Composer and multi-instrumentalist Damien Sneed has worked with a large roster of A-list stars in the gospel, jazz and R&B worlds, including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Wynton Marsalis. However, the Augusta, Georgia, native—who studied at Howard University and the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University—has a rich and varied career. He founded and became artistic director of Chorale Le Chateau, made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in 2015 for Marsalis’ “Abyssinian 200: A Celebration”, and is music director and composer-in-residence for Houston Grand Opera. Sneed has also been music director for Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp and The Clark Sisters. He won a Dove Award and an NAACP Image Award for being a featured producer and writer on the latter's 2020 release, The Return. His own work, such as his first classical album, 2020’s Classically Harlem, and the 2022 single “Sequestered Thoughts”, are thoughtful and thought-provoking compositions.