Alexandra Archetti Stølen (Norway)

Half Norwegian and half Argentinean, Alexandra Archetti Stølen, is the festival director of the Oslo World, a position she has had since 2006. In 2023 the festival will be held for the 30th consecutive year, spread on 20-25 venues around Oslo from the 30th of October to the 5th of November. Oslo World is today one of the most important festivals and cultural organisations in Norway, presenting high quality music, debates, exhibitions and dance performances from all over the world every fall. Oslo World is also an important collaborative partner and year around event manager. Alexandra Archetti Stølen is also the co-founder of the Beirut & Beyond International Music Festival in Lebanon, the founder and initiator of festivals in asylum centres in Oslo called «Our Neighborhood» and she was the president of the European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals from 2011-2018. She has been a member of the board of the Norwegian Live Association (2015-2020). She has been involved in various cultural events and cultural management in Norway and abroad. She is today part of the jury of the Telenor Culture Prize (one of the most prestigious Culture prizes in Norway). In 2019 she was honoured with the Ordre des arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and got the city of Oslo artist prize. 

Laura Camacho Salgado (Norway) 

(born in Colombia based in  Oslo) is the Head of international program at Oslo World.  She is the co-creator of initiatives like Map the World and the Utopian Manifesto.  Since 2016 she has curated the day-program of the festival around themes like: Movement, Forbidden Songs, Freedom, Utopia, among others. With the goal of underlining the importance of cultural institutions and artists in fighting for freedom of expression, freedom of speech and gender equality. 

She is also an independent researcher interested in body politics, migration studies and border aesthetics. A guest lecturer at the University of Oslo for the course ‘Borders, Bodies and Memories: Textual and Cultural Representation of Contemporary Migration in Europe’. Currently she is also  part of the Programming committee of the film festival Film fra Sør. 

Anna Storakers (Sweden)

Anna Strokers has been producing and promoting concerts and festivals in Sweden and internationally for 20 years. She has worked with, among others, Adele, Goran Bregovic, Bob Dylan, Mohammed Assaf, Diego Cigala, Mariza and Robyn. Anna is an advisor for the Swedish Arts Council, has been an ISPA fellow as well as a founder of the Swedish #Metoo movement in the Music Industry. Today, Anna is also producing and hosting music shows for the Swedish Public Radio.

Marianna Sangita Angeletaki Roe (Norway) 

A Greek/Norwegian singer, composer, lyricist and percussionist. Viewing herself as a musical hybrid, her music is made out of elements that she has collected from here and there in her musical travels around the world. She has toured Europe with bands like Broen, Goylem Space Klezmer and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Her latest work is the commission entitled “Σπιτι/Home”, a concert written for a Trondheim Jazz Orchestra chosen by her, which premiered in the Molde Jazz Festival and later toured Norway and Sweden where it was received very well by audiences.

Maryam Drame (Sweden)

Has been working in the music business for over 12  years as project and booking manager. Right now she is with one of the biggest agencies in Sweden, All Things Live. Additionally to that, she also is a booking manager for one of Sweden’s most well-known music galas.

Vanessa Marko aka. DJ Neyney (Sweden)

Founded the music collective and production company Femtastic in 2010. The objective for Femtastic was to create space for female artists in Hip Hop. Femtastic won “Club of the Year” and “Original of the Year” at the Swedish Kingsize Hiphop Awards in 2014, played Roskilde festival in 2015, hosted Events and concerts in Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, and Umeå, and have performed all over Scandinavia as well as in Amsterdam (NL), Valparaíso (CL), Copenhagen (DK) Cape Town (SA), Lusaka (ZM) and Harare (ZW). They started the initiative “Fatta” – a campaign against sexual violence and for a consent law. In 2018, Sweden implemented the law.

DJ Neyney was a resident DJ at Moriska Paviljongen in Malmö, hosting the popular “Klubb Zanzibar” (Afrobeats) for several years, alongside other clubs and events. In 2022 she opened the “Big Slap Festival” with artists such as Justin Bieber and WizKid. Neyney is also a successful political advisor and PR consultant with many years of experience of political campaigning for progressive policy in Sweden.

Christian Krebs (Switzerland) 

Christian Krebs, born on 9.6.1977 lives and works in Bern, Switzerland. His cultural activities are based on many years of experience in the fields of program conception, booking, partnership, fundraising, promotion and administration of venues and festivals in Switzerland. As program director of the jazz club bee-flat at PROGR Bern (2003-2018) and musical director of the Festival Theaterspektakel in Zürich (2005-2015), Christian Krebs built up his international networks, specializing among others in contemporary music from the global South and East. This led to a long-standing cooperation with the BBIMF festival, which continues to this day. As current director of PROZESS in Bern (2020-2023), Christian Krebs established an artist in residence program, which is especially aimed towards young artists from North Africa and the Middle East: www.prozess.be

Habib Achour

Head of International Development for Africa & the Middle East, SACEM.

