Amalia Osuga
Founder & Co-Artistic Director
Amalia (Maya) Osuga is the Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Her Art in Song, whose mission is to highlight the poetic and musical voices of women in art song through performance, education and research. This work has been featured on world premiere recordings and in conference presentations and performances throughout the US and in Canada.
A native New Yorker consistently praised for her “thrilling coloratura” and the “unrelenting authenticity” of her interpretations, Maya enjoys a wide range of opportunities as concert soloist and chamber musician. Performance highlights include Brahms’ A German Requiem and Burel’s Blue Means Water with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, and Mendelssohn’s A Mid-summer Night’s Dream at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall. An artist with a particular interest in art song, Osuga has appeared in recital throughout the United States and in Great Britain, where she premiered works by Gregers Brinch and Francis Rainey.
Osuga currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where she enjoys sharing her passion for the art of singing with students in applied voice, lyric diction, and opera and art song performance courses. Osuga holds degrees in music from Swarthmore College (BA), the University of Montana (MM), and the University of Oregon (DMA). She lives in Huntsville with her husband Taka, their children Aiden and Aila, and Morris the cat.
Aimee Fincher
Co-Artistic Director
Aimee Fincher is an experienced collaborator, chamber musician, and large ensemble pianist comfortable performing wide-ranging styles and genres. She focuses her creative energy on projects that include repertoire from diverse styles and backgrounds, exploring the music and composer’s relationship to literature, art, and historical social context. Aimee’s collaborative work has taken her to national and international conferences and festivals in North America and Europe. She has served as an official pianist for the International Double Reed Society and regional North American Saxophone Alliance conferences. Alongside oboist Shane Werts and clarinetist Kelsi Doolittle, Aimee is a co-founder of the Kaibab Trio, dedicated to performing, promoting, and expanding the repertoire for this instrumentation.
Aimee can be heard on recorded albums released on Summit Records (Table for Three at Chez Janou), Sonoluminus Records (Specter), and Vegas Records (Walks of Life). A member of the vibrant piano-area team at Northern Arizona University since 2021, Aimee performs with students, faculty, and guest artists, coaches chamber music, co-teaches piano ensemble, and facilitates collaborative piano assignments. She has served on the faculty at the Flagstaff Piano Festival since its inception in 2022. Aimee holds degrees from the University of Alabama (BM), the University of South Carolina (MM in piano pedagogy), and Arizona State University (DMA in collaborative piano).
Viktor Herda Shepherd
Executive Director
Viktor Herda Shepherd serves as Executive Director for Her Art in Song. The curation of little-known art songs by women composers has been enlightening for him, namely for the roles of women during the turn of the 20th century, in both society and in music, as well as the intricacies of music publication. He approaches music as a living art that reflects the emotion and time period in which it was written, and hopes to convey the composers’ original intentions as well as his own connection to each piece.
Viktor received his B.A. in Vocal Performance, as well as his B.S.B.A. in Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2020 and 2021. While attending UAH, he served as the president of the Huntsville collegiate chapter of the Music Teachers National Association, and received the honor of Outstanding Performer of the UAH Music Department. He participates in music events throughout the Huntsville area; currently he sings with Valley Consort, a small chamber choir that primarily performs 16th and 17th century motets, and aids with art song workshops at UAH. Most recently he collaborated with Rocket City New Music, and was the choir director for Decatur First United Methodist. When his health allows for it, he plans to pursue a Masters degree in music.
Meleah Shrout
Pianist & Festival Artist
Meleah Shrout holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano. Specializing in vocal and choral repertoire, Meleah currently works as an accompanist for the University of Alabama in Huntsville, AL, and is the Youth Chorale Accompanist for The Huntsville Community Chorus Association. She runs a private piano studio from Historic Lowe Mill located near downtown Huntsville, and enjoys freelance accompanying for local schools and ensembles. She encourages her students to reach their highest potential, while reminding them to enjoy the process along the way.
Erin Brizic
Audio Engineer
Erin Brizic holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Concentration in Music Technology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. They are driven by a love of percussion with a desire to perform and explore the world of the recording arts and technologies. Erin has received many music honors, such as the David Wells Memorial Music Scholarship, the Kathy Chan Music Scholarship, and UAH Academic Merit Scholarship. They have been a dynamic musician in the UAH Wind Ensemble, UAH Percussion Ensemble, and the UAH Steel Drum Ensemble. As the percussion leader, they have collaborated with many fellow musicians to perform challenging works. In partnership with pianists, choirs, and graphic animators, Erin has composed original music to enhance their works and plan to create more in the future. They also produced high quality sound for the UAH drama department in their Shakespeare productions.
Madilyn Wheeley
Festival Artist & Salon Curator
Madilyn Wheeley is an avid musician and arts supporter based in Huntsville, Alabama. A proud graduate of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music in 2021 and her Masters of Business Administration in 2023. Madilyn currently serves as the director of the Huntsville Chamber Music Guild, where she works to bring world-class artists and chamber music experiences to her community.
As a performer, Madilyn thrives on both stage and in studio. Her recent theater credits include Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music and Meg March in Little Women, and she is also passionate about songwriting and producing music in her own recording studio. Outside of music, she enjoys thrifting for antiques and unique treasures—some of which can be found featured in the Her Art in Song Salon set.
