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Shiraz Ensemble is a contemporary music group that unites Iranian musicians performing traditional instruments in the United States. Built on the values of curiosity, innovation, open dialogue, and experimentation, Shiraz Ensemble is dedicated to creating new music and collaborating closely with composers, performers, and interdisciplinary artists. Our mission is to deconstruct and reconstruct the rich traditions of Iranian classical music, transforming them into new forms through contemporary composition techniques. We also aim to collaborate with artists from diverse cultures to create unique cross-cultural musical experiences, explore new artistic territories, and build bridges through music and art. We strive to blend innovation and tradition, pushing the boundaries of Iranian music while honoring its cultural heritage. Based in Philadelphia, Shiraz Ensemble has performed at venues such as the Asian Arts Initiative, University Lutheran, The Perch, Market Street Music in Delaware, Philadelphia Porchfest, Paintridge Station, and Philly Typewriter. We have collaborated with various artists and ensembles, including Mahya Hamedi, Violalia Duo, and Hodge-Podge Band, fostering a creative exchange that highlights the versatility and vibrancy of Iranian music in a modern context. Shiraz Ensemble embodies a global perspective, merging our roles as world citizens and passionate artists to highlight crucial socio-political issues through art. Drawing inspiration from our journeys as immigrants from Iran to the United States, we channel our experiences into a transformative musical narrative. Founded in 2023 in Philadelphia, Shiraz Ensemble takes its name from the ancient city of Shiraz in Iran, the birthplace and upbringing of its founders, Sina Homaee and Sepehr Pirasteh.
Founded in 2020, inn.wien is a collective of young, classically trained musicians from the Innsbruck and Vienna regions. More than an ensemble, it’s a space for dialogue and artistic curiosity—where collaboration, experimentation, and excellence meet. With courage and conviction, the musicians challenge convention and explore new ways of shaping sound and meaning. In 2025, their production What on Earth received the Young Audiences Music Award for Best Large Ensemble. Performing in flexible formations, inn.wien pairs works from Bartók and Schubert to Brahms and Grieg with world premieres by Hanna Kallestad, Anna Reisigl, and Martin Ohrwalder, and collaborates with the jazz trio Drehwerk.
Frank Dupree piano
Jakob Krupp double bass
Obi Jenne drums
With infectious energy and an irrepressible enthusiasm, the Frank Dupree Trio straddles the borders between classical music and jazz. Combining a conscientious approach to classical masterpieces with the flair and fluidity of jazz improvisation, the Frank Dupree Trio delights in the limitless variety of musical genres and revels in finding the spaces in between. Their repertoire includes original compositions as well as their own arrangements, and spans a musical field extending from Beethoven, Ravel, and Nikolai Kapustin to songs by Kurt Weill, George Gershwin, and Leonard Bernstein, and all the way to jazz standards by icons such as Duke Ellington and Chick Corea. International concert tours have taken the Frank Dupree Trio to various European countries and South Korea, and concert projects and CD recordings have resulted in collaborations with renowned orchestras such as the SWR Symphonieorchester, the SWR Big Band, the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, and the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal.
Pianist of the legendary Buena Vista Social Club and accompanist to Omara Portuondo for more than 15 years, Rolando Luna is regarded as one of the most inventive and creative pianists, composers, and arrangers of his generation, combining elegance, poetry, and virtuosity. He moves with incredible, jubilant ease between the worlds of classical music, jazz, and improvisation, without ever forgetting his Caribbean roots. The repertoire of the Rolando Luna Trio revolves around Rolando’s own compositions, Cuban and American standards, as well as boleros and danzones, reimagined by Rolando, who lends them new colors and uses them as a canvas for wonderful improvisations while always honoring the roots and essence of these themes. This jazz trio repertoire is often complemented by one or two solo pieces, including classical works that allow him great freedom of expression, such as preludes by Bach, Scriabin, Liadov or Debussy.
Shems Bendali trumpet
Arthur Donnot saxophone
Andrew Audiger piano
Yves Marcotte double bass
Marton Kiss drums
Shems Bendali is a name increasingly making waves in the jazz world. This French-Algerian trumpeter, standing at the crossroads of two cultures, brings a refreshing new energy to contemporary jazz by weaving in subtle Eastern influences.
With his Quintet—made up of some of the most exciting young musicians on Switzerland’s new jazz scene—he has forged a dual identity that comes through in his music. His compositions are both a tribute to his roots and a reflection of his love for Afro-American music. For Shems, the goal is not simply to fuse different styles, but to find an authentic balance where every note and melody fits naturally, never sounding artificial or forced.
Formed by singer Gaëlle Minali-Bella and multi-instrumentalist Florent Sorin, OKALI is a French–Cameroonian duo with a distinctive sound and identity. Discovered through The Voice 2024, they have quickly gained attention on the French scene for their organic blend of afro–trip-hop, soul, and traditional Cameroonian rhythms. Their name, from a Cameroonian family word meaning “to take care of one another,” reflects a music rooted in connection and empathy. Blending electronic textures, haunting guitars, and a multilingual voice, OKALI crafts a sound world that feels both instinctive and poetic — anchored in heritage yet resolutely forward-looking.
The Cesária Évora brings together the musicians who accompanied Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora throughout her international career. Following the passing of the “Barefoot Diva” in 2011, they sought to preserve her musical legacy by recreating the distinctive atmosphere and emotion of her concerts. The ensemble gave its first performance at the Kriol Jazz Festival in Praia in 2014 and has since appeared on stages around the world. By revisiting Cesária’s repertoire, the Cesaria Evora Orchestra celebrates the richness of morna and coladeira, sharing the warmth and spirit of Cape Verde with new audiences.
Jonathan Schwarz violin
Amelie Wallner violin
Mayu Konoe viola
Lukas Schwarz cello
Formed in Berlin in 2019, the Leonkoro Quartet has rapidly emerged as one of today’s most compelling chamber ensembles. Winners of the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, the Bordeaux International Competition, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and the Concertgebouw Young Talent Award, the quartet combines youthful intensity with rare expressive depth. ‘Leonkoro’ — Esperanto for lionheart — reflects the ensemble’s poetic blend of courage and tenderness. Their debut album of Ravel and Schumann (Mirare, 2023) won the Choc de Classica de l’année. Since 2024, they have recorded exclusively for Alpha Classics.