Strings (This is Music)

Dr. Rekha S. Rajan is a musical theater and operatic performer, early childhood educator, professor, and author of a number of publications on the arts in education. She is the recipient of several grants, including a two-year research grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, has performed in a variety of venues, including Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and sits on various statewide curriculum boards. Rekha specializes in introducing children to the arts. Her debut children's book, AMAZING LANDMARKS (Scholastic, 2022), is a STEAM compendium of the stories behind how and why 10 iconic landmarks were built. Her parenting book THE READ ALOUD FACTOR (Chicago Review Press, 2022) will provide a modern, inclusive approach to establishing read-aloud routines for busy families, featuring diverse reading lists, using music, working around technology, and addressing multilingual dynamics. Rekha's work consistently draws from her professional expertise as an educator and performer, her South Asian heritage, and her abiding love of music. Rekha sings everyday with her husband and three children and when she's not writing, she is playing the djembe, mridangam, trumpet, ukulele, and piano.

Tania Yakunova is an award-winning illustrator from Kyiv, Ukraine. She finds her inspiration in avant-garde art and design of the twentieth century. Her work spans from commercial illustration, book illustration, editorial illustration, poster design, packaging for clients all around the world to internationally exhibited personal works. Tania is an active member of the local artist community in the Ukraine and regularly gives lectures and workshops about illustration.