Valerie V. Gay

About Valerie

Valerie V. Gay (Val Gay) is a Creative, Certified Financial Planner, non-profit administrator, recording and performing artist and thought leader. While a classically trained soprano, Val is an active performer across several genres, having widely performed, including a solo performance at Carnegie Hall and a feature on NPR Music. In 2021, Val began releasing singles from her first solo recording project “Re-Purposed + Re-Positioned” featuring original music she’s written across a few musical genres.

Val has been a serial entrepreneur since 2006, beginning with Fortress Arts which provides arts and skill building lessons to children and adults, especially those in underserved communities. Other companies and organizations under Val’s leadership include, Syncopate Creative co-founded with Steve Pappaterra, a firm that works with leaders and organizations to own and share their authentic stories, Spector | Gay Consulting co-founded with Caralyn Spector, a firm which provides targeted support for nonprofit and social venture organizations that seek to solve societal problems, the EVER Ensemble, a collective of women musicians who perform diverse musical genres, from classical to hip hop Soul-Full Affirmations, which combines mindfulness practices with music to create a personalized product to assist clients in reaching their goals, and Fuse Vox, an apparel line which brings cultures together to create afresh take on traditional pieces.

In 2019, Val received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from St. Joseph’s University, and has earned a Professional Studies Certificate and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of the Arts and completed degree course work at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.