Habib Achour has more than 25 years of experience in the music sector. He started his career at EMI in the 90s, promoting labels such as Blue Note Records and Emi Arabia. Later, be it in his capacity as manager or booking agent, he has represented artists such as Erik Truffaz, Anouar Brahem and Dhafer Youssef, to name but a few. In addition, he has experience managing and/or programming festivals in Morocco, Lebanon and France (among which the Festival d´Île-de-France in Paris or Plage de Rock in Saint-Tropez). Following on from Marseille-Provence’s tenure as European Capital of Culture in 2013, for which Habib was Head of Music and Urban Cultures, he joined the New Morning in Paris as Deputy Director. Today, he is the Director of International Development at SACEM, one of the world’s leading Collective Management Organizations. He particularly focuses on the development of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) and associated author’s rights legal framework in the MENA region.

Jamila Al-Yousef (Palestine/Germany)

Jamila is a singer, festival curator, and anti racism & empowerment consultant from Berlin. Inspired by her Palestinian father who came to Germany as a refugee, she early started creating postcolonial projects to share diverse perspectives on West Asia and North Africa. Amongst other things she established the yearly “Arab* Underground” program at Fusion Festival, bringing hundreds of artists and activists to exchange; she built up the “Welcome Board” for the Lower Saxon Ministry of Arts and Science – an initiative supporting refugee musicians – and managed the music talent campus during the first Pop-Kultur Festival at Berghain in 2015. 

Since 2019 Jamila works as a trainer and consultant in the field of Racism Critical Cultural Work, amongst others at University of Hildesheim, Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg, International Arts Residence Schloss Solitude and other cultural institutions funded by the Ministry of Arts and Science Baden Würrtemberg. She also founded the Empowerment Network in which artists and cultural practitioners affected by racism give support and healing to each other.

Jamila’s activism also is present in her music. With her psychedelic desert funk band “Jamila & The Other Heroes“, named after her Palestinian grandmother, she is singing about empowerment, healing, discrimination and social injustice. After touring in Germany, Italy, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Palestine in the last 5 years, the band will release their second studio album „Bazaar Bizarre“ this year. www.jamilaandtheotherheroes.com 

Amani Semaan (Lebanon)

Festival Director of the Beirut & Beyond International Music Festival. By organizing the festival in Lebanon, with an international delegate program, as well as satellite festivals during Oslo World and tours with selected bands in Europe, Beirut & Beyond has in a short time managed to become an important player at home and internationally.

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Lama Hazboun (Jordan)

Lama Hazboun has had a professional career in advancing music and culture, spanning over 20 years of regional and international collaborations. She is the Founder & Director of Amman Jazz Festival (since 2013), and the Cofounder & Managing Director of OrangeRed, and the Vice President of MusiConnect Asia and Asia Music Summit (since 2018). where she played an essential role in establishing the first independent services for music and cultural event management in Jordan, since 2004. She has been operating within cultural and music institutions, seeking to promote Jordan’s cultural product and enhance music consumption. Consistently, Lama is involved in organising various events and festivals, with a mission to develop contemporary art culture in general, and all forms of musical arts in specific.

Raed Asfour (Jordan) 

Executive director of the Arab Theatre training center, a regional center established in 1999 and registered in Lebanon. The ATTC aims to create an environment conducive to creativity in the field of the performing arts and organizing training activities in the Arab world to develop artistic and managerial capacities of young artists and cultural managers in the Arab world. www.arabttc.org  

Director of Al Balad music festival since its establishment in 2009. This festival is an Arab music festival that aims to showcase and support young musicians and artists from the Arab world through showing their musical productions to Arab audiences and provide a space for interaction and co-productions between Arab music groups. http://al-balad.org/albaladmusic/ 

Asfour regularly organizes concerts for diverse Arab and international groups in the theatre and has supported and produced several music CDs.

Member of the official Jury of Carthage musical days 2016.

Member of the selection committee for VISA for music festival- Rabat/ Morocco 2017. http://visaformusic.com/en/ 

Mr. Asfour was invited as a key speaker in several meetings and conferences in France, particularly at the renowned Festival d’Avignon.

