A true Los Angeles native and a leading visionary, Tafarai Bayne has dedicated over two decades to shaping the city's urban landscape and cultural identity. His strategic expertise in planning, communications, and program development has driven community-focused initiatives that uplift urban neighborhoods.

As the current Chief Strategist for CicLAvia and a member of the Board of Directors for Mercado La Paloma, Tafarai is at the forefront of shaping Los Angeles's public and cultural spaces. His extensive public service includes commissioner roles for both the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Recreation and Parks Commission. He also served as a Community Advisor for Destination Crenshaw, providing strategic guidance on the landmark arts and cultural project.

Beyond his direct civic work, Tafarai is a respected producer in Los Angeles's cultural scene. With co-founder Dexter Story, he formed CNTNT, an event production firm specializing in arts and cultural programming, with a particular focus on non-profit galas and fundraisers. He also produces the popular cultural dance and music events Le Frique Sonique and Libre, further contributing to the city's vibrant arts community.

Patrice Russell is a creative strategist and cultural curator shaping spaces and stories through experiential design, placemaking, and community-driven programming. With more than 25 years of experience in branding, events, and storytelling, she brings people together through experiences that inspire connection, creativity, and culture.

Most recently, she served as Vice President of Marketing for Brookfield Properties, where she led marketing efforts across Los Angeles, Denver, and San Francisco—transforming landmark properties into vibrant destinations through thoughtful activations and live cultural programming.

Beyond her corporate work, Patrice serves on the Downtown Art Walk board, the DTLA Alliance Marketing Ad-Hoc Committee, and is a founding member of the True Legacy Foundation, dedicated to creative empowerment and philanthropy.

Passionate about music, travel, and the spirit of community, Patrice continues to create meaningful experiences that remind us that life is better lived together.

Alberto López received his first music lessons as a child in a neighborhood music school in Medellín, Colombia. Upon his family's move to the United States, he furthered his studies in piano and percussion at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA, and The Juilliard School in New York City, respectively. In addition, Alberto studied counterpoint, harmony and orchestral conducting privately under the great Jacques-Louis Monod. While in New York, he came under the tutelage of Afro-Cuban drumming master and legend Felipe García Villamil, with whom he learned not only the drumming and music but also the religious and ceremonial aspects of various Afro-Cuban cultural and spiritual traditions. Furthermore, he has traveled to Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Cuba to develop his knowledge of Afro-American music and culture.

Residing in Los Angeles since 1999, Mr. López has performed, recorded, composed and/or produced music with artists such as Quetzal, Jungle Fire, MstislavRostropovich, Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Lee Ritenour, Stanley Clarke, LCD Soundsystem, The Brand New Heavies, The Dalai Lama, Aloe Blacc, Natalia Lafourcade, Juanes and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, among many others. He was part of the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for the 20th Century FOX animated film "Rio" and in 2013 received a Grammy Award (Best Latin Rock, Urban or  Alternative Album) for his work on the "Imaginaries" album by Quetzal, released on the Smithsonian Folkways label.

In November 2004, Alberto founded Belú Music, a music production house and independent label, to develop and share the musical vision of artists around the world. His releases and productions have generated praise from some of the most prominent world music radio stations, including KCRW and KPFK (Los Angeles), BBC (UK), KEXP (Seattle), and WGBH (Boston). Additionally, Alberto is a co-founder and partner of Artivist Entertainment, an independent entertainment company founded in conjunction with Aloe Blacc, Maya Jupiter, Quetzal Flores, and Veronica Gonzalez, dedicated to representing artists whose art and music inspire positive social change.

Mr. López has also been an active educator, teaching privately as well as giving lectures and workshops in schools and universities, including UCLA, Loyola University, SDSU, Occidental College, LAMA, Plaza de la Raza, and community centers throughout California, Arizona, and Oregon. In 2010, he released "Afro-Colombian Rhythms Method, Vol. 1" with Colombian master percussionist and gaitero Eduardo Martínez (Totó La Momposina, Petrona Martínez). Currently, after traveling with Mr. Martínez to the region, Alberto is working on a second volume dedicated to the music of Afro descendants of the Magdalena River in Colombia and is finishing the production in conjunction with Scott Wardinsky of an instructional DVD/CD set of Afro-Cuban rhythms featuring Cuban masters Ramón "Sandy" Pérez and Lázaro Galarraga. Mr. López also worked as an instructor at the Dubspot online and Los Angeles campuses.

Alberto López plays and endorses LP percussion instruments and Innovative Percussion drumsticks and mallets.