Uncaged Library Arts & Information

Adrian Jazz Applin (Artist in Residence) is a Bay Area based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays the piano, guitar, and ukulele. Adrian’s musical style is broad and eclectic and while the genres may shift, all of his songs are connected by the common thread of his powerful, versatile vocals. Music has always been a part of Adrian’s life; from a young age he began performing R&B and Motown tunes with his father and his band, which had a profound influence on his musical development. Adrian is also a member of Voices Lesbian A Capella For Justice, the oldest continuously running lesbian choral group in the country. In addition to his musical interests, Adrian writes about the intersections of race, gender, and pop culture. His work was most recently published in Bitch magazine. 

Anand Jay Kalra (Artistic & Managing Director) is the founding director of Uncaged Librarian Arts & Information. Anand has worked in K-12 public schools, early childhood education, academic libraries, LGBT advocacy, and public health policy. Along this winding road, he has honed his knack for asking useful questions. Anand earned a master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Michigan in 2010. He was a 2017-2018 AIRSpace Fellow with SafeHouse Arts in San Francisco, and currently splits his time between the artistic direction for Uncaged Librarian and consulting & coaching work in finance, operations, and information services for social justice organizations. Anand is proud to be a transgender man and an uncle to the greatest toddler in the world.

Erica Dunkle (Treasurer) is a classical singer by training with a focus on both early and contemporary music, who enjoys being involved in new and innovative musical works. She has performed in a variety of inventive musical endeavors, including collaborations with the Paperhand Puppet Intervention in North Carolina, Ensamble Barroco de Arequipa Peru, and the visual artist Pedro Lasch as part of his Abstract Nationalism series in both D.C. and Venice, Italy. Erica is a Bay Area native and currently sings with the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, a chamber choir devoted to the performance of 20th and 21st century music. Erica earned her master’s of social work in 2010 and currently works in systems and finance at a research organization, RTI International, where she helps to manage government and foundation grants. She is excited to be a behind-the-scenes support for the creative team of Octavia of Earth, and gives a heartfelt thanks to Anand and the cast and crew for including her in this endeavor.

Jennifer Ledesma (Executive Assistant) is a Mexican-American actor, singer, dancer, and musician currently based in Chicago. A Southern California native, she moved to Chitown to pursue her Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre at Columbia College Chicago, and has performed with theaters like Drury Lane Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, TheatreSquared, and New York City Children's Theatre. Outside of theatre, Jennifer has worked with organizations like GSA Network, Orange County Human Relations, and The Joy-Jackson Initiative, which all seek to improve the livelihoods of marginalized communities such as immigrants/refugees, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC folks. When she's not performing, she works as an Executive Assistant at Satiated Artists, an agency that connects artists with flexible day jobs, which is how she was connected to the lovely team at UL Arts.