Tenzin Choegyal

Tenzin has created a successful international career as a musician since his arrival in Australia in 1997. He has performed several times at New York’s Carnegie Hall and is a regular performer at festivals such as WOMAD and Australia’s Woodford Folk Festival where he continues to play to packed audiences each year. Tenzin is an avid collaborator with musicians from diverse cultures, traditions and musical genres, ranging from classical and contemporary to ancient and traditional. He has six independent album releases with a new album due for release in early 2015.

In 2009 Tenzin founded the annual Festival of Tibet, a showcase for Tibetan culture through music, film, art and discussion. Tenzin’s work has increased the profile of Tibetan culture and the Tibetan struggle for self-determination amongst people throughout Australasia and beyond.  www.tenzinchoegyal.com

James Khidir

James is an actor, musician and orator known for his powerful interpretations of poetry and sacred text. His repertoire ranges from William Shakespeare and Arthur Rimbaud to the Bhagavad Gita. In 1999 he created the group Khidir, performing the poetry of the Sufi mystics Rumi and Hafez, accompanied by classical instruments of the Persian court. James appears at festivals throughout Australia and is a regular guest at the Woodford Folk Festival. He recently performed with the contemporary percussion ensemble Early Warning System for performances of Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together.

Riley Lee

Riley Lee is a consummate teacher, performer and collaborator with other musicians of all genres. He is the recipient of two of the oldest and most venerated lineages of traditional shakuhachi, which can be traced back to the Zen Buddhist komusô, or “priests of nothingness” of the Edo period in Japan. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master.

Riley’s music is meditation. It has been used worldwide in yoga and tai chi classes and by massage, acupuncture and other bodywork therapists. Many of his albums are particularly valued by mothers and mothers-to-be and by their midwives and other working in pre and post-natal care. www.rileylee.net

Michael Askill

Michael Askill is a percussionist, composer, musical director and teacher. He was formerly Principal Percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Musical Director and composer for Australia’s renowned choreographer, Graeme Murphy. He was founder and Artistic Director of Australia’s longest established contemporary music ensemble, Synergy Percussion between 1974 and 2006. He has a significant discography on the Celestial Harmonies label and his music is published by ERP Music, Berlin. He is lecturer in percussion at the University of Queensland and percussion specialist at the Queensland Academy of Performing Industries. Michael is currently completing a PhD in composition at the University of Queensland and performing with the Brisbane percussion collective, Early Warning System. www.michaelaskill.com