Marco Buongiorno Nardelli - composer, flutes - Rome (Italy)
Marco's broad musical interests span from the baroque repertoire to jazz, contemporary and electronic music. Educated as both a musician and a physicist (PhD, Condensed Matter Theory, 1993), he holds a BM in Music Theory and Composition from the Conservatorio "Luigi Cherubini" in Florence, Italy, studied flute with Oro and Gian-Luca Petrucci in Rome and Brooks deWetter-Smith at UNC-Chapel Hill and sung in the choir of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana for many years. He has studied composition with Riccardo Giagni (Rome), Lyda di Cuffa (Florence), Alan Shockley (RI College) and Allen Anderson (UNC-Chapel Hill). As a performer he has recorded for the Italian National Radio and Television (RAI) and has released various CD's with the world music group Kolaj and the Arabic-jazz-fusion ensemble Jaafar.
[go to Marco's personal website]

Naji Hilal - composer, oud, violin - Kernayel (Lebanon)
Naji Hilal was born in Lebanon from a musically gifted family. At the early age of 6, Naji’s father made absolutely positively sure that Naji carries this bequest. Naji was exposed to the fine arts of Lebanese traditional and classical music mastering the oud while playing with Lebanese local bands. The musically versatile Naji, also plays the viola, nay, guitar, accordion, Kanoun, and various percussive instruments. Naji is also a singer and composer having produced an album, named Intizar which is a contemporary Middle Eastern music and played on traditional and few modern instruments. At this time Naji performs singing and oud playing for international events and he also performs guest lecturing in the subject of Middle Eastern scales at local universities and Oriental Dancing workshops.
[go to Naji's personal website]

Frake "bakru" Hunsel - composer, percussions - Suriname
Born in the Netherlands, Frake grew up in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, where he was surrounded by music everywhere; Kaseko, Kawina, Hindi film songs, Javanese pop, Classical music and American Soul and Rock music. He answered the call of the drum in his mother’s kitchen banging on pots and pans, and studied with Professor Just Collins at the Suriname Public Music Academy (VMS). Frake moved to the U.S.A, and worked as a physical therapist in various states and played drums and percussion with several bands. He experienced his first drum facilitating experience at a summer day camp for inner city kids. Since moving to Raleigh in 1999 he has had the privilege to play with Freddy “Street Genie” Greene, and Durham’s jazz legend Professor Yusuf Salim. Trained in the REMO HealthRhythm protocol he helped implement the “Beat the Stress” drum circle at UNC Hospitals. The program was featured on UNC-TV’s Health Wise series. Frake is a certified FitRhythms facilitator. He guest lectures at NC State University on African diaspora drumming He likes to expose the young and the old to the power and joy of recreational drumming.