A Bu is an up-and-coming pianist whose youth belies his formidable talent. Born in Beijing, China, he began classical studies at age 4 and became enthralled by jazz after listening to a recording of Dominican jazz pianist Michel Camilo. A Bu is a winner of the Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition and has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, China’s JZ Festival and many others. As a performer, he has performed solo and with orchestras around the globe. As a composer, he is signed to Germany’s Schott Music Publishing Group. A Bu studied at The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music.

Arqam Al Abri is an Emirati soul artist redefining the region’s music landscape with a blend of old-school soul and contemporary neo-soul. A former corporate professional turned full-time musician and conscious entrepreneur, he uses his artistry to inspire,
uplift and bridge cultures. Al Abri’s sound embodies the essence of the United Arab Emirates, delivering rich melodies and introspective lyrics rooted in positivity, love and purpose. With a number of singles available on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer, he has captivated audiences locally and internationally through his dynamic performances. More than just an artist, Al Abri is on a mission to use music as a force for change, promoting values aligned with his vision of the progressive spirit of the UAE: tolerance, love, understanding, peace and environmental consciousness.

Elham Al Marzooqi is the United Arab Emirates’ first professional female Emirati cellist. She has been featured in numerous orchestral concerts in the UAE and internationally, including performances for local and foreign dignitaries. Al Marzooqi received a prestigious music grant from the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth and is a Filmfare Most Influential Women “Excellence in Music” awardee. She made history as the first Emirati cellist to perform twice with renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli. Al Marzooqi is a member of the Firdaus Orchestra, an all-women orchestra mentored by A.R. Rahman. The orchestra’s only Emirati musician, she has performed globally with Beyonce, Anoushka Shankar and Stewart Copeland. Al Marzooqi has also been a guest cellist at the Abu Dhabi Festival, performing with GRAMMY-winning conductor Tan Dun and with the China National Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her musical career, Al Marzooqi serves as Senior Legal Counsel at Ethara.

Tomoaki Baba is a dynamic saxophonist whose journey from Sapporo, Japan to critical acclaim is a testament to his relentless pursuit of excellence. He began playing saxophone at age 7 and his passion for music led him to the prestigious Berklee College
of Music, where he earned a full scholarship. After graduating, Baba moved to New York City, where he quickly established himself as an active sideman and bandleader, performing with celebrated artists such as Terence Blanchard, Dayna Stephens and
Louis Cole. In 2020, he returned to Japan and has since become a dynamic force in the local music scene, releasing two albums and presenting the “BaBaBar” event series, which brings together musicians from all over the world, including Mark Guiliana and
Makaya McCraven. In 2024, Baba released his latest album, ELECTRIC RIDER, on the Universal Music label.

Kenny Barron is a true master of jazz whose lyrical and elegant piano playing has mesmerizing audiences for more than six decades. The Philadelphia native started playing professionally as a teenager with Philly Joe Jones. He moved to New York City at 19 and began playing with Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine. Barron has since released over 40 albums in addition to the hundreds he has recorded with other artists. In recent years, he has
recorded and performed with Dave Holland and his own group featuring Mike Rodriguez, Dayna Stephens, Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Jonathan Blake. Barron has won numerous readers and critics poll in DownBeat, JazzTimes and Jazziz magazines and has received 14 GRAMMY nominations. He has also served as an educator at Rutgers University, The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, where he mentored Terence Blanchard, David Sánchez and Jon Batiste, among others.

John Beasley is a versatile pianist, composer and music director with an extraordinary career spanning jazz, film and television. He has performed and recorded with music icons such as Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dianne Reeves, Steely Dan, Queen
Latifah and Chaka Khan. A prolific bandleader, Beasley has released 20 albums, earning two GRAMMY Awards and 14 nominations. His expertise as a first-call composer, arranger and session musician is showcased in recent commissions with leading European philharmonic orchestras and jazz big bands, as well as in film and television scores, including Skyfall, Spectre, Finding Nemo and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Beasley has also produced more than a dozen albums. Since the inception of International Jazz Day, he has served as music director for its global concerts, including the landmark Jazz at the White House event hosted by President Obama, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction.

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s exuberance, creativity, undeniable confidence and joyous spirit have earned her a place as one of the world’s premier jazz vocalists. Her extraordinary career encompasses more than two dozen albums, three GRAMMY Awards, a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway production of The Wiz and recognition as a Doris Duke Artist, NEA Jazz Master, and Commander in France’s prestigious Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Bridgewater’s portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day won her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. Dedicated to using her talents for the world’s most vulnerable, she has served as an Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and her humanitarian work earned her the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award.

