The Story of Solis & Luna Arts A conversation with the 3 leaders behind a national non-profit organization

By: Madhav Dua

Meet the inspiring minds behind Solis & Luna Arts, a student-run nonprofit making waves in the community by promoting the healing power of art therapy. Led by President Chloe Cho and Co-Vice Presidents Madhav Dua and Victor Hsu, the organization hosts art and music events at hospitals and churches across the country. Through their creative endeavors, they aim to bring solace and recovery to individuals, using the universal languages of art and music. In this interview, Chloe, Madhav, and Victor share their story and the impact they aspire to make in the communities they serve.

“I started this organization at the end of my freshmen year—around July or August,” shares President and current highschool junior Chloe Cho. “I began by creating a club at Bergen County Academies called Solis and Luna Arts. ‘Solis’ means Sun, and ‘Luna’ means moon in Latin. I wanted to represent finding the light in times of darkness. At first, I was going to make it Solis in Luna Arts, but it didn’t ring as well as Solis and Luna Arts did.”

Chloe explains that the club was designed to combine her passions for the arts and writing. “Throughout the first couple of months of our club, we experimented with different art forms to demonstrate to patients, but we eventually decided to stick with music therapy. Also, since the beginning, we had a writing team that worked on blogs while the music team practiced for our performances.”

“In February, I got it officially registered as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization from the IRS, and from then on, we began to expand it on a more national scale, and we currently have 11 chapters in the United States,” Chloe adds proudly. Today, Solis & Luna Arts stands as a testament to the power of art therapy, reaching communities across the nation – with the help of many team members, of course.

“As one of the co-founders of the Solis BCA club in September 2022, I’ve been involved with Solis since its inception,” states Co-Vice President Madhav Dua. “Together with Chloe, I played a role in formulating the mission statement and establishing the overall framework for how Solis could and should operate. The writing team has been under my purview since Day 1, so almost everything the writing team has done, I’ve been involved with a little bit. Obviously, our articles, promotional videos, and books are the product of our team members’ hard work, but my small contribution was editing and overseeing all of those projects.” Madhav’s integral involvement underscores the collaborative spirit that drives Solis & Luna Arts in its mission to bring healing through the arts.

But this is merely the beginning for Solis & Luna. “As Vice President, my future plans for the organization involve an ambitious expansion, reaching beyond national borders to promote the idea of musical therapy on an international scale,” says Co-Vice President Victor HSU. “One of our key objectives is to establish educational programs that teach the transformative power of musical therapy, emphasizing its positive impact on mental and emotional well-being. By fostering connections between individuals through the shared experience of chamber music, we aim to enhance collaboration and musical skills, leaving a lasting and profound influence on the communities we touch.” Ultimately, Victor’s conviction demonstrates what every Solis & Luna Arts member has in common: passion and hope for the future!