Mal Barsamian comes from a family of oud (lute) players across multiple generations and is a specialist in music written by Armenian composers active in Istanbul during the later years of the Ottoman Empire. He has performed on oud, clarinet, dumbeg, guitar, bouzouki, and saxophone in Armenian, Greek, and Middle Eastern communities for over 35 years throughout the US. Locally he has performed with the late Esber Korporcu, an important figure in Boston’s Middle Eastern music community, as well as with Mehmet Sanlikol’s Dünya organization. Also trained as a classical guitarist, he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in classical guitar performance, studying with Robert Sullivan at NEC. Barsamian is also on the applied faculty at Tufts University’s World Music. 

Grammy® nominated Cypriot percussionist George Lernis, has recorded and collaborated with acclaimed artists such as: John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, Antonio Sanchez, Anat Cohen, Dave Liebman, Miguel Zenón and A Far Cry String Orchestra just to name a few. His latest original work ''Between Two Worlds'' featuring world renowned bass player John Patitucci was released on June 10th, 2022. Jazziz magazine (Mark Holston) described Lernis’s latest record as "swelling rhythms and high-spirited melodies created by Cyprus native George Lernis for a program of improvisation-grounded performances blended with traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean music influences."

Michael K. Harrist is a New York City based multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator, specializing in contrabass, yaylı tanbur and sarangi. Michael works in a wide range of traditions including Ottoman/Turkish music, Jazz, Western Classical, Hindustani and American roots music. Michael has concertized across the Americas, Europe and Asia with various ensembles including Labyrinth Ontario Ensemble, Mexamorphosis, Ameranouche, Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma, Çeşni Trio, Orchestrotica, Capillary Action, Sol & Kiel and Michael Kiel Cash. He is the founding artistic director of Halcyon Arts New England, adjunct faculty at Kean University and founder/director of Harrist Music Studios. A disciple of W. A. Mathieu, Michael has also studied under Ross Daly, Ramesh Mishra, George Ruckert, Suhail Yusuf Khan, Melisa Yildirim, Fred Stubbs and Evgenios Voulgaris.

Alireza Khodayari (b. 2001) is an Iranian composer and Tar player who grew up immersed in Iranian music. After earning a diploma in mathematics, he began studying Iranian music performance, focusing on the Tar, at Tehran University of Art in 2020. In 2023, he moved to the United States to pursue a bachelor’s degree in composition at Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, where he is currently studying under the mentorship of renowned composer Andrew List. From 2019 to 2022, Alireza concentrated on the idea of polyphony in Iranian music and combining it with contemporary musical materials—a field explored by few composers. His works blend elements of Iranian contemporary music with avant-garde and contemporary classical influences. His recent interests lie in exploring sound, its dimensions, colors, and noise. Alireza’s works have been performed by ensembles such as Sound Icon, the Mivos String Quartet, and QuarTar (which he founded) in Boston, New Hampshire, and Tehran.

Samuel Sjostedt is an Armenian-American Composer and multi-instrumentalist from Worcester, Massachusetts. Specializing on the oud, Sjostedt has performed his works globally with different ensembles, as well as his own, Armadi Tsayn. Samuel’s works are always calling to the sounds heard in 20th century Western Armenia, mixing them with other genres heard in and around the western world. During his studies at Berklee College of Music, Samuel spent his time studying closely with notable composers such as Simon Shaheen, Tamar Diesendruck and Ara Dinkjian.

Born in Istanbul, Ezgi Kurt specializes in the musical traditions of Anatolia and Asia Minor. She pursued formal studies at Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) and the Bogazici University Folk Music and Dance Club, and studied mugham improvisation, voice development and poetry at Cavit Murtezaoglu Ses Atolyesi. Later, she expanded her knowledge by studying Western classical music and Hindustani music at UC Davis. As a performer and cultural worker, Ezgi has extensive experience collaborating on global musical projects, exploring and understanding diverse musical traditions.

Fatih Acun is a bağlama performer focusing on the rich folk music traditions of Turkey, inspired by the local performers and styles in Anatolia. He studied bağlama at the Middle East Technical University Folklore Club and used to be part of folk music groups “Zamane” and “Gam Trio” in Ankara, Turkey. Now, he is performing Turkish and Middle Eastern music in Boston.

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Mithat Yavuzarslan is a musician with over 15 years of experience playing the Ney, Oud, and Classical (Istanbul) Kemençe. Having trained under esteemed teachers and participated in music societies in Istanbul, Mithat developed a solid foundation in classical Turkish music. Since moving to the United States in 2022, he has worked with musicians across diverse genres, including Turkish pop, folk, Middle Eastern, and Greek music, performing with various bands in Seattle. Notable appearances include Seattle Turkfest, Seattle Arabfest, and the Northwest Folklife Festival, where he also contributed as a Production Planning Team Member for the Turkish Showcase in 2023 and performed on the Mural Amphitheatre stage in 2024. Now based in Boston, Mithat is an active member of the Boston Meshk Ensemble, continuing to share the rich traditions of Turkish music through solo and group performances.

Originally from Turkiye, Volkan began playing the oud as a teenager under his father's guidance, performing throughout high school and college. Since moving to the US in 2002, he has collaborated with various Turkish music ensembles in Washington DC, Chicago, and Boston. Volkan has been exploring classical, folk, and ceremonial forms of Ottoman-Turkish music, as well as the healing aspects of the makam system. In addition to the oud, he plays ney, tanbur, kanun, and kemençe, regularly performing in and around Boston. Noteworthy venues include Harvard University, MIT, Club Passim, The Burren Pub, and Belmont Public Library. Apart from his solo pursuits, he is the founder of the Boston Meshk Ensemble, a Turkish music chorus studying folk and classical music from Turkiye. Volkan has also developed projects such as "Crossroads of Sound," where diverse background musicians perform music from Turkey, the Balkans, and the Middle East. He also co-curated the "Makam Healing Project," a winner of the 2019 Passim Iguana Music Fund.