Originally from Ohio, Emily studied voice performance and dance, eventually pursuing her PhD in musicology at Northwestern…
Matt Espy
Equipment Coordinator
he/him/his
Prior to joining the Intonation team in 2017, Matt was a managing partner at Chicago Drum Works for 10 years, where he curated drum clinics and helped to foster and grow…
Dre X. Meza
Education Specialist, Instructor
they/them
Dre Meza (they/them/theirs) comes to Intonation with a background as a jazz vocalist, improviser, arranger, composer, activist, educator, and multidisciplinary artist…
Edward Anderson
Production Manager, Instructor
Edward Anderson has been an instructor since 2012. He has taught at Fuller Park, NKO Charter School, Fosco Park, Gage Park High School, CICS Irving Park, and Rock-N-Pop…
Sarah Magnuson
Deputy Director
she/her/hers
Sarah Magnuson is a Uptown-based writer, comedy producer, and nonprofit administrator with a development and higher education background…
Instructors
Brennan Mitrolka
Brennan is a musician, composer, and audio engineer from Western Massachusetts.
Kevelyn Wilson
Kevelyn began her artistic career as a hip-hop, jazz, modern and spiritual dancer at Fuller Park, which led her to become interested in music. In 2008, at 14 years old, she became a student at Intonation…
Dre X. Meza
Education Specialist, Instructor
they/them
Dre Meza (they/them/theirs) comes to Intonation with a background as a jazz vocalist, improviser, arranger, composer, activist, educator, and multidisciplinary artist…
Edward Anderson
Production Manager, Instructor
Edward Anderson has been an instructor since 2012. He has taught at Fuller Park, NKO Charter School, Fosco Park, Gage Park High School, CICS Irving Park, and Rock-N-Pop…
Alex Wing
Alex is a guitarist, bassist, oudist and creative musician living on the South side of Chicago. He has his B.A. in music from The University of Chicago. Alex joined…
Nick Wilson
Nick is an electronic musician specializing in modular synthesizers and live PA. He currently plays in two bands: Long Time Friction - Reggae with Dub stylings and Wheatpaste - live abstract electronics with manipulated film projection. He enjoys teaching as a way to...
Dakari Waddell
Dakari started out as a student at Intonation in 2009. He played piano with his band ‘Trace’, and continued as a multi-instrumentalist with the Intonation All-Stars in 2013. He graduated High School in 2015…
Harley Gingras
Harley Gingras is a multi-talented musician from Chicago, IL. He has been doing music since 2004, first learning the drums and quickly picking up guitar and bass. 10 years later in 2014, he…
Nick Meryhew
Nick Meryhew is an experimental musician, arts educator, improviser, and armchair geologist. Their work explores ideas of assemblage, hybridity, and non-hierarchy through a sculptural approach to found sound. They frequently improvise as a medium through which to...
Cuixi Aguilar
Cuixi is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up on Chicago’s South Side. His passion for music began when he discovered music’s special ability to bring people together and open portals to different emotions, periods in time, and particular human perspectives…
Neko Cortez
Sam Scranton
Sam Scranton is a composer/percussionist/artist based in Chicago. He plays music in bands: Honestly Same…
Mike Simons
Founder