Leadership

Co-Founders & Staff

Monica Yunus

Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director
Born in Chittagong, Bangladesh and raised in New Jersey, Monica Yunus is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope. Monica has performed with the world’s leading opera companies, including Washington National Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera, where she spent ten seasons as a principal artist. She has performed in concert and recital in Spain, Guatemala, Bangkok, and Lebanon’s Zouk Festival. Monica has been honored with a 21st Century Leaders Award and named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1, and one of the “Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy” by Town & Country. A leading voice in the “artist as citizen” discussion, she has performed and spoken at Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, Aspen Ideas Festival, and The United Nations. She is an Artist Lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, and has been the Housewright Eminent Artist-Scholar in Residence at Florida State University and the inaugural Reflexions Artist in Residence at University of Arkansas. The daughter of Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Monica is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Camille Zamora

Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director
Raised in Texas and Mexico, Camille Zamora is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope. An internationally acclaimed soprano, she has appeared with collaborators ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Sting, ensembles including London Symphony Orchestra and Glimmerglass Opera, and live broadcasts on NPR and BBC. Her last two albums (Si la noche se hace oscura/ If the night grows dark and Le dernier sorcier/The Last Sorcerer) debuted on Billboard’s Top Ten Classical Chart. Camille has been recognized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, received a 100 Hispanic Women Community Pride Award, and been named NY1’s "New Yorker of the Week,” one of the “Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy” by Town & Country, and one of CNN’s "Most Intriguing People." She has been the Housewright Eminent Artist-Scholar in Residence at Florida State University, the inaugural Reflexions Artist in Residence at University of Arkansas, and given masterclasses and guest lectures at Juilliard, Harvard, NYU, Claremont Graduate University, and others. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a leading voice in the “artist as citizen” discussion, Camille has performed and spoken at Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, Aspen Ideas Festival, and The United Nations.

Danielle Chery

Community Arts Project Leader
Danielle Chery is a gifted teacher and artist with a fluid style that celebrates and inspires environments and communities. Skilled in a variety of mediums, Danielle incorporates diverse textures and materials to bring her art to life, and to light. A Sing for Hope Artist Partner since 2020, Danielle’s community creations include her Sing for Hope Piano entitled Underwater Tune, created during the early days of the pandemic for a public residency at Hudson Yard, followed by its permanent placement at Business Technology Early College High School in Queens. Danielle’s work at Sing for Hope is characterized by her belief that “the magic that exists during the process of creating art is better experienced through collaborative community efforts.” In addition to her work as a self-taught artist, Danielle is a published author, and her recent children’s book, “Peers, Cheers, and Volunteers,” is available for purchase on Amazon. Danielle received her B.A. in Journalism from SUNY New Paltz. She has held positions as an English as a Second Language Instructor at Riseboro Community Partnership, a Service Events Officer at New York Cares, a Community Project Coordinator with New York City Law Department supporting the Juvenile Delinquency sector in the Family Court Division, and a Community School Director for NYC Community Learning Schools.

Patrick Connolly

Open Arts Manager
Patrick joined Sing for Hope’s Open Arts team in 2021, when the world’s stages were dark and the virtual space was providing hope for artists everywhere. Since then, he has helped give Open Arts its own identity as a unique and accessible platform for the arts. At night, Patrick entertains at piano bars and events across New York City. He is known as “Paddy on the Piano” at Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex, and more. Patrick has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Technology from the University of Michigan.

Peter Herr

Sing for Hope Project Leader (Europe)
Sing for Hope Project Leader Peter Herr (a.k.a. Momoshi) was born in Hungary, and raised in Africa, Germany, and Spain. He has worked as an artist since the early 2000‘s, with a focus on multimedia and dynamic public art. Selected highlights include Momoshi Style Hostel (City Hostel Nuremberg-Fuerth, Germany); daily digital artwork project Momoshidrops; murals for Art Museum Kumudori in Wemding; animation (Momoshi Space Race) for Glanzlichter Festival, Fuerth/ Germany; Sing for Hope Piano in Wolfsburg, Autostadt for the Global Social Business Summit; “Kiss Me“ murals in Spain and Germany; virtual reality designs and applications for market research company GFK; Momoshi Streetwear; and more. Peter first joined SFH in 2018 via our Grameen Creative Lab partnership and our SFH Piano program at the Global Social Business Summit. Today, as Sing for Hope Project Leader for Europe, Peter guides Sing for Hope’s dynamic arts activations that uplift and support refugee youth, with current focus on children and families forced to flee their homes by the war in Ukraine.

