Héctor Manchego
– spoken word Héctor Manchego (He/Him) is an interdisciplinary Venezuelan artist based in London, working in writing, photography, videography, and performance. His work explores themes of the Latin American diaspora, systemic oppression, family dynamics, and experiences of the LGBTQI+ community. In recent years, he has participated in No Borders - a political theatre program - and the Introduction to Playwriting course at The Royal Court, Starting Blocks at Camden People's Theatre, Risk is This at Streatham Space Project and the Migration Matters Festival. |
Hossein Mirzagholi
– guitar and voice Hossein Mirzagholi is a lifelong and award-winning composer, sound designer and music producer, originally from Iran. Twice exiled, his songwriting consists of carefully crafting and capturing emotions in order to enhance the storytelling of the project. He has a passion for making new sounds by mixing sound and music using plugins and live instruments, and comprehensive knowledge of various music genres and musical instruments. |
Giuliano Modarelli
– guitar and voice Originally from Italy, Giuliano Modarelli is a London based guitarist, composer and producer with a unique voice. Having studied Jazz at university, he went on to develop through the Indian classical tradition. His unique and exceptionally innovative style has led to collaboration with internationally renowned artists, too many to list here. He often combines traditional forms with a range of contemporary influences to reinvent the sound of folk music. He is also a cross-disciplinary, prolific composer and producer for dance, theatre and cinema. |
Deeptarka Mukhopadhyay
– tabla and percussion Deeptarka Mukhopadhyay is a Scottish born, London raised, tabla and percussion artist as well as a teacher. He has been immersed in music, dance and theatre thanks to his Indian parents’ passion for arts and culture. has also directed and managed many multicultural projects, including a UK tour of thirty folk artists from rural Bengal, and Kolkata’s first three day sufi festival. Drawing on his influences from rural folk, urban and classical music, he works to connect people through rhythm. |
Preetha Narayanan
- violin, piano, voice Preetha Narayanan is a violinist, composer, and educator with a unique musical story that crosses countries, cultures, and genres. Merging Western and Indian Classical training with a wide range of influences from her collaborations and research, Preetha is sought after for her distinctive voice and unique sound. As a Fulbright Scholar, she studied South Indian Classical violin and voice in Chennai. Preetha currently composes for orchestra and music ensembles, including Sinfonia Viva and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. She is also the co-founder of genre-defying string duo Balladeste ("...an extraordinary and beautiful listening experience", Folk Radio UK) who write and perform original music. |
"I’m Preetha Narayanan, from USA of Indian heritage. I came to the UK to further my musical education and after 15 years I feel at home here, in the diversity, the melting pot and the vast arts culture we have access to. It’s very meaningful to collaborate with artists that come bearing powerful stories to their art form and to collaborating musically. I play the violin which is influenced by modal Indian music. I hope listeners will be moved and have an emotional and emotive experience."
Saied Silbak
- oud Saied Silbak is a Palestinian composer and oud player born in Shafaa`mr, a city located in the lower Galilee of occupied Palestine. He began training in classical piano at the age of four, before moving onto the oud in his early teens in order to delve deep into the nuances at the base of Arabic music. He has a unique understanding of different types of music, from Arabic, Turkish and Indian to classical Western styles. Silbak’s signature sound, created through his artful ability to fuse these styles together, has seen him perform around the world at festivals and concert series in the UK, Belgium, France, Palestine, Morocco, Argentina and beyond. |