What an incredible afternoon!
What an incredible afternoon at our Crescendo Conservatory of the Arts recital! 🎶
This year’s Crescendo Conservatory of the Arts & Friends performance was truly special, bringing together our dedicated students and talented members of our extended musical community for a powerful celebration of music and unity.
We were honored to feature not only our Crescendo students, but also inspiring guest performances by violinist Kai Williams, students from the REACH Leadership S.T.E.A.M. Academy Violin Lab, and other friends of Crescendo. The program was filled with beautiful moments that reflected both artistic excellence and the strength of community collaboration.
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our young artists—your presence made the event even more meaningful.
As we continue this journey, we are raising $6,000 to send our students to compete in the ACT-SO (Afro Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) in Chicago this July. If you feel moved to support, we deeply appreciate every contribution—each one helps make this life-changing opportunity possible.
We are so proud of our students and grateful for a community that continues to uplift and believe in them. 💛
📍 1445 Spruce Street, Suite A, Riverside, CA
A few pics from the afternoon
Meet our Director, Kybra Minisee
Kybra Minisee is a distinguished violinist, arts educator, and visionary leader with more than 25 years of experience in music performance, instruction, and community-based arts programming. She serves as Director of Crescendo Conservatory of the Arts in Riverside, California, where she leads the development of innovative programs that expand access to high-quality arts education for students of all ages.
Kybra began studying violin at the age of three through the Suzuki Method and quickly established a strong classical foundation, performing with ensembles such as the Pasadena Youth Symphony and opening her own teaching studio while still in high school. Her early success included winning the National Suzuki Showcase in Los Angeles.
As a performer, Kybra has appeared before distinguished audiences including Judge Joe Brown, Colin Powell, the United Negro College Fund, and the California Association of Black Lawyers. She has shared the stage with internationally recognized artists across genres, including Solange Knowles, Israel Houghton, Switchfoot, Phil Wickham, and Jon Foreman. Her work has taken her across the globe, including performances and cultural outreach in Bermuda, the Netherlands, and Kenya, where she participated in a meaningful cultural exchange supporting women and youth.
In addition to her performance career, Kybra has taught violin, viola, cello, and piano in diverse educational settings and developed programs serving youth, seniors, and community organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Oakwood University and a Master of Science in Food Science & Technology from Alabama A&M University.
Through her leadership at Crescendo Conservatory of the Arts, Kybra continues to inspire creativity, cultivate confidence, and empower communities through the transformative power of the arts.
Meet our Co-Founder, Keith Tutt II
Keith Tutt II is a Dove Award–winning cellist, composer, and producer whose work moves between the concert stage, the recording studio, and global brand campaigns. He began playing cello at age four and by seven was studying with National Cello Institute founder Richard Mooney — the start of a career that has since extended into multiple instruments, programming, and production. His string arrangements appear on Grammy-winning albums, and his collaborators include Shawn Mendes, Solange, Metro Boomin', Hit-Boy, Tom Morello, Empire of the Sun, Switchfoot, and Moses Sumney. His scoring work has anchored campaigns for Apple, Toyota, Audi, and Beats by Dre.
As a solo artist, Keith creates immersive sound experiences at the intersection of fine art and wellness. Live cello, electronic processing, and atmospheric sound design come together in performances that are site-responsive and improvisational — shaped by the room and the moment. From this practice emerged Sonikwell, his signature sonic experience for deep relaxation and emotional release, now the subject of a research study with UC Riverside examining its effects on medical students preparing for OSCE exams. Sonikwell has been commissioned by The Atlantic, Mastercard, UC Riverside, and La Sierra University. His meditative cello project Wander, All Roads Deliver — recorded entirely in real time, cello and looping device only — was featured in the Encounters exhibit during his residency at Black Rock Senegal.
Keith's work as an educator runs parallel to his work as an artist. He is the founder of Crescendo Conservatory of the Arts, which delivers private and school-site music education across Southern California, and Love Notes Alliance, a 501(c)(3) supporting music education in underserved communities. He has developed a 16-lesson, CASEL-aligned social-emotional learning curriculum — anchored in original compositions — that helps young people build emotional awareness, resilience, and the language to process complex feelings.
For more information about Keith you can visit his website here:
To preview his latest performance video of “Forward” from his full work “Wander,” click here: