Nicolás Castañeda Lozano is an award-winning Colombian harpist and composer representing a new wave of Hispanic American musicians who balance innovation with tradition. Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1989, he has dedicated his career to expanding the artistic possibilities of the arpa llanera, developing a contemporary sonic identity through genre-crossing composition and improvisation.

Mr. Castañeda’s work has been presented at international festivals and academic engagements, including Florida State University (USA), Somerset Folk Harp Festival (New Jersey), Nomads Festival (Helsinki, Finland), and Sonamos Latinoamérica (Copenhagen, Denmark), among others. His performances reflect a commitment to dialogue between Colombian traditions and global music practices.

He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he earned his Cum Laude degree in Jazz Composition. His first EP, Renacer, showcases the harp’s versatility through original works that blend folk, jazz, and contemporary music. He is currently developing his second album, featuring solo pieces and ensemble collaborations.

In addition, Mr. Castañeda’s master’s research at the Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki investigates creative musical notation systems designed to support intercultural collaboration without limiting artistic identity. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Colombia and comparative analysis of notation methods, his work proposes approaches that foster shared creative ownership across cultures.

Kristin Berardi and James Williams are two artists with a vision: Cultivating songs anchored by the deep roots of gospel and jazz, drawing vital nutrients from the rich soil of their musical craft to create a meaningful work grounded in storytelling and connection.This new body of work aspires to inspire, uplift and facilitate surrender and heartfelt resonance.

BerWillDirt is a budding partnership of culture transplants. Berardi, an award-winning vocalist from Australia, now residing in Switzerland. Williams, a heavily sought-after touring/session drummer from the USA, now residing in Belgium. Both know the balancing act of migration, integration, and parenting while artists - each with two kids of their own.

Lived experiences surround the music: making mistakes, learning, trying again, loss, love - all the many facets of what life brings us. They long to offer to others what music has given to them: a safe place to feel and be one’s self.

Under the artistic alias Factor Eight, Andrew is a multidisciplinary, award-winning experimental artist from Saskatoon who creates cinematic soundscapes using only his voice. His work centres on mental health advocacy, embodied in his philosophy “Fear, My Friend” — accepting and transforming challenging aspects of oneself into sources of creative power rather than suppressing them.

His unique approach toward music has earned significant recognition, including awards, editorial playlist adds, and notable sync placements. With years of experience in commercial landscapes, Factor Eight music has been heard in productions and trailers from major studios such as Paramount, Disney+, A24, MGM, and Apple TV, with credits including Gladiator II and the Oscarwinning Women Talking.

Native Instruments describes his practice as “more than a technical decision […] a personal method built around trust in his own instincts, careful attention to detail, and a long-term vision that ties his music and message together.”

A three-time Saskatchewan Music Award winner and Western Canadian Music Award recipient, Andrew’s work extends beyond music into dance choreography, performance art, and interdisciplinary installation. Through Factor Eight, he connects with audiences across the globe, hoping to inspire connection among those who struggle and a sense of compassion among those who struggle to relate.

Rose Bush is the director of photography of the Oscar Winning film, COLETTE. Originally from Alaska, she has based her career with deep connections to: Los Angeles, Austin Texas, New York City, and Stockholm, Sweden. She holds an MFA in film production from the University of Texas at Austin, and as a filmmaker works in a diversity of forms amongst cinema & television from non-fiction to narrative film, commercials and what might be discovered next. She has a foundational belief that filmmaking must connect us to and expand our humanity pursuing the world with films made in uncharted global and existential territory. 

As a director of photography, with COLETTE, her work received an Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary at the 93rd Academy Awards. In her collaboration with Academy Award Nominated director Nicole Newnham, her work with THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE premiered in competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was listed by The New Yorker as “deserving of an Oscar nomination”. She was the official presenter of the Emerging Cinematographer Award at the 74th Cannes Film Festival and has screened her work as a DoP with distributors including IFC Films, The Guardian, Dogwoof, Netflix, Hulu, and more.

If there’s an ethos driving everything Luca Fogale does, it’s intention. His songs are unpretentious and free of gimmickry — reverberating instead with rich nuance, his whispered vocals hitting like a warm, enveloping breeze. “It’s why I write so slowly,” he confesses. “Every word matters to me.” Just as Hemingway edited out unnecessary words, or minimalist painter Frank Stella became synonymous with the phrase “what you see is what you see,” Fogale, too, endeavors to make art without artifice. This rare mix of skill and restraint is why Fogale — who has recently released his fourth studio album, Challenger — has a pair of JUNO Adult Contemporary Album of the Year nominations (for 2023’s Run When the Light Calls and 2020’s Nothing Is Lost) and has garnered more than 250 million streams.  