Javier Hinojosa

Director of Information Technology
Javier is the Director of Information Technology at Sing for Hope. With over 15 years of experience in the STEM arena, he's finally added an A for Art by serving Sing for Hope's mission of creating a better world through the arts. Javier's role at Sing for Hope comprises the direction, control, development, and maintenance of the organization's information technology and systems. His goal is to facilitate internal operations, make Sing for Hope accessible to anyone and everyone with an internet connection, and uncover opportunities stemming from new advances in technology.

Elad Kabilio

Healing Arts Project Leader
Praised by the New York Times for his “vibrant playing, full of texture and nuance,” Israeli Cellist Elad Kabilio is an active soloist, chamber musician, and a teaching artist. An active Sing for Hope Artist Partner since early 2020, Elad is passionate about his SFH’s mission of “art for all,” and is particularly gifted in sharing interactive performances that illuminate the lived histories of community audiences. Recent performances include Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Morgan Library, the Joyce Theater, Aspen Music Festival, Young Artist Festival in Bayreuth, Germany, and a feature on WQXR Radio. Elad collaborates frequently with world-renowned dancers including Misty Copeland, Ashley Bouder, Amar Ramasar, and Michele Wiles, and he has served as Music Director of Ballet Next and The Ashley Bouder Project. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of MusicTalks, which brings classical music to intimate and informal settings. He holds diplomas from Tel Aviv University, Mannes College of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, where he currently serves as a faculty member at the Pre-College division and Summer program. He plays on a French cello on generous loan by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.

Raquel Palmas

Associate Producer, Open Arts
Raquel Palmas is a woman of many talents. She is a theater maker, comedian, and facilitator of magic, with roots in theater administration and producing. Her passion lies in helping to create experiences that are experimental, inclusive, and inspire wonder. After graduating from Brooklyn College, Raquel was awarded a Fellowship at The Public Theater, allowing her to work with artists such as Kaneza Schall, Chris Myers, Whitney White, and many others. She worked internationally and domestically creating work that connects us all and centers on the human experience, grounded in hope and laughter.

Victoria Paterson

Director of Community Arts
Victoria Paterson is a New York City-based violinist and an active Sing for Hope Artist Partner since early 2020. During the pandemic, Victoria led Sing for Hope’s Healing Arts program at Javits Center COVID-19 vaccination site. With 3-5 musicians hired every day, seven days a week, for 125 consecutive days, Victoria guided Sing for Hope’s industry-leading arts-in-vaccine confidence program, which became one of the country’s most robust employers of freelance musicians during the pandemic. Her work with Sing for Hope continues now with guiding programming in SFH’s creative placemaking initiatives at the new Moynihan Train Hall, the Oculus World Trade Center, the Port Authority Bus Station, and more. Victoria’s career highlights include having four full-time chairs on Broadway (West Side Story, Sunset Boulevard, My Fair Lady, Addams Family); playing for President Biden, Pope Benedict XVI, Michelle Obama, Diane Sawyer, Nancy Pelosi, and the Chief Rabbi of Israel; touring with Barbara Steisand; and more. She contracts for opera companies such as On Site Opera. She is also the executive director of Mostly Modern Projects, which includes the American Modern Ensemble, Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, as well as Music & Medicine and Mostly Modern Pops. Victoria has taught at the Eastman School of Music Institute for Music Leadership in a class entitled Creating & Sustaining An Ensemble. Other schools where she regularly gives classes include The Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, the New York Youth Symphony, Broadway Backstage, Broadway Inside, and Chamber Music America. Paterson studied at the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University. She resides in New York City with her husband, composer Robert Paterson, and their beautiful 16-year-old boy, Dylan.

