Cherif Soumano is a rising star of the kora. Based in Paris, Cherif’s music is of its time, while being deeply and clearly rooted within the traditional Mande kora repertoire that his father passed onto him in his homeland of Mali. He has performed alongside renowned musicians including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tiken Jah Fakoly, and […]

Malin Lewis is a musician, composer, instrument maker, educator, and musical director from the Scottish Highlands. They play a range of instruments including various bagpipes, fiddle and whistle. Malin performs regularly across the UK with their trio, Malin Makes Music. Their music draws inspiration from piping traditions across Europe and features self-penned tunes as well […]

Lucie Hendry is a Scottish lever harpist and composer, based in Denmark. Interested in exploring the possibilities of the lever harp, Lucie is currently going about intertwining her folk music roots with influences from the Nordic jazz and wider music scene. Lucie’s upcoming debut solo album aims to take her instrument in new directions, with […]

Anna Ekborg is a member of Sweden’s exciting new generation of talented young fiddle players. Drawing inspiration from her country’s rich fiddle playing traditions, Anna has built up an extensive and varied repertoire. In 2021, she released her critically-acclaimed debut album, ‘SOLO’. Nominated for a Swedish Grammy, the album has cemented Anna’s position as one […]

Alaa Zouiten was born in Casablanca, Morocco, where he began his career as a master performer of the oud. Alaa moved to Germany in 2009, where he continued to experiment with the stylistic, technical and aesthetic possibilities of his instrument. In his compositions and arrangements, Alaa constantly seeks new musical perspectives. As a curator, he has […]

Ahmet Ozan Baysal is a Turkish bağlama (saz) player, composer and performer, specialising in şelpe – an Anatolian bağlama performance technique that dispenses with a plectrum. Having played the instrument from a very early age, much of his music is a synthesis of traditional bağlama şelpe performance practices and harmonic practices in tonal and jazz music. Ozan has performed […]

Liz Hanks is a cellist, composer and collaborator based in Sheffield. While she has worked with an impressive array of high-profile artists across many different genres, she is particularly drawn to folk, Indian classical, and other music traditions. In recent years Liz has performed and collaborated with, among others, Martin Simpson, Jasdeep Singh Degun, and […]

Thamires Tannous is a Brazilian singer and songwriter. She hails originally from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in the central area of Brazil, home to the world’s largest tropical wetland, the Pantanal. Her style blends the musical heritage of her home state with contemporary Brazilian music, as well as occassionally paying subtle homage […]

Robert Bisha, originally from Shkodra in northern Albania, is a pianist, improviser and composer who plays an array of other instruments including accordion, çifteli (a stringed instrument found in Albania and some surrounding countries), frame drums and guitar. While much of his music is improvisatory, with avant-garde and jazz leanings, Robert is also heavily influenced by traditional […]

Born in the Iranian capital Tehran, Azin Zahedi began playing flute at the age of seven, and took up the santour (Persian dulcimer) four years later, winning first prize at Iran’s National Festival of Youth Music in 2007. She moved to Germany in 2010 to continue her music education – first at the Folkwang University of Arts […]

Simon Leleux is a Belgium-based percussionist specialising in doholla, darbuka and other Arab and Middle Eastern percussion instruments and styles. Shaped like a tumbler, the darbuka provided the starting point for Simon’s percussion journey and his interest in many other instruments, including frame drums, tombak, riqq, and drum kits. Simon has focused on studying the doholla (bass darbuka) since 2014 […]

Rooted in the singing traditions of Aberdeenshire, Iona Fyfe has quickly become one of Scotland’s most celebrated young folk singers. Having spent her early years learning from local singers of bothy ballads (songs traditionally sung by farm labourers in the northeast region of Scotland), Iona became the youngest ever winner of Scots Singer of the […]