Terri Lyne Carrington is a four-time GRAMMY Award-winning drummer, producer, recording artist, educator and activist. Born in Medford, Massachusetts, Carrington had her first major performance at 10 years old with trumpet legend Clark Terry and as a
teenager, she performed and recorded with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Stan Getz and James Moody. Carrington went on to perform with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, playing with Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder on Hancock’s GRAMMY-
winning Gershwin’s World. She made history with this album when she became the first woman to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Carrington is a professor at the Berklee College of Music, where she founded and directs the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. She is an NEA Jazz Master and has released 12 albums of her own including her latest, New Standards, Vol. 1, highlighting compositions by female composers.

Trinidad-born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller known for his rich trumpet sound and powerful compositions. His music, which blends varied textures and infectious grooves, often touches on controversial subjects and highlights marginalized communities. Projects like Carnival: The Sound of a People, San Juan Hill – A New York Story and Creole Orchestra reflect his mission to connect the Afro-descendant diaspora through music. Charles’ concerts blend original compositions, improvisation, dance, short films and spoken word to create dynamic, thought-provoking performances. Throughout the years, he has performed with icons like Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdés and Gregory Porter. Charles has composed music commissioned by Lincoln Center, the Savannah Music Festival and Chamber Music America. Currently, he serves as a Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is one of his generation’s pivotal figures in jazz. Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio and creator of the Masters Legacy Series, he is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, a dedicated educator, the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards and a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. Cohen headlines regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard and Birdland, and has appeared at the Newport, Monterey and North Sea jazz festivals. His artistry has taken him to venues and festivals in more than 30 countries. Cohen’s entrepreneurial energies led to his developing “Live From Emmet’s Place”, a live-streamed “Harlem rent party” that unites a worldwide audience via tens of millions of internet views. Cohen has released over 10 albums as leader and has performed or recorded with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Christian McBride and Kurt Elling.

Kurt Elling is a masterful vocalist, bandleader, composer and arranger whose electrifying sound has captivated audiences for more than two decades. He honed his distinctive scat style in Chicago’s vibrant jazz scene, sharing the stage with legends like Von Freeman and Ed Peterson. In 1995, he signed with Blue Note Records, releasing six critically acclaimed albums, each earning a GRAMMY nomination. His 2010 album Dedicated to You, released on Concord, won the GRAMMY Award for Best Vocal Jazz Album. In 2021, he earned his second GRAMMY for Secrets Are the Best Stories, a daring collaboration with pianist Danilo Pérez. Elling also dominated the DownBeat Critics Poll as Best Male Vocalist for 13 consecutive years. Always pushing jazz forward, Elling’s recent projects include Wildflowers Vol. 1 & 2, a duo series with pianists Sullivan Fortner and Joey Calderazzo, and SuperBlue, his genre-blurring collaboration with guitarist Charlie Hunter.

Oran Etkin is a dynamic clarinetist and educator whose work is rooted in creating connections that transcend cultural boundaries. Etkin was born in Israel and moved to Boston at age 5. At 14, he began studying with Yusef Lateef and George Garzone. Etkin
attended Brandies University, where he studied economics and classical clarinet before receiving a master’s degree in jazz from Manhattan School of Music. After graduation, he attended a dance class with Malian teacher Joh Camara. This experience inspired him to explore the music of Mali, leading to several educational trips to the country. Etkin’s latest album, Open Arms, was recorded as he toured Zimbabwe, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Brazil, collaborating with masterful musicians in each country. His educational organization, Timbalooloo, annually reaches over 10,000 children worldwide, inspiring them to view other cultures with a sense of creativity and openness. Etkin serves on the faculty of The New School University and has guest
lectured at Harvard University.

Blending technical brilliance and melodic creativity, Tia Fuller is a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of jazz, pop and R&B. She balances the worlds of performance and education, fulfilling a demanding schedule as a touring and recording artist and full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. A Denver, Colorado native, Fuller graduated from Spelman College and summa cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Already established as a leading jazz musician, she was selected as a member of the all-female band touring with GRAMMY-winning pop star Beyoncé. Fuller has recorded five full-length projects with her quartet. Her most recent album, Diamond Cut, produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, received a GRAMMY nomination in
the Best Instrumental Jazz category. Fuller is also the saxophonist behind the music of Dorothea Willams, a character in Pixar’s blockbuster film, Soul.

