Nadwa Rifai is an award winning Lebanese-American artist, founder and lead singer of a New York City based world music band. She developed her unique sound by blending western music such as Jazz, Bossanova and Flamenco with classical and contemporary Arabic Music, creating a cross-cultural dialogue of musical styles from around the world. 

Nadwa holds a Masters degree in International Relations from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and has contributed in various operatic vocal workshops between Beirut and Boston. Her performances have taken her across the Middle East, Europe and the United States. In addition to her performing career, Nadwa is also a TV host, producer and voice over artist.

Sami Abu Shumays is a multi-faceted artist, teacher, scholar, and arts administrator.  He is a vocalist and violinist performing the music traditions of Egypt and Syria, and he founded and leads the ensemble Zikrayat, which performs music and dance traditions from around the Arab World, with a special focus on music from mid-20th Century film musicals made in Cairo.  Zikrayat has performed at numerous venues, including Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, C.U.N.Y. Elebash Hall, Alwan for the Arts, Drom, the American Folk Festival, the Lowell Folk Festival, and the Global Film and Music festival at William and Mary. 

As a teacher and scholar he has led workshops around the U.S. in Arab music, published on maqam, and developed unique online resources for learning Arab music at maqamlessons.com (he is also a contributor to maqamworld.com) and is co-author, along with Johnny Farraj, of "Inside Arabic Music", a forthcoming book published by Oxford University Press.

Zafer Tawil is a virtuoso on ‘oud, violin, and qanun, and a master of Arab percussion. Zafer has performed in concerts across the country, including performances with numerous musicians ranging from Sting to Arab music virtuosos Chab Mami, Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba and George Ziadeh, to avant-garde composer/ performer Elliot Sharpe. He was a featured composer and performer in acclaimed director Jonathan Demme's Oscar-nominated film Rachel Getting Married and is composing and performing for Demme’s next film project, Zeitoun, based on Dave Eggers’ book about Abdulrahman Zeitoun’s post-Hurricane Katrina odyssey. Zafer has worked on many collaboration concerts involving classical Indian and Persian music as well as Arab/jazz fusion. He has held workshops on Arab music at many institutions and universities across the United States. A native of Jerusalem, Palestine, he resides in New York City.

George Ziadeh was born and raised in Birzeit, Palestine, and pursued music from a young age. In 1986 he moved to the United States, where he studied ‘oud with Simon Shaheen and classical singing and voice with Youssef Kassab, with whom he has toured extensively across the country. George has performed and lectured with such ensembles and institutions as the University of Chicago’s Middle East Music Ensemble with Issa Boulos, the University of Colorado (Boulder), Alwan for the Arts, the United Nations (invited by Kofi Annan), and annually at the Columbia University Department of Ethnomusicology. In 2008, George was a featured solo and ensemble performer in the “Brooklyn Maqam” Festival of Arab Music. From 1995 to 1997 George taught at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah and at Birzeit University. George is considered an authority in maqam and Arab classical repertoire.

Dubbed “One of the most eclectic of New York’s elite singers” by NY Music Daily, Shelley is a professional vocalist specializing in Eastern European and Arabic styles. She sings in over fifteen languages with disarming fluidity, authenticity and emotion. She has taught workshops, recorded, performed and toured nationally and internationally with various World Music ensembles and artists including Kronos Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Hassan Hakmoun, the New York Arabic Orchestra, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Vlada Tomova’s Bulgarian Voices Trio, and Black Sea Hotel. She has performed at festivals such as Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Vancouver Island Music Festival, and Abu Dhabi Festival.
www.shelleyvoice.com/