Aya Nabulsi (Jordan) 

Aya is a cultural practitioner & music festivals manager & curator. She has been working in the arts and culture scene, especially in theatre and music festival field for the past 14 years between Beirut and Amman. Aya has BA from LAU Beirut in communication arts – Theatre/TV, Radio, Film. She has been a cultural practitioner and festival manger in different countries such as Amman, Beirut, Tunis, and Rabat. 

Mirna Khalfawi (Jordan) 

Mirna comes from a lifelong background in marketing, communications and PR, with a passion for servicing music. In 2019, she established Abrez Music in Jordan as a specialised music marketing boutique agency, dedicated to advancing independent musicians and initiatives. Since then, she has been deeply involved in highlighting the local music scene on Abrez platforms, providing marketing and promotion for different music projects, plus artist development services. Recently, Abrez space has further expanded with its own workshops, intimate music gatherings and inhouse music projects with a focus on Arabic and traditional music. Mirna’s outlooks lean towards cross-cultural projects; exploring, promoting, and connecting the cultural dots that bring us all closer through music. She is also a founding member of Youth for Music Association, and a Representative with MusiConnect Asia network. 

Hana Malhas (Jordan)

Hana Malhas is a powerful performer camouflaging an introverted lyricist. Her music is raw vulnerability with an edge of fierceness, and her songs are electro-acoustic tracks in Arabic and English. Hana is a prominent figure in the alternative Arabic music scene: for her original content, as a featured artist on other artists’ tracks, and as the founder of BalaFeesh, a platform that showcases the region’s best independent musicians. 

Safi Sakran (Jordan)

An activist and a cultural director with more than ten years of experience. He developed skills over time in programming, designing, and Cultural funding, especially those that impact the existence of a decentralised cultural system. Graduated in Business Administration in 2011, accredited in theatre studies and criticism. 

Safi Worked in the Coordination Committee of Irbid Film Club/ RFC, and a MENTOR for the UNICEF Center – Intel ClubHouse Irbid. and Karama Human Rights Film Festival as the director of the community outreach program and external performances since the program was established in 2011. Also, He worked as a creative director for the Media and Development Unit in JOHUD, and directed several films for the Goodwill Campaign chaired by HRH Princess Basma, then  he established the MedeArts Network, which originated in northern Jordan.

It is noteworthy that Safi is a graduate of the Social Change Program “SCP-AFE” 

and the Arab Cultural Leaders Program “IMKAN” and recipient of the Arab Cultural Policies Award for the Cultural City Project as well as fellowships from the French Institute through the “Safirlab”.

Mais Sahli (Jordan) 

For 20 years and counting, Mais Sahli has been one of the key makers of Amman’s vibrant night scene. She is an established Music Festivals Creative Director, Entertainment Promoter, Event Producer, and F & B professional. Her experiences culminated by establishing her own company, Scene س, which presents entertainment curation, music events, initiatives and various projects such as LiveMusicJo and Jordan Female Artist Collective. She had begun her career as a waitress, and worked her way up to co-owning some of Amman’s most popular nightlife spots; one of which is The Corners Pub, a live music venue that has hosted over 500 local, regional and international shows. From concept to execution; some of the large-scale events and music festivals she was involved in include Scene Festival, What the Hills, Beaches & Bonfires, and Fast Forward.

Ihssan Al-Ma’ani (Jordan)

Ihssan is the co-founder and director of Youth for Music Association | JM Jordan, an organisation established to be a go-to hub for young musicians in Jordan.

As a Bassoonist, he performed with professional Orchestras and youth orchestras in Jordan, Asia & Europe. where he found the inspiration to establish and manage the Jordan Youth orchestra along with his colleagues in YMA, starting a career in cultural management, Music education and youth activism, which lead to multiple roles in organisations such as GIZ, Tajalla & Madrasati Initiative.

Ihssan is currently enrolled in the Musicology master’s program at the National Music Conservatory in Amman, and is performing in the Amman Chamber Orchestra.

Arwa Ismail (Jordan) 

Is an art director, solo artist & musician from Jordan. owner of arwaismail.com (fully designed) for creating art & sound for games. Arwa is a self-thought producer, audio engineer, and visual artist. Her art and music tackle diverse genres such as ambient, electronic, psychedelia, pop, and classic. Each musical project is an inspiring concept, a story, and a journey, combined with art and visuals.

Nasir AlBashir (Jordan)

Nasir is a Jordanian record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His work speaks for itself, with over 50 million streams across all platforms in a year and three records charting at number 1 on numerous regional and streaming charts. Nasir’s sonic style and charisma have positioned him as the one of most sought-after producers amongst emerging and established artists and music executives in the MENA region.