World-renowned pianist and composer Herbie Hancock is one of the most innovative and influential musicians of our time. A modern music icon, he has shaped the direction of jazz, fusion, funk and hip-hop for more than six decades. From his recordings with the legendary Miles Davis Quintet to his solo jazz albums and pioneering music incorporating multiple genres, Hancock has always been on the cutting edge. He has earned 14 GRAMMY Awards including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, and an Academy Award for his score for the film Round Midnight. A Kennedy Center honoree, Hancock serves as Creative Director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue. He is the Chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and a Distinguished Professor at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

Jeremy Irons is one of the most celebrated actors of our time and one of the few to have earned an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Throughout his career, Irons has appeared in hundreds of film, television and theatre productions. As a film actor, he starred in Reversal of Fortune, for which he received an Academy Award, along with M. Butterfly, Merchant of Venice and numerous other now classic films. Among his dozens of television appearances, Irons has been featured in Brideshead Revisited, Elizabeth I, The Mission, The Borgias and Watchmen. His theatre performances include Never So Good, The Gods Weep and The Real Thing, for which he received a Tony Award. In addition to his acting work, Irons has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

José James is a jazz vocalist for the hip-hop generation. Raised in Duluth and Minneapolis, Minnesota, he first attracted notice as a semifinalist in the 2004 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition. James later moved to New York to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. His debut album, the critically acclaimed, Gilles Peterson-produced Dreamer, displayed what The Guardian called “a highly personal mix of Bobby McFerrin’s tonal delicacy and the R&B and soul feel of D’Angelo,” and propelled him to appearances on major stages worldwide. James has since released nine albums, including No Beginning No End 2, which features the vocalist sharing tracks with the likes of Ledisi, Aloe Blacc, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Laura Mvula and Kris Bowers. His most recent release is On & On, featuring Ebban Dorsey and Diana Dzhabbar.

Rhani Krija is a percussionist whose vast knowledge of music from around the world has made him a highly sought-after collaborator for some of the biggest names in music. Born in Essaouira, Morocco, the heart of the Gnawa culture, Krija grew up
listening to traditional musical styles from North Africa. He is known for his ability to play authentic Andalusian, Arabic, African and Latin rhythms. Krija has toured and performed with internationally celebrated artists including Sting, Herbie Hancock, Placido Domingo, Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox and Prince. Additionally, he has appeared with the WDR Orchestra and the Royal Symphony Orchestra of London. Krija is also an educator and has released online workshops for aspiring percussionists.

Nils Landgren is an acclaimed trombonist whose versatility has allowed him to traverse the genre boundaries of music for the past four decades. Born in Sweden, Landgren started playing drums at six and switched to trombone at 13, later studying classical
music. After meeting jazz pioneers Bengt-Arne Wallin and Eje Thelin, he embraced improvisation, which led him to a successful career in Stockholm. Landgren toured with pop sensation Björn Skifs and joined Thad Jones’ “Ball of Fire” big band in 1981, playing across jazz, rock and soul genres. He has recorded more than 30 albums as a bandleader and collaborated with legends like ABBA, Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker. In addition to his performing career, Landgren has served as Artistic Director
for Jazzfest Berlin and the Jazz Baltica Festival. In 2009, he founded “Funk for Life,” a project supporting underprivileged youth through music. Landgren was awarded two medals from King Carl Gustaf of Sweden for his contributions to arts and culture.

A revolutionary force in music, John McLaughlin has been forging his own path on guitar since the 1960s. Growing up in Yorkshire, England, McLaughlin studied violin and piano before gravitating to the guitar. He played in a variety of bands in London and later joined Tony Williams’ Lifetime band. McLaughlin soon found himself in the studio with Miles Davis recording what would become the classic album In a Silent Way and subsequently the platinum album Bitches Brew. In 1971, he formed the
Mahavishnu Orchestra, which united rock, jazz and Eastern music and had a massive impact on musicians and music lovers worldwide. His Five Peace Band with Chick Corea won the 2009 GRAMMY for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Throughout the
decades, McLaughlin has played on dozens of albums with artists including Stanley Clarke, Carlos Santana, Dexter Gordon and Wayne Shorter. His Shakti ensemble won the 2024 GRAMMY for Best Global Album.

Hélène Mercier is a world-renowned concert pianist known for her work as a brilliant soloist and chamber music player. Born in Montreal, she began studying piano at age 6 and quickly won honors at the Quebec and Canadian Music Competitions, as well as
the Prague International Chamber Music Competition. At 15, she attended the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and later studied at The Juilliard School and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris. Mercier has appeared at the world’s leading concert halls including the Salle Pleyel in Paris, South Bank Centre in London and Berlin Konzerthaus, and has performed with the Israel Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony. She is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an honor bestowed by the French Ministry of Culture.

