Leyla McCalla is a Haitian-American multi-instrumentalist based in New Orleans whose music blends Haitian rhythms and New Orleans influences on cello, banjo, and guitar. A former member of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, she is also a co-founder of Our Native Daughters alongside Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, and Allison Russell. Her critically acclaimed album Breaking the Thermometer explores the legacy of Radio Haiti and was named one of the Best Albums of 2022 by NPR, The Guardian, and Variety—with her song “Dodinin” featured on Barack Obama’s 2022 playlist. Her latest release, Sun Without the Heat, draws on Afrobeat, Ethiopian modalities, Brazilian Tropicalism, and American folk and blues. McCalla is honored to serve as the Founding Artistic Director of the Shockoe Institute.