Nasir first broke through whilst touring with Aziz Maraka, Akher Zapheer and Hana Malhas, leading their bands in the Middle East. He subsequently pursued a Master’s Degree in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation at Berklee College of Music in 2020, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Nasir currently resides in Jordan and runs Levant Studios and Echolibrium, an ecosystem of artist services which empowers developing MENA artists. As the creator of this music network, Nasir has become a point of conversion in the MENA region for music artists and corporate clients alike.

His unique personality and cultural background have given him a distinctive sonic identity—pushing Arabic Pop music into unexplored realms and attracting the attention of music executives at Universal Arabic Music and EMPIRE.

Faisal Tutunji (Jordan) 

Owner at Manara Arts & Culture, a multifunctional cultural space in Amman. In his free time Faisal composes original music and records for friends at his studio in Jabal Al Lweibdeh. A metal guitarist at heart, he has evolved into creating progressive and experimental sounds with Arabic influence as well as film scoring

Fathi Hamadneh

Jordanian Music composer and songwriter, bass and Guitar player. Founder of Kahraba Production. Founding member of Yazan Sarayrah Band.

Broadcaster for Hi He Podcast on Hi He Ro’ya Podcast Platform

Member and coordinator of Caravan Program band on Ro’ya TV since 4 years

Participated in several music projects with different artists independently.

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Hessfrah حسّفراح

A group of women with a passion for singing women’s traditional and folk songs from the Jordanian and Palestinian cultural heritage, with a mission to keep these songs alive in our hearts, consciences, and voices.

Ramz Sahuri 

Accompanied by bashar Abu Qura on Oud.

Ramz Sahui is a Jordanian singer/ songwriter. She developed a love for music from a young age. She studied Arabic singing and oud at the National Music Conservatory in Jordan and in Lebanon and  represented Jordan internationally in numerous festivals. In her work, she loves incorporating jazz with Arabic music and is a founding member of the Arabic Jazz fusion band Hijazz. With several original songs in her portfolio, Ramz gets inspiration from culture and history as well as personal experiences and stories.

DeepSa 

Barina Abaza is a multilingual Jordanian singer, with a focus on her Circassian roots folklore music, often blending ethnic songs with contemporary and Arabic sounds, together with her siblings’ band, DeepSa. A folky music ensemble, DeepSa are inspired by heritage music of the Caucasus region, reimagining old songs in multicultural arrangements. For the Amman Music Talks performance, DeepSa siblings Barina Abaza (vocal), Bater Abaza (pshina; Circassian accordion), and Anzor Abaza (naqira; Circassian flute) will be joined by Nizar Jana (baraban; Circassian percussion) and bassist Hasan Qayet.  

Sarah Al Baw 

Accompanied by Tareq Jundi and Rami Al Jundi

Sarah Al Baw is a Jordanian classical Arabic singer and vocal coach. Together with her partner, composer and percussionist Ramy Al Jundi, they started performing in Lebanon and Jordan, since 2017. They focus on various authentic Arabic music forms, such as the muwashshahat and qudud, as well as folk music that voices sounds of the Levant region. At Amman Music Talks, she will be performing with Tareq Jundi on oud, and Rami Al Jundi on percussions. 

Rawan Roshni 

is an independent singer-songwriter, sound practitioner, performance artist, and community facilitator. Her original music has spread across multiple genres, experimenting with different authentic sonic layers. She has released 3 original songs, and an Album with her former group SemaZen; an Interactive World Spiritual Music project that she co-founded. In the past year, she toured with Qamarjan; a Nomadic World Fusion project which she also co-founded. In November ‘22, she presented her first solo show, Al-Tuyoor: Messages from the Birds, at the monumental Library of Alexandria, Egypt, as part of Bab El Ba7r Festival. The performance arts show combines music, poetry and theatre in a trilingual fantasy fusion between English, Arabic, and Animal. 

HInd Hamed 

An independent Jordanian artist whose warm sensational voice has enabled her to present creative & versatile singing works. Hind’s love for formal Arabic, has given her performance of poems a deep sense of nostalgia & ecstasy. Her original songs carry a modern twist while rooted in Middle Eastern traditions. She has centred many performances at concerts and festivals across Jordan and abroad. This led to a string of national & international musical collaborations.

Octave band

Octave is an “Arabic folk rock” band from the north of Jordan “Irbid”. They enliven old traditional folk songs from the Sahel Horan and the Middle Eastern heritage with contemporary elements, in reimagined oriental rock sounds, using traditional instruments while keeping the authentic spirit alive.

Ahmad Selawy, lead vocal and folk instruments | Amjad Mestarehi, electric guitar | Amr Abu Khlif, lead and solo guitar | Ramez Hadaddein, bass guitar | Hrag Mouradian, drums