Four-time Grammy Award-winner Glen Velez is the founding father of the modern frame drum movement and is regarded as a legendary figure among musicians and audiences world-wide. Velez brought a new genre of drumming to the contemporary music scene by creating his own performance style inspired by years of percussion and frame drumming studies from various cultures. Velez’s virtuosic combinations of hand movements, finger techniques, along with his original compositional style, which incorporates stepping, drum language and Central Asian overtone singing (split-tone singing), has opened new possibilities for musicians around the globe, resulting in a shift in modern percussion.

Perhaps best known for his recordings and tours with Paul Simon, drummer/percussionist Jamey Haddad has lived and had extended study of music in India, North Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Middle East. Haddad is the 2010 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize and a Legends of Jazz Award. He has received four National Endowment for the Arts fellowships to pursue jazz and international studies and collaborations. He has worked with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Carly Simon, Betty Buckley, Yo-Yo Ma, Osvaldo Golijov, Nancy Wilson, and many, many others. Haddad is on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Loire Cotler is a Grammy nominated rhythm vocalist and composer who is on a mission to show the world the rhythmic power of the voice. She is renonwned for blazing vocal percussion solos and wordless singing inspired by vocal traditions such as niggun, taksim, jazz scat, konnakol, and hoomei. Her signature sound, original lyrical chants and vocal arrangements can be head on numerous recordings, live performances, and blockbuster film scores, including Hanz Zimmer’s Oscar-winning score for “Dune: Part One,” and James Newton Howard’s Oscar-nominated score for the Netflix series “The Sandman.” She was a Professor of Music Therapy at the The New School University in New York City and has an extensive clinical background working in hospitals. Loire states, “The healing power of music is the golden thread that links all my music.”

Satoshi Takeishi is a drummer, percussionist and arranger from Mito Japan. He studied music at Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts where he discovered his love for South American music leading to a four-year residence in Colombia, South America. Upon his return to New York, Satoshi began a remarkable journey of international music studies, collaborations and world tours with major jazz artists (Eliane Elias and Marc Johnson, and others), and explorations into the world of electronics. His current fascination is the traditional music of Korea. Satoshi continues to explore multi-cultural and electronic music as well as improvisational music together with New York musicians and composers.

Born and raised in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon, Christiane’s unique vocal style stems from her love for different musical traditions. She is the leader and founder of the award-winning ZilZALA Ensemble, which blends classical, traditional, and folk music from different regions of the Middle East and the Balkans with contemporary jazz. She has shared the stage with the likes of Yanka Rupkina, Hüsnü Senlendirici, Javier Limon, the NY Gypsy All-Stars, Ran Blake, Jamey Haddad, the Assad Brothers, Binka Dobreva, Javier Limon and Bobby McFerrin. She appeared in the 2009 PBS documentary film "The Music Instinct: Science and Song", featuring Bobby McFerrin, Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks, Daniel Barenboim, and Yo-Yo Ma. Christiane is also a staunch activist for cultural understanding, tolerance, and non-violent conflict resolution. Currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music, she is the founder and leader of the Berklee Annual Middle Eastern Festival, and actively continues her work of bringing awareness and positive social change through music and the arts. Christiane also performs and teaches around the world and is on the faculty of the Omega Institute as a co-leader of “Circlesongs” alongside Bobby McFerrin and members of Voicestra. As a holistic practitioner, she is also committed to promoting wellness and balance through various mind body practices.

Da Silva was born in Villa Maria in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. He became interested in percussion at the age of 8 when he heard Afro-Brazilian music at the spiritual gatherings he attended with his parents. He trained classically for the Municipal Orchestra of São Paulo, but began to follow his passion, playing jazz and popular music at clubs. He then studied theatre technique at the Villa Lobos School in Rio de Janeiro. Since moving to the United States his list of collaborators reads like a “who’s who” of contemporary jazz, pop, and Brazilian music: Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Mick Jagger, Gilberto Gil, Paquito d’Rivera, David Byrne, Herbie Mann, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Randy Brecker, Michael Franks, and many, many more.