Alexandra Ivanova is a Berlin-based pianist and composer, born in Austria with Bulgarian roots and having called France, the Middle East and the Gulf her home. The range of cultural influences she has experienced gives her an “unorthodox approach to her compositions” (All About Jazz). She was classically trained at the piano as a child and is primarily self-taught in jazz, performing with her trios since the age of 16 before finding a mentor in pianist Tarek Yamani (US/LEB). In the recent years, she has also dedicated herself to learning the Arabic Qanun.

In 2023, she released her debut album “Beauty in Chaos” with her Berlin-based trio, combining jazz with influences from Maqam-based traditions, Arabic classical music, odd metres and Afro-Cuban claves. The trio toured Saudi Arabia and Europe, showcased at jazzahead! 2024 and opened Cairo Jazz Festival 2023 with guest vocalist Lynn Adib (FR/SYR) who is featured on the album’s title track.

Alexandra has received various scholarships for her composition work. She has performed her music at the Havana Jazz Plaza Festival, Unterfahrt Munich, Porgy & Bess Vienna, Reykjavik Jazz Festival and on further stages in Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, the Netherlands, the UK and the UAE. 

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Alexis Emelianoff is a sound artist based in Montréal, Canada, inventing and performing with acoustic and electronic instruments. Her approach is highly divergent and dependent on exploration in material research and physics; temperature changes, magnetism, and water conductivity have all animated installations. She designs systems to allow the ‘breakthrough’ of the electrical medium and its sonic form, whether periodic, arrhythmic, abrasive, obstinate... Current projects include hybrid sound output systems and adapting the Western piano to Persian music. 

She has performed in Canada, Europe and the United States, including the MuSA Symposium for Sonic Arts (Germany), Columbia University New York, the Banff Centre, and the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) at UC Berkeley; and has published in Leonardo Music Journal. She was a member of the Topological Media Lab and the Balinese Gamelan group Giri Kedaton.

Currently Alexis is a member of the research organization Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT) and was recently invited as the first artist in residence at the École de Technologie Supérieure in Montréal.

Recipient of Robert L. Jamison Endowment.

Trio Marzenie (Januchta/Bikont/Duszynski) explores the realms of improvised music, creating unique soundscapes that bridge minimalism with Eastern European musical traditions. As artists-in residence at Uśpiona Księgarnia bookstore in Warsaw, where they regularly organize concerts and performances, the trio has established themselves as innovative voices in Poland's experimental music scene.

Jan Duszynski's minimalist approach on the synthesizer interweaves seamlessly with Tomasz Januchta's powerful yet lyrical double bass, processed through multiple effects. Maniucha Bikont completes the ensemble with her versatile vocals, clarinet, and various sound objects. Her musical language draws from extensive studies with singers and musicians across Eastern Europe, incorporating their scales, timbres, and musical narratives into her unique expression.

In recent performances, the trio has demonstrated their versatility across various Warsaw venues, including a memorable show at the Open Cultural Center in Jazdów, where they performed alongside archival family footage by Jakub Duszynski. They also marked the opening of Uśpiona Księgarnia on Stalowa 1 and performed at Plac Zabaw by the Vistula River, accompanying the screening of Jerzy Kukuczka's archives.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Maniucha Bikont is a singer, musician, performer. She composes songs, creates and performs music for films and theater performances. Participant in field research in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, PhD in humanities. She practices traditional, folk, modern impro and composed music, and plays the tuba.

Her solo album “Porządki”, was released 2024. She co-created the bands: Trio Marzenie, Maniucha i Ksawery, Tęgie Chłopy, Dom, Dziczka, Niewte. She collaborates with artists from the circles of avant-garde, improvised, traditional and film music, such as Mats Gustafsson (Ensamble E), Assaf Talmudi (BOTZ, “Porządki”), Seigo Matsunaga (IMA Songlines), Eyal Talmudi (Malox, JCF), Cezary Duchnowski (Devil's Violin), Bartek Weber (DOM), Jan Duszyński (Trio Marzenie), Anna Smolar (performance “Antigone from Molenbeek”), Małgorzata Kozera (film “Twarze Agaty”), Marcin Wicha (“Porządki”), Bastarda Trio, Prusinowski Kompania, Lautari, or Radical Polish Ansambl.

She performs in Europe, Asia and America. Winner of the True Musicians Tournament (2014), two-time winner of the Nowa Tradycja competition (2016, 2017), nominated for the Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej award (2020, 2021). Her album “Oj borom borom” was awarded by Polish Radio and presented at Lincoln Center in New York.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Jlin (Jerrilynn Patton) has quickly become one of the most distinctive composers in America and one of the most influential women in electronic music. Jlin’s thrilling, emotional, and multidimensional compositions have earned her praise as “one of the most forward-thinking contemporary composers in any genre” (Pitchfork). She is a recipient of a 2023 US Artist award and a 2023 Pulitzer Prize nomination. Her mini-album Perspective was released to critical acclaim on Planet Mu 2023. Her much-lauded albums Dark Energy (2015) and Black Origami (2017) have appeared on “Best of” lists in The NY Times, The Wire, LA Times, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Vogue. Jlin has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, the Pathos Quartet, choreographers Wayne McGregor and Kyle Abraham, fashion designer Rick Owens and the visual artists Nick Cave and Kevin Beasley. Her latest release Akoma (Planet Mu: March 2024) features collaborations with Philip Glass, Bjork and Kronos Quartet. 