Sharyn Pirtle

Director of Education & Open Arts
Sharyn’s “Aha!” moment began in a fantastic public performing arts school in her native Houston, Texas, where children from different socioeconomic backgrounds came to share their passion for the arts. In response to the education gaps in her community, in 2005, Sharyn founded Young at Arts, an arts program for children in need. In 2020, Sharyn led the launch of The Sing for Hope Young at Arts Lab to serve communities of The Bronx and southern Westchester which have been among the hardest-hit by COVID in the nation. The Sing for Hope Young at Arts Lab has now grown out of its initial pilot phase into a daily, year-round educational center serving over 500 children with impactful in-school, after-school, and summer camp arts programming. As the Sing for Hope Director of Education and Open Arts, Sharyn has spoken on the importance of arts education at institutions including The Eastman School of Music, and has been honored by the Mount Vernon Public Library Foundation and the Junior League of Bronxville. Sharyn received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Vocal Performance from The Eastman School of Music and trained as an opera director at Houston Grand Opera. She has directed numerous operas and musicals, both professionally and for youth. Sharyn and her husband Shawn Kaufman live in Mount Vernon, NY, are proud to be the parents of daughter Amélie; dogs Artemis, Rosey and Tuesday; a cat named Moon; and 6 chickens.

Patty Reitkopf

Programming and Development Consultant
For over 30 years, Patty has dedicated her career to arts access for underserved and marginalized individuals, primarily with Hospital Audiences, Inc. (HAI, Healing Arts Initiatives), where she held various positions, including Deputy Executive Director. During her tenure at HAI, Patty secured and managed numerous government grants, including grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, HUD, New York State’s Council on the Arts, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Corrections, Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, New York City’s Department of Education, Department of Cultural Affairs, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Homeless Services, as well as from private foundations including the ASCAP Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. Patty holds a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology and was a Senior Fellow at Baruch College of Public Aministration’s graduate program. At Sing for Hope, Patty has helped develop, support, and implement our virtual and in-person programming serving older adults, including our NYSCA-funded ReStart NY program for elder care facilities.

Richard Robertson

Chief Operating Officer
Richard Robertson joined Sing for Hope as Chief Operating Officer in 2016. He has an MBA in Nonprofit Arts Administration from Binghamton University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Georgia. He began his nonprofit career in San Diego, working with San Diego Opera, San Diego Repertory Theatre, and the Theatre in Old Town San Diego. Lured by the bright lights of Broadway, he moved to NYC and spent 15 years with Eliran Murphy Group, an advertising agency specializing in arts and culture. He eventually became that company’s COO and led campaigns for Lincoln Center, Roundabout Theatre Company, Big Apple Circus, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, New York City Opera, The Apollo Theatre, American Museum of Natural History, and numerous Broadway and off-Broadway shows. His accomplishments at SFH include overseeing the organization’s expansion beyond New York City to additional American cities, including New Orleans and Beverly Hills / Los Angeles, and the amplification of its education program for youth ages 8-18. In his down time, Richard’s passions include animal rights, veganism, and every possible sort of bad reality television.

Victor Solano

Jazz Band and General Music Teacher, Sing for Hope Young at Arts Lab
Victor Solano graduated from City College’s Jazz Conservatory, where he was fortunate enough to study privately with Jason Rigby, the respected tenor saxophonist. While in school and after graduating, Victor has had the pleasure of collaborating with some of the best musicians in the jazz, world music, and pop scenes. He has performed with Blue Note Records-signed artist Takuya Koroda, and is a member of the Harlem Society Jazz Orchestra. Victor has performed around the globe from Japan to New Orleans, and currently leads a septet that plays original music. Victor is proud to mentor the scholar-musicians of the Sing for Hope Young at Arts Lab, just as his middle school band teacher mentored him as a boy in Brooklyn.

Pamela Weingarden

Development Manager & Board Liaison
Pamela Weingarden has been with Sing for Hope since 2016. Originally hired to assist with the Sing for Hope Pianos Program, she has since worked in all aspects of the organization, from Healing Arts to Operations to her current role as Development Manager & Board Liaison. Pamela is an actress and musician, and has 12 years of event planning and logistics experience. She has her BFA in acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and has studied Shakespearean performance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Leadership

Co-Founders & Staff

Sing for Hope

THE SING FOR HOPE FOUNDERS’ CIRCLE