Charles E. Smith Life Communities
An Iris community since 2019, Charles E. Smith Life Communities is Iris’ flagship location, hosting the Iris Piano Trio as its Ensemble-in-Residence. CESLC is committed to fulfilling Jewish values by honoring older adults and ensuring the dignity of each individual by providing a full continuum of quality services and living options to older adults.
Meet the musicians
Iris Piano Trio
The Iris Piano Trio is our flagship ensemble, featuring musicians and core organizational leaders Lauren Latessa, Jiyoung Oh, and Joanna Owen.
Caterina Vannucci
Caterina Vannucci is a professional violinist with 30 years of experience in symphony orchestra, opera, chamber music and violin education. After a Bachelor Degree in violin she specialized at the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana “Professore D’Orchestra” and continued with many other courses with some of the best Italian Maestri. For many years she was part of the Florence Symphonietta, in Firenze, directed by maestro Pietro Bellugi and joined the orchestra of the important Festival Pucciniano in Torre del Lago, Viareggio (Lucca) specializing in opera repertoire.
Since moving to Washington DC she is a Violin member at A Musical Heart. She had collaborations with the Takoma Ensemble, the Washington Ballet and other local organizations. While part of symphony and chamber orchestras she was also devoted to teaching violin and music education.
Nadia Gaylin
Born and raised in the DC area, Nadia Gaylin is a music and theatre-based performer and educator with over a decade of experience. Over the years, she has worked for various theater and music educational programs in the DMV, including Adventure Theatre, Imagination Stage, and the Keegan Theater (Play-Rah-Ka). From 2022 to 2024, Nadia served as the music teacher and head of the music department at Temple Sinai Nursery School in Washington, DC. The following year, she chose to pursue more stage performance opportunities; her local credits include “Mother” in the Puppet Co. 's The Nutcracker and “Swing” in Adventure Theatre’s Sing Down the Moon. Continuing her love of working with children, Nadia currently performs for Princess Parties of DC, where she entertains at parties and events throughout the DMV. She studied Acting at Baldwin Wallace University and Theater at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Niki Yeracaris
Niki Yeracaris is a composer, educator, and multi-instrumentalist based in Washington, DC. Growing up just outside of Boston, Niki was classically trained on violin, viola, and piano, but was captivated by music of all sorts, and never willing to commit to one genre or instrument. She is especially drawn to musical theatre, folk, and rock, always advocating for the inclusion of strings in unconventional settings. Presently, she teaches musical theatre to children at Imagination Stage, as well as early childhood music classes at Levine Music; she writes folk, theatre, and video game tunes, and performs and records in many capacities in the Northeast and the DC area.
Niki earned a Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music, where she also studied viola performance, improvisation, and interactive media scoring. She loves to tell stories and connect with people through music, and is always seeking new ways to subvert expectations and stretch the boundaries of what is possible.