BIO
Authentic -|- Soulful -|- Orchestral
Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and a multitude of musical genres.
Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ has been featured in performances at renowned concert halls and venues across America, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the nation’s capital. Notable appearances include a special performance dedicated to Vice President Kamala Harris at the “We Are One” Presidential Inauguration Concert in January 2021 and rendering a spotlight presentation of TSQ’s electrifying arrangement of Harry Styles’s hit song “Golden” for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament “The Championships, Wimbledon” in June 2021. As an ensemble who frequents the D.C. jazz scene, other headlining performances include multiple appearances at the DC Jazz Festival and the Capital Jazz Fest.
Recognized by D.C.’s leading news network WUSA9 as “school teachers by day and concert performers by night”, TSQ’s dedication, service, and innovative work in the field of music education has been acknowledged by the DC Jazz Festival with the “Jazz Education Award” in 2022, Carnegie Hall with the “Music Educators Workshop” Keynote Address in 2021, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with the “Aspire Award” in 2020, Washington Performing Arts’s “Mars Arts D.C” Resident Ensemble in 2019 and 2020, and most recently, a partnership with the Save The Music Foundation to present a series of professional development workshops for performing arts educators around the country on “Social Emotional Learning in the Arts Classroom” and “Trauma-Informed Centered Arts Classrooms” as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2022, TSQ released its third album titled “RISE”, which was made possible by a Sphinx Organization MPower Artist Grant. With this album, TSQ sought to sonically address the problems that are currently plaguing the world by creating unique arrangements of timeless classics rooted in hope, joy, peace, and love. Featuring original compositions by Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Richard Smallwood, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and more, “RISE” takes listeners on a musical journey that starts in a field of loss and hopelessness and ends in a fortress of faith, triumph, and fortitude.
Previous albums from TSQ include a self-titled EP released in 2019 and a holiday EP titled “Our Favorite Things” released in 2020. All TSQ albums are available on this site and all major digital music platforms.
Kendall Isadore
Violin
Kendall is originally from Houston, Texas, although she’s lived in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area for the past 16 years. Her instruments of focus include violin, piano and voice.
Though classically trained on all three instruments, Kendall’s niche is performing a wide range of musical genres on violin including, R&B, jazz, “Top 40”, gospel, contemporary, and hip-hop. She has performed at a variety of legendary venues all over the country with artists including Roberta Flack, Josh Groban, Fantasia, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kurt Carr, and Kim Jordan, to name a few. In March of 2018, Kendall was featured as the lead arranger, performer, and strings contractor for the “March for Our Lives” concert where she led a string quartet under the direction of Adam Blackstone in collaborative performances with Ariana Grande, Andra Day, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, and many more leading artists of our generation.
After finishing her Bachelor of Science degree (in Biology) at Howard University in 2011, she began teaching middle school science. In 2014, she was invited to found one of KIPP DC’s middle schools (Northeast Academy) as the inaugural orchestra director. There, she created a strings program that prioritized excellence, character building, creative expression, and commitment. She later became a vice principal and instructional coach at the school. Though she loved coaching adults, Kendall longed for the classroom and later transitioned to another KIPP DC campus where she founded a second strings program. After 4 years, Kendall made the tough choice to transition out of the teaching profession to shift into a brand new role. She currently works at Bishop McNamara High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where she is the Director of Enrollment Management.
Kendall is also a graduate of The George Washington University where she earned a Master of Arts degree in Education Policy and Administration.
Kendall understands that with God, all things are possible, and above all, she seeks to bring Him glory in everything she does.
Viola
Named as the recipient of the 31st Annual Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Performing Arts Teaching in Washington, D.C., Dawn Michelle Johnson is a graduate (B.M, M.M) of The Juilliard School in New York City and has been recognized by her alma mater for her “Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music” as a recipient of the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship, the Irene Diamond Scholarship, and the Peter Mennin Award in Music.
A native of Miami, FL, Dawn is a violist and music educator who has been featured as soloist with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Santa Fe Virtuosi, and the Ars Flores Chamber Orchestra. In addition, her contributions to the field of music education have earned her recognition as a quarter-finalist for the 1st Annual GRAMMY Music Educator Award, a recipient of KIPP DC’s Executive Director’s Award, and the title of one of GLAMOUR Magazine’s “Top 10 College Women”.
She has previously served as a member of the viola faculty for The Killington Music Festival in Vermont and the DC Youth Orchestra Program in Washington, D.C.
Dawn Johnson
Cello
Élise Sharp, a native Washingtonian, began playing the cello in the DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) when she was eight years old. As a student at DCYOP, she was afforded the distinct honor of performing under the baton of the late, great cellist and conductor, Mstislav Rostropovich, and was selected to tour with the orchestra to China and Taiwan. Inspired by the rigorous training and diverse experiences that she received as a student at DCYOP, Élise continued her musical studies at Howard University where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
She has graced some of the world’s most renowned stages in performances alongside musical legends Whitney Houston, Tye Tribbett, Donnie McClurkin, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick, to name a few. In addition, Élise has performed for three former Presidents of the United States of America including, George H. W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and Barack Obama.
Élise went back to the DC Youth Orchestra Program, where it all started, and served as cello instructor and conductor of two ensembles for over twenty years. Currently, she is the director of the music program at a public charter school in the District of Columbia.