Fogale was raised Catholic outside Vancouver, where he still lives. He subsequently learned to play the piano and guitar, which, by his early 20s, became his gospel instead. “My focus, instead of turning to God, was turned inwards; towards a reverence for the human spirit and for this world, and towards a deep exploration of self. In this shift,” he explains, “I have found the depth of gratitude, peace, and faith that I believe I was always looking for.”  

Challenger, he shares, was written “mostly in quiet moments between being on the road.” In particular, he’d drive a few hours out of the city to a quiet cabin ensconced deep in the interior of British Columbia. There, he faced his doubts with courage and even wonder. “This album was born out of questioning who I have become and what has shaped me, and in turn, considering how much of my past is no longer serving me — how much I can challenge, and how much I can let go of,” he says. “The more time I spend engaging with this life, the wider my lens for the world gets. It requires me to reflect on myself and hold myself accountable for who I am. It raises the bar for who I want to be.”

If the Challenger process taught him anything, it’s that his most compelling work comes from all-too-human introspection. “For a long time I considered songwriting as a channeling of the cosmos — of extrinsic influence — as though ideas were merely flowing through us,” he says. “But the older I get, the more I’ve come to firmly plant my flag in the belief that all of this artistic expression comes from deep within us: the parts of ourselves that are either the most ready or the most needed for this world.”  

Challenger is out now via Nettwerk, and features the singles Horizon, For, Ashes, Lost Without You, and Begin.

Savannah Harris is a drummer, producer/arranger, and music director widely regarded as one of the foremost drummers of her generation. Equally fluent in the deep traditions of jazz and the genre-blurring language of contemporary Black music, she brings precision, ingenuity, and emotional depth to every project she undertakes. Harris has become a vital presence in today’s creative landscape, touring and recording with Christian McBride’s Ursa Major, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and jazz luminary Kenny Barron.

Her creative reach extends to her award-winning collaborative project ØKSE, whose debut earned a Deutscher Jazzpreis for Album of the Year. Harris’s wide-ranging recording work includes contributions to Helado Negro’s acclaimed albums Far In and Phasor, where her rhythmic sensitivity and textural awareness play a defining role. She is also a longtime member of Or Bareket’s Quartet, appearing on the albums Sahar and Yom, and she joins Angelika Niescier and Tomeka Reid on the adventurous trio release Beyond Dragons.

Harris also serves as music director for MIKE, shaping the rapper’s live sound with her distinct rhythmic identity. Continually expanding her artistic footprint, she stands at the forefront of a transformative new wave in modern music.

Photo Credit Antonio Porcar.

Morikilr is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter from the Indigenous Lijia Tribe in Taitung.
His work explores the space between loss and belonging, weaving personal memories and tribal stories into warm, reflective soundscapes.
His 2024 debut album, inspired by themes of home, nature, and resilience, was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Indigenous Language Album, and Best Indigenous Language Singer at the 36th Golden Melody Awards. He also received First Prize in the Indigenous
Language Category at the 21st Taiwan Original Music Awards, organized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture.
Through his music, Morikilr seeks to preserve fading voices and to
create new connections between the past and the present.

Louis Bouchier is a composer and performer from Edmonton, Alberta, and an active contributor to Canada’s evolving music landscape. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Native Studies minor from the University of Alberta, where he studied composition, improvisation, sampling, sequencing, and a range of hardware and software production techniques. His academic training, combined with deep experience in live performance, has shaped a versatile and exploratory musical voice.
Louis has toured nationally and internationally, performing across Canada and in parts of Europe with the alt-country groups The Uncas and Marystown. As a multi-instrumentalist, he is skilled in electric guitar, lap steel guitar, electric bass, vocals, drum programming, and music composition. His dynamic career has included work as a freelancer and session player with a range of Edmonton-based acts, including Brother Octopus and The Devil’s Sons, spanning genres from Americana to punk to experimental music.
In recent years, Louis has expanded his practice into electronic music performance and education through Sampler Café, a sample-based collective focused on improvisational music and public engagement. Performing under the moniker Dichotomos, he uses live sampling, looping, and sequencing to create genre-defying sets while also educating audiences on the creative processes behind the music. His performances emphasize spontaneity, cultural dialogue, and a DIY ethos.
Louis was also a featured performer in the SubArctic Improv and Experimental Arts Series, where he contributed to multidisciplinary explorations that blend sound, movement, and improvisation. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a commitment not only to musicianship but to creating spaces for experimentation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing across musical and cultural boundaries.
This past June 2025, the concert Here-Hearing was held at Mile Zero Dance in Edmonton. As part of a two-night series celebrating local musicians and sound artists, the event combined classical composition, improvisation, electronics, and multimedia. Red River Resonance (Louis Bouchier and Jen Dunford) showcased their distinctive approach to improvised sound, dance, and visuals.