Souren Baronian

Is an Armenian born artist in NYC. He has performed throughout the US and abroad as a soloist for over 35 years. His groups "Taksim" a Near Eastern jazz-fusion ensemble and "Transition" a folkloric

Sami Abu Shumays

(Instructor/performer)

Studied Arabic violin with Simon Shaheen in New York, Alfred Gamil in Cairo, Abdul-Baset Bakkar and Abdul-Min'im Senkary in Aleppo, Syria, and Arabic classical singing with Mohammad Qassas in Aleppo.

Rachid Halihal

(Instructor/performer)

Is a world class musician who began his studies in his native land of Morocco as a child. He is classically trained.

Ali Kahya

(Instructor/ performer)

A longtime professional entertainer, is a diversely skilled musician, playing and singing in both Eastern and Western styles.

Seido Salifoski

(Instructor/ performer)

A Roma born to a singer mother and a folk dancer father in Prilep, Macedonia, Seido has palyed darbuka / dumbek in Balkan and Middle Eastern style for 30 years. With his extensive experience playing Turkish, Greek, Balkan, and Middle Eastern percussion

Ossama Farouk

Ossama Farouk, known as Farouk to friends and colleagues, is a self-taught performer of Middle Eastern percussion.  Egyptian-born, he has been playing the popular Arabic hand drum instrument named table (other names for this drum include darbuka, dumbek, doumbek, derbakeh) since the age of 5.  A natural talent, he was the first in his family to develop a passion for music and percussion.

Mike Uzatmaciyan

(Instructor/Performer)

Was born in Diyarbakir, Turkey. He took his first music lessons from his father.He played cumbus until he moved the States at the age of 17 where he picked up the oud. Mike has been performing in the New York City area ever since.

Umut Yasmut

Turkish kanun

(Instructor, Performer)

Studied kanun, chorus and violin at the Bogazici Music Foundation in Istanbul. He has performed in concert with many classical Turkish singers, such as the Erkose Brothers, Inci Cayirli, Safia Ayla, and many others. He has been living and performing in NYC since 1998

Soner Cicek

Soner Cicek was born in Mus, Turkey and grew up in Izmir. At the age of 9, he began playing the Saz and the Tar, eventually becoming an expert on these two instruments. He graduation from the Conservatory of Music in Izmir with a degree in Turkish music and after his graduation he was asked to stay on in a teaching position.Over the years he has participated in concerts all over the world.Since 1993, Soner has been living Carrboro, NC.

Tayyar Akdeniz

(Instructor/performer)

Has been involved as a dancer, musician and director of folkloric troupes for 25 years in Turkey. He is a highly respected, seasoned performer who has delighted audiences throughout Europe, Asia, the Far East, Mexico and in the United States. As a singer and musician, his skills with song, the baglama (lute), davul (drum) and kasiklar (wooden spoons) are much in demand.

Tamer pinarbasi

(Performer guest musician)

Tamer; born in Karaman, Turkey in 1970, Tamer Pinarbasi attended the Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory of Turkish Music, where he developed his own technique for playing the kanun .

Ismail Lumanovski

(Performer guest musician)

Ismail Lumanovski was born in Bitola, Macedonia in the year 1984, and started playing the clarinet at the age of nine. He made his debut in 1998, with the Macedonian Philharmonic, and his U.S.A. debut in 2002 with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts Camp.