Gordon Grdina is a JUNO Award-winning oud and guitar player based in Vancouver, BC. His career has spanned continents, decades, and a constant exploration of genres, including avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, contemporary indie rock, and Arabic music. Grdina’s unique approach to his instruments has earned him recognition from top musicians in the jazz and improv world. He’s collaborated with a wide array of artists like Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, Marc Ribot, and Colin Stetson. He took two years off to focus on his classical guitar technique, which led to a series of albums that showcased a unique blend of sonorities. In 2022, Grdina started exploring a new instrument that combines live guitar with MIDI control, expanding his sonic palette. This was first used on his solo guitar project,

Oddly Enough: The Music of Tim Berne. He also leads several bands, including the Gordon Grdina Quartet, The Marrow, Square Peg, and Nomad Trio.

Ghalia Benali is a Tunisian-Belgian artist described byThe New York Times as a “maker of her own myths”. Since 1992, her artistic career has included singing, writing, composing, visual art, painting, design, and acting. Born in Brussels and raised in Tunisia, her music blends different cultures and genres, defining contemporary Arabic music. She has received titles such as “Carthage’s Aretha Franklin” and “Wind’s Daughter”. In 2008, she received the “World of Music Award” for best world music song, and in 2016, she won “Best Actress” in Spain from the Women for Africa Foundation. Benali was also nominated for “Most Promising Actress” in 2017 for her role in the film “As I Open My Eyes”. Her artistic work includes 10 music albums, five movies, a book, and various exhibitions.

Elias Stemeseder, born 1990, is a pianist, keyboard instrumentalist, electronic musician and composer. He studied piano, organ, and composition in Salzburg, Linz, and Berlin. Stemeseder is actively involved in the hybridized music scenes of North America and Europe, working in groups such as “Neon Dilemma”, “Wrens”, “Shimmer Wince”, “Philm” and “Evans/Stemeseder”. He is a recording artist for Intakt Records, and his work has also been featured on releases by labels such as Winter&Winter, Clean Feed and Klaeng. Elias Stemeseder was an artist in residence at The Stone NYC in September 2022 and has received prestigious awards and commissions in the USA, Germany and Austria for his work as a keyboard-instrumentalist and composer.

Eylem Basaldi is a violinist, composer, and educator born in Türkiye. She is a classically trained musician from the New England Conservatory. Basaldi performs in various musical settings, featuring traditions from the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. She is a member of groups like Dolunay and Sandaraa. Basaldi is a sought-after improvising violinist in world, rock, and jazz music. She has performed and recorded with a wide range of groups and artists, including Grammy winner Snarky Puppy, Dave Brubeck, and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also played for various on and off-Broadway shows.

Born into a family of musicians, Hamin Honari is a renowned percussionist from the city of Zahedan in Iran. Honari began his musical education at a young age, studying the tombak, a traditional Persian hand drum, under the tutelage of Ramin Bahrami. Over the years, Honari has developed a unique style that blends traditional Persian rhythms and techniques with elements of jazz, classical, and other genres. He has released several albums, both as a solo artist and as a collaborator, that showcase his innovative and boundary-pushing approach to percussion and composition.