Yahya Hussein Abdallah is a singer and composer of devotional songs and reciter of the Qur’an from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He credits his mother and father, who composed praise songs in Swahili, for transmitting their musical knowledge to him and teaching him how to shape his voice.

In parallel with his secular education, he received a religious education in a madrasah and later studied Arab maqam and naghma. At the age of 20, he travelled to Beirut, where he met the young composer and oud player Ziad Sahhab, whom Yahya Hussein Abdallah credits as an important influence on the development of his musicianship.

He performs praise songs, including the famous 13th-century Burdah of Imam al-Busiri, and sings both a cappella and with the accompaniment of instruments, which can range from violin and oud to electric keyboard and synthesizer. His music videos, under the name Yahya Bihaki Hussein, embody his charismatic voice and present his repertoire of praise songs in a contemporary aesthetic framework.

Tawhida Tanya Evanson is a Canadian poet, novelist, artist and Ashiq. Her work blends poetry, orality, music and multimedia around themes of African diasporic identity and Sufi spirituality in resistance to Western values. Born in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal she has roots in Antigua, West Indies.

Evanson’s novels include Livre des ailes (2023) and the award-winning Book of Wings (2021); she also has two poetry collections and an extensive history of international spoken word performance, audio recordings and films. Evanson’s recent work includes the multi-award-winning Afrofuturist concert film CYANO SUN SUITE (2024) and the upcoming poetry collection Annihilation Ghazals. She moonlights as a whirling dervish.

is a Kamanche player and composer with a background in Classical Persian music. A graduate of Tehran University, he studied with renowned masters and gained experience in both instrumental and vocal repertoires.

He has composed works for Kamanche, Persian ensembles, and Western string quartets, and his performances blend traditional Persian elements with contemporary ideas. His career includes concerts across Canada, the Americas, Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East.

Kamjoo has collaborated with ensembles such as Constantinople, Regard Persan, Namâd and Dastân, and has frequently performed with Parisa, the grande dame of Persian classical music.

Dhaivat Jani is a Toronto-based drummer and tabla player and composer. A recent graduate from Humber College with a Bachelor of Music, Jani leads two of his own bands: Dhaivat Jani PLUS, a seven-piece contemporary jazz-fusion band, and Electrio, a three-piece experimental-electronic jazz trio. Jani also supports multiple artists and is an Artistic Associate at Spectrum Music, Canada. He has been awarded several scholarships and awards over the years, including the CCRT Scholarship from the Government of India, the International Student Award for Excellence, the Yamaha Music Canada Ltd. Award, and the Jazz.FM 91 Award.

Gandhaar Amin has been learning Indian classical music from his father since age 4. He has been performing at classical and fusion concerts for over 15 years and has also been producing music for film and TV for about a decade. Having been a part of the music scene in Mumbai since 2012, he has recently moved to Toronto.