Sydney Anderson is a versatile soprano, actor, director, educator, and the founder of The Why Collective. A contemporary classical music enthusiast, Sydney has participated in numerous World Premieres as well as workshops at various stages of the creation process. She has most recently been featured with American Lyric Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, HERE Arts, Opera Saratoga, and Opera NEO. Last season, she created the roles of Dalinda in the World Premiere of Being Ariodante by Jonathan Dawe with Ensemble Échappée, One in the World Premiere of "it is a comfort to know" at National Sawdust, and portrayed Ruth Bader Ginsburg in "Scalia/Ginsburg" with Opera in the Heights. This season, she will sing Marzelline in Beethoven's "Fidelio" with Opera Company of Middlebury. Sydney was named an Eastern Region Finalist after winning the Eastern District of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and went on to win the Audience Favorite Award at the Region Finals. When she is not singing or fostering creative laboratories for artists, she teaches early childhood music education classes and conducts the Preperatory ensembles for Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Alberto has been providing interpreting services in the educational, medical, and performing arts world throughout the NYC area for the past 15 years. A proud CODA and native ASL user, he has grown up existing in both the Deaf and hearing world all his life. He credits the beauty of American Sign Language and the Deaf community for allowing him to see and experience things he never could have imagined. Currently serving as the voice interpreter for ASL Slam NYC, Alberto’s credits include off-Broadway works such as A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, Twilight Zone Spooktacular, and From The Ground Up. He has interpreted for settings such as The Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, musical concerts for artists such as Post Malone, and Bad Bunny, and most recently served as the interpreter for Justina Miles, Deaf performer for Super Bowl LVII, on talk shows CBS Mornings and ABC’s The View. Born and raised in the Bronx, Alberto enjoys his downtime exploring all that NYC has to offer, traveling, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends.

Micaela is a stage and production designer living in Queens, NY. Micaela is the Lead Designer and Associate Producer for The Why Collective. Her work with TWC is focused on developing new works and sustainable design (Words of the Prophets). She also designs for music ensembles (Dust Bowl) and NY based musical artists (Smoker’s Cough). Film credits include Howl, Shithead, and Original Sound. Micaela is also a classically trained singer and artist who has been performing for over 10 years. She was a resident artist at the Flying Carpet Festival in 2023, and is a current member of the Colt Coeur Residency. Micaela is an MFA candidate in Theater: Design and Technical Production at Brooklyn College, and holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Westminster Choir College.

Director/Editor: Getting High With the Family That You Chose, Graphic Designer: The Why Collective Logo/Stickers

Julian is an all-around music, theater, and creativity wizard-ninja. He’s a production manager and creative consultant for experimental and devised works. Juls is also a Life Coach for creative professionals, hobbyists, and dreamers the world-over through his service Let Me Help You Love You (dot com). Through this work, he seeks to make our systems, our households, and even our own minds more accepting and healthy places for people to be themselves. Julian’s greatest love in life is writing, performing, and manifesting music. An award-winning songwriter and producer, he is an audio engineer at the National Opera Center in Manhattan and runs his own private production service Wild Humans Studios, where he creates and publishes original recorded art under the moniker Julian Wild. You can support him directly by streaming and sharing his work on all music platforms. You can find him online at https://linktr.ee/ActualJulian and say hello on any social media sites @actualjulian

Laura Dearman Mosteller is a New York City based dancer and choreographer. A native of North Carolina, she graduated from UNC Charlotte with her degree in Dance: performance, choreography, and theory. While in Charlotte, Laura danced with Charlotte Ballet, earning a Professional Training Certificate. Laura takes pride in being a versatile dancer and has performed principal roles in a variety of works including Bourneville’s Flower Festival in Genzano, George Faison’s Suite Otis, and Paul Taylor’s Esplanade. Also an alumni of The School at Jacob's Pillow, Laura had the opportunity to work with choreographers Ronald K. Brown, Didy Veldman, and Cayetano Soto, all under the direction of Milton Myers. Since moving to New York in 2018, Laura’s professional performance experience includes works by Brooklyn choreographer Matthew Brookoff, Neville Dance Theatre (principal dancer), Visions Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet Inc., among others. Laura made her professional choreographic debut with the operatic production of Being Ariodante (composed and directed by Jonathan Dawe) in the Spring of 2022 at The Italian Academy in New York City. Separately, she’s presented her own solo choreography through the Omni Arts Foundation, and The Why Collective, among others. Her choreography for The Womxn Have Something to Say (directed by Nicole Kenley-Miller) was presented at The Cell Theatre in Manhattan in 2023 and continues to be a pillar in her artistic and choreographic journey through continued public workshops offered through The Why Collective.