Headshot, credit Lawrence Agyei

Saraswati Nandini Majumdar is a vocalist in the North Indian ‘khayal’ style. She has trained in Varanasi, one of India’s main centres for classical music, and Delhi, under maestros Rajan and Sajan Mishra. She has performed and taught music in India, the US, and Europe.

The pedagogy she has built, and her workshops called ‘Freedom and Discipline,’ explore improvisation not only as musical practice but also as politics and philosophy for life. As an improvisational artist, Nandini actively seeks collaborations with other musicians, movement artists, and writers from around the world. Most recently, she performed in a devised ensemble piece ‘Memories in Water,’ at MASS Gallery, Austin.

Currently based in Austin, Nandini will be completing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas in May 2025. Her doctoral project considers the intersections between artistic improvisation, vernacular South Asian performance traditions, jazz, postcolonial and critical race theory, and contemporary poetics. She is also the author of articles on arts and culture, a book of walks through Varanasi, and several children’s books.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Elham is a dynamic musician thriving in Montreal's vibrant music scene. As a co-founder of the DIBA collective upon her arrival in Montreal in 2014, she has immersed herself in the city's cultural fabric and cultivated her musical talents.

Her musical journey commenced in her teenage years, enriched by the tutelage of eminent Iranian masters such as Ali Ghamsari, Arshad Tahmassbi, and the Tar virtuoso, Hossein Alizadeh. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, she's mastered traditional Persian instruments like Tar, Setar, Shourangiz, and Robab.

Passionate about singing since childhood, Elham has overcome obstacles to express her voice, finally finding freedom in Canada. She has participated in over 150 concerts across Canada, collaborating with musicians of diverse nationalities. One of her notable collaborations was a concert at the Montreal Symphony House, as part of the OSM's programming, featuring a repertoire dedicated to Persian culture titled "Journey to the East, from Scheherazade to Simorgh."

She has also performed at various prestigious festivals in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, sharing her music and passion with a wide audience. Supported by the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts, she has undertaken several touring series in Montreal and beyond, showcasing her dynamic presence in the music scene.

Simultaneously, her studies in cultural organization management at HEC Montreal University reflect her commitment to developing her artistic career in an informed manner.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Amir Amiri is a visionary santur player, composer, and cultural inventor who bridges the past and future, tradition and innovation. His artistry merges ancient inspiration, dazzling virtuosity, and fearless creativity, elevating the santur into bold new musical territories.

Born in Tehran, Iran, Amiri is a master of the santur, a 72-string instrument with origins dating back to approximately 500 BCE. Since arriving in Canada in 1996, he has founded numerous groundbreaking ensembles that redefine the sonic possibilities of Persian music.

His duo Perséides with double bassist Jean Félix Mailloux was a featured act at the National Arts Centre’s Sounds of Persia: Canada’s New Music Masters in 2018, where Amiri also served as Artistic Director. His ensemble projects continue to push musical boundaries, including the Amir Amiri Ensemble, which embodies the fluidity of Middle Eastern musical influences, and Ensemble Kimya, a Montreal-Paris collaboration weaving together early classical and contemporary music from Europe, the Middle East, and India.

Expanding his creative horizons, Amiri composed the score for the feature film Universal Language, Canada's official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards.

Honored as CBC Artist of the Year in 2003 by the Galaxie Rising Stars Program, Amiri continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his magnetic presence and deeply evocative performances.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Known for his work with Peter Jackson and Howard Shore on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Mark Willsher is equally at home as producer, engineer, mixer, and supervising music editor.  His work spans a broad array of genres, from feature films to classical, folk, and hip-hop.  Recent projects include New Line Cinema’s ‘Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim’ (Composer: Stephen Gallagher), Netflix’s animated feature ‘Ultraman: Rising’ (Composer: Scot Stafford), and the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Kaija Saariaho’s Opera Adriana Mater (Music Director: Esa-Pekka Salonen) – for which (as mixing engineer) he won a Grammy® Award for Best Opera Recording. 

In addition to production work Mark has always been actively involved in audio education as both guest lecturer and guest faculty. He has lectured at The Peabody Institute, MIT, The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was guest audio faculty at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada for seventeen years. Since 2023 Mark has been guest faculty at the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland. He is also on the panel of immersive audio experts for the ECHO Project: A collaborative research project on 3D microphone array techniques for orchestral recording, which has broad industry sponsorship. With a background in music performance, and a deep understanding of all technical aspects of the recording process, Mark’s guiding philosophy is always to be able to step back and be absorbed by recordings on an emotional level – to not be conscious of the speakers, microphones, editing, mixing.  His  personal studio is a fully equipped immersive mixing space with a hybrid analogue/digital workflow. Since 2016 Mark resides in North London with his wife, violinist Cecily Ward, and their two Portuguese Water Dogs – Francie & Lando. 

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