Marcus Miller is one of the most influential artists of our time, appearing on more than 500 albums during his decades on the scene as a performer, composer, producer, arranger and humanitarian. A virtuoso on multiple instruments, Miller is best known for his unmistakable style on the electric bass. He has brought his distinctive sound to collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J and Frank Sinatra, among many others. As a member of the Miles Davis group
following the jazz legend’s return from retirement, Miller’s contributions as a bassist, composer and producer defined Davis’ style throughout the 1980s. A two-time GRAMMY Award winner, Miller works tirelessly as a UNESCO Artist for Peace to raise awareness of global impacts of the transatlantic slave trade.

Linda May Han Oh is a GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer and bandleader who ranks among her generation’s most influential players. Born in Malaysia and raised in Perth, Western Australia, she graduated from the Manhattan School of Music and began
performing and recording with Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington and Geri Allen, among others. Oh has received numerous awards for her playing and composing, including a 2023 Herb Alpert Award and an honorary doctorate
from the Manhattan School of Music in 2024. She was voted Bassist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association six times between 2018-2024 and named 2022 JazzTimes Bassist of the Year. Oh was featured in the Academy Award-winning Pixar film Soul. Her latest release is The Glass Hours on Biophilia Records. She serves as an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and Ensemble Director for the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.

Acoustic and electric bassist John Patitucci has been at the forefront of the jazz world for more than three decades. He is a four-time GRAMMY Award winner and has been nominated over 20 times. Patitucci has performed and/or recorded with jazz giants such as Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Nancy Wilson and countless others. He has also performed and recorded with pop artists including Natalie Cole, John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Joni Mitchell, Bono, Sting, Norah Jones, James Taylor, Carole King and Paul Simon. A composer with 17 solo recordings, he has been commissioned to write for numerous chamber music groups. After touring with the
award-winning Wayne Shorter Quartet for more than 20 years, Patitucci continues to tour with his own projects along with the Children of the Light Trio and the Wayne Shorter Legacy Project.

Danilo Pérez is a pianist, composer, educator and social activist who ranks among the most influential and dynamic jazz musicians of our time. Born in Panama, Pérez started his musical studies at age 3 with his father, a bandleader and singer. While still a student at the Berklee College of Music, he performed with Terence Blanchard, Slide Hampton, Claudio Roditi and Paquito D’Rivera. Since then, Pérez has worked with artists from Dizzy Gillespie to Tito Puente, most famously serving alongside drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Patitucci in Wayne Shorter’s renowned quartet. Pérez, who serves as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, is a vocal exponent of music as a force for building understanding and tolerance. Pérez is the founder and artistic director of the Panama Jazz Festival. His latest album, Lumen, is a collaboration with the Swedish jazz orchestra Bohuslän Big Band, where Pan-American rhythms meet the Nordic big band sound.

Elena Pinderhughes is an award-winning flutist, vocalist, composer and songwriter whose style seamlessly blends jazz, hip-hop and R&B influences. She began her musical journey at a young age and has since established herself as a prominent figure
in the contemporary jazz and alternative R&B music scenes, performing and touring in venues and festivals worldwide and appearing at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Kennedy Center, Coachella Music Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival. Pinderhughes has performed with Herbie Hancock, Terrace Martin, Common, Chief Adjuah, Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer, Kenny Barron, Josh Groban and Future, and appeared on Terri Lyne Carrington’s GRAMMY-winning New Standards album. She will be releasing her debut album this year.

Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli is one the great contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook who has explored the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim and the Beatles. Pizzarelli is an acclaimed bandleader and solo performer who has released more than 30 albums of his own and performed as a special guest on recordings by Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones, Rosemary Clooney and his father, Bucky Pizzarelli. He won a GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album as co-producer of James Taylor’s American Standard. Pizzarelli co-hosts Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli alongside his wife, Jessica Molaskey. He has appeared on national television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan and Great Performances, and performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Five-time GRAMMY Award winner Dianne Reeves is one of the premier vocalists on the worldwide music scene. A native of Denver, she began her career touring with Sergio Mendes and Harry Belafonte, then signed to Blue Note in 1987. Her self-titled
debut, featuring Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard and Tony Williams, was nominated for a GRAMMY. Featured in George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck, Reeves won the Best Jazz Vocal GRAMMY for the film’s soundtrack. In recent years, she has toured the world and collaborated with Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo for “Sing the Truth,” a musical celebration of Nina Simone. Reeves has performed at the White House on multiple occasions, including President Obama’s State Dinner for the President of China. In 2018, she was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master – the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists.

