Sinan Cem Eroğlu
"Sinan Cem Eroglu is some of the best instrumentalist and the first modern virtuoso of kaval in today's Turkish Folk Music..." - Songlines Magazine - Francesco Martinelli
"There is no doubt that Eroglu performs in all roles with a significant degree of skill that may be considered prodigious." - Songlines Magazine - Michael Galea
Iberi
Iberi Choir are 12 Georgian folk singers and enthusiastic proponents of Georgian polyphonic song, which has been recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of “intangible heritage.” Created in 2012, the name of the choir derives from the word “Iberia,” Georgia’s original name. Iberi’s extensive repertoire includes songs from across that country demonstrating different kinds of polyphony, and while the tradition is essentially secular, it includes ancient and rarely performed sacred and pagan songs.
This Is Tehran? Saba Alizadeh & Matthias Koch
Born in Tehran in 1983 to world-renowned composer and performer Hossein Alizadeh, Saba studied the Iranian Kamancheh with Saeed Farajpoury and Keyhan Kalhor, as well as photography and later experimental sound art with Mark Trayle at the California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles
Skye Consort & Emma Bjorling
Skye Consort & Emma Björling perform trans-Atlantic arrangements of songs & tunes from Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England, Québec, Acadia, the USA, as well as original compositions.
Kíla
"Whatever it is... this is it. Kíla are right there at the cusp of it... Somehow you get the feeling they lit the fuse for the big bang." -BONO
"One of the most beautifully euphoric live experiences" -BBC WORLD REVIEW
"Softly spoken off stage and complete lunatics on it, Kíla have torn up the rulebook with their wantonly eclectic mix of styles, Brilliant!” -HOTPRESS
"All the wonderful, shamanistic energy of the amazing Kíla” -NEIL JORDAN
Akkajee
Akkajee is a band of two akkas* creating string noise on the rotten roots of Finnish folk tradition. Their layered aesthetics will invite you to the world of frozen lakes, haunting nightmares and the ancient mystery of giving birth. The vocal and instrumental storytelling varies from intimate to fierce, to seasoned with pulsating beats and floating soundscapes.
Piqsiq: Inuit Throat Singing Sisters
With a style inspired by haunting northern beauty, sisters Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik are Inuit throat singers from Arctic Canada who blend their ancient traditional form with contemporary technology to create haunting soundscapes and improvisational compositions that change with every show.
Third World United (3WU)
Passion for creative collaboration and keen, authentic perspectives distinguish 3WU, which is a homegrown musical collective with influences from Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East, as well as the United States. While their families’ stories can in some ways be traced back to Seattle’s “Sanctuary City” designation, what the group brings to the musical table today represents the result of assimilations, buoyed by the heartbeat of the American Dream.
The members’ songs tell the stories that humanize culture and communities, rather than distort and misinform. Along with their role together as a musical collective, 3WU is also an independent record label, community hub and growing international force. The June 19th performance will feature 3UW’s founder, Essam; poet and emcee, Akhi Abu; voice and sample-focused producer, Petty Pro; and the illustrious vocalist, Amina.
Justin Adams: Guitarist & Producer
His production on landmark albums by Tinariwen and Rachid Taha highlight his feel for North African groove, while his award winning collaborations with Gambian maestro Juldeh Camara linked griot tradition with raw blues spirit . His early work with artists such as Jah Wobble , Sinead O’Connor and Natacha Atlas was infused with the spirit of post- punk London, while his recent solo album of guitar atmospherics Ribbons was cited by Songlines magazine as amongst the top 50 albums of the past decade.
Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (CGS): Tradition & Modernity in Southern Italian Music
Italy’s fascinating dichotomy of tradition and modernity come together in the music of CGS: the seven piece band and dancer are the leading exponents in a new wave of young performers re-inventing Southern Italy’s Pizzica musical and dance traditions for today’s global audience.
Joe Kye: Korean American Violin Looper
Born in Korea and raised in Seattle, violinist-looper and vocalist Joe Kye has drawn rave reviews since launching his music career in 2013
Addictive TV: Global A/V Sampling
Orchestra of Samples by artists Addictive TV has been an enormous undertaking! Ten years spent recording over 250 musicians improvising while touring and performing internationally, then sampling them all to create new music.
Using music to help breakdown cultural barriers, they wanted a project that brought together as many musicians as possible from all backgrounds, both cultural and musical – an impractical task in the real world but not in the digital world of sampling.
DUNAVA: Bulgarian Choir
Dunava (from the Bulgarian name for the Danube) is a women's choir made up of singers with broad musical and performance experience and a passion for intricate harmonies and vocal techniques.
Dunava is dedicated to studying and performing traditional folk songs from the Balkans and Eastern Europe with respect and authenticity.
The Secret Trio: Balkan Chamber Music
THE SECRET TRIO is made up of three astounding musicians, Ara Dinkjian (oud, a fretless lute), Ismail Lumanovski (clarinet) and Tamer Pınarbaşı (kanun, a 76-string zither), who came together to create a new type of chamber music, combining the elements of sound, texture and rhythm with new and interesting approaches to their instruments.
Fely Tchaco
Leye Felicite Martin -- known to her fans as Fely Tchaco -- is an Ivorian-American singer-songwriter and performer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born Felicite Leye Tchaco in the town of Yamoussoukro in the West African nation of Côte d'Ivoire, Fely began singing and dancing at a tender age - first entertaining her parents and their friends with impromptu house concerts, before moving on to bigger venues.
Sonny Singh
Sonny's first musical outlet as a child growing up in Charlotte, NC was kirtan—Sikh devotional music. Like many Sikh kids, he learned basic harmonium and tabla and would regularly do kirtan at Sikh camps and gurdwaras. His energy shifted to other types of music as he became a more serious musician—ska, reggae, funk, punk rock, bhangra, and more. Over the years, he has shared the stage with many musical icons and heroes and has toured the world as an original member of Red Baraat.
Ne Myo Aung: Sandaya (Burmese Piano)
Renowned Sandaya (Burmese piano) player, Fulbright recipient with a MA in Ethnomusicology from the University of Washington. Dean of Gitameit Music Institute in Yangon, Myanmar.