ABOUT
Art-In-Relation (AIR) is the brainchild of Co-Producers Jonas and Heidi Sills. Mentored by Producer Emeritus and co-founder Ray Buffer, AIR takes its acronym name as a nod to the Hindu deity, Vāyu who was known to give life through breath. AIR hopes to breathe new life into musical theatre productions, concert music, choral presentations, plays as well as creating opportunities to experience healing arts. Their goal is to house all of these ideas under one roof.
The group's first project outside of producing choral concerts by Los Angeles Musical Theatre Youth Chorus, was the West Coast Premiere musical theatre production, Frankenstein - a New Musical in October, 2014. The Christmas Carol followed in December, 2014 following up in 2015 season of shows with full orchestra including Forever Plaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Chess, The Musical. These shows were all performed in the gorgeous Ernest Borgnine theater in the Scottish Rite Building in downtown Long Beach!
In 2016 AIR made the leap to LA in two successful productions with the Ovation Recommended Production of Andrew Lippa's Wild Party as well as a "reanimation" of it's inaugural production Frankenstein, A New Musical for Los Angeles audiences in a new exciting staging!
2017 was our most successful year yet starting with Broadway L.A. a grand benefit with over 40 performers at the Founder's Center in LA. We followed this up with, It's Only Life also in Los Angeles at the intimate Chromolume Theatre. This was written and accompanied on piano for our opening weekend by composer John Bucchino and this production garnered a Scenie Award for best Ensemble for a small theater! Later in 2017 we returned to Long Beach with a remount of The Christmas Carol this time in period costumes and directed by Executive Director, Jonas Sills.
Jonas Sills grew up in Manhattan Beach, CA and was a sought after performer even as a young child. He attended college at CSULB with a degree in Jusic Education, with extended studies in Acting and Theater Management. He performed with Long Beach Opera and Opera Pacific for over 25 operas, sang with the Pacific Chorale, Long Beach Camerata, and the renowned Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, including two concerts backing up Kathleen Battle. He also performed in musical theater with Musical Theater West, Civic Light Opera of South Bay, Theater League, MTLA, and with A.I.R. He is a director, conductor and music director, and has led several churches including Orange coast Unitarian, Aldresgate Methodist, and Unity of South Bay. He is also an expert at Italian Neopolitan Songs, and being of mixed heritage is also a Jewish Cantorial Soloist. He taught public school music for many years, molding our future performers. Currently, Sills has spent much of his time wrting from business grants, to articles for prominent websites, to an original screenplay, and a new musical to be debuted in 2025. Jonas is still a busy professional performer, guest teaches with various public schools, and is conductor of the Los Angeles Musical Theatre Youth Chorus.
Heidi Sills has a degree in child development from CSULA. She is thrilled to work side by side with her husband doing "all the important jobs" like running the box office, stage managing, taking care of cast members, performing, and lending her wonderful ideas to A.I.R. She also keeps her husband, Jonas sane by always being there for him!