GRAMMY Award winner David Sánchez is recognized around the world as one of the finest saxophonists of his generation. His mastery of the instrument is undeniable and his sound unmistakable. Combine that with Sánchez’s deep-seated knowledge of both jazz and Latin music, and the traditions that mold them, and the results are extraordinary. Born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Sánchez started playing saxophone at age 12 and came to the United States to study music at Rutgers University. He later
joined Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra and Gillespie became his mentor. Sánchez signed with Columbia Records and released seven albums. Coral earned him his first Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Album. Sánchez has performed
and recorded with Kenny Barron, Roy Haynes, Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove, Danilo Pérez and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. He continues to tour as a bandleader, bringing his mix of mainstream jazz with Latin influences to audiences around the globe.

Arturo Sandoval is one of the world’s greatest trumpet players, known for his exceptional technical skills, virtuosic performances and profound musicality. A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. He was a founding member of the GRAMMY Award-winning group Irakere before moving to the United States, where he went on to play with an incredible array of artists including Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Plácido Domingo, Celia Cruz, Josh Grobin, Juan Luis Guerra, Al Jarreau, Alejandro Sanz, Prince Royce, David Bisbal, Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Johnny Mathis, Woody Shaw and Frank Sinatra. Sandoval has received 10 GRAMMY Awards and 19 nominations. He is also a prolific composer, arranger and educator, inspiring countless musicians with his innovative approach and dedication to his craft.

Kendrick Scott is one of most creative and sought-after drummers in jazz today. Scott attended Houston’s prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has performed alongside a stellar array of artists including the Jazz Crusaders, Lizz Wright, Pat Metheny, Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano and Gretchen Parlato. The Source, Scott’s debut album with his group Oracle, featured an ensemble of jazz luminaries, including Robert Glasper and Lionel Loueke. He also contributed to Terence Blanchard’s GRAMMY-nominated album A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina), showcasing his powerful drumming in a moment of musical history. Scott continues to captivate audiences globally, performing with the renowned Charles Lloyd Quartet along with his own groups.

Naseer Shamma is a distinguished Oud virtuoso and composer who has achieved global recognition for his artistry. Born in Kut, Iraq, Shamma studied music at the Institute of Music Studies in Baghdad and later earned a PhD in Musical Philosophy. He received numerous awards in Iraq before taking his music to the world stage, performing in Paris, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. Shamma later founded The Arab Oud House, nurturing Oud prodigies and expanding its influence in music throughout the world. Graduates join him in the Arab Oud House Orchestra, bridging cultural divides through music and Arab traditions. Along with his musical accomplishments, Shamma is dedicated to humanitarian causes. He serves as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, IFRC
Ambassador and WHO Goodwill Champion, using his musical voice to help people in need.

For more than 60 years, Janis Siegel’s voice has been an undeniable force in the world of jazz and popular music. A founding member of The Manhattan Transfer, Siegel’s powerful and versatile voice became one of the group’s most recognized trademarks.
Performing for audiences around the world, The Manhattan Transfer and Siegel amassed a large international fan base and garnered consistently high critical praise, including 10 GRAMMY Awards. Siegel has also enjoyed an eclectic solo career, spawning more than a dozen finely crafted solo albums and participating in collaborative projects with some of the world’s most renowned musicians, producers, composers and arrangers. She co-hosts WBGO’s Singers Unlimited radio program with Lezlie Harrison and Vocal Gumbo, a virtual music program celebrating the vocal arts, with Lauren Kinhan of New York Voices.

Bangalore-based singer-songwriter Varijashree Venugopal is a child prodigy who could identify 100 Carnatic ragas at 18 months old and began performing concerts at age 4. With her rich background in the intricate classical form of Carnatic music, Venugopal is one of the pioneering artists in applying the techniques, fundamentals, sound and soul of Indian singing in the global music context. Her unique capabilities of using her voice as an instrument and blending Indian singing techniques with varied music cultures has led to collaborations with Bobby McFerrin, Michael League, Snarky Puppy, Victor Wooten, Béla Fleck, Eddie Gomez, Trio Bobo, Anat Cohen, Jacob Collier, Praveen D Rao, Anoushka Shankar and EYM Trio.