Kaia Kater, American Folk

Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater’s jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR’s Tiny Desk, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian. Her new album, Strange Medicine (May 2024), celebrates the power of women and oppressed people, while also sharing meditations on her own life. Kaia is equally recognized for her film work, winning a Canadian Screen Award for “The Porter” (CBC/BET+), and contributing to the new film, My Dead Friend Zoe (March 2024) as a songwriter and singer.

Anders Thomsen, Country

Anders Thomsen is a singer/guitarist/songwriter who lives in Bloomingdale, Georgia. He has been performing on and off for more than 20 years, in his words, “narrowly escaping success” several times. After growing up in Lansing, Michigan, he lived in New York City and Nashville, Tennessee before settling in the Savannah area. He has released several albums and played in countless honky-tonks and night clubs.

Farah Siraj, Jordanian Folk

Farah Siraj performs the folk music of Jordan in an effort to keep her heritage alive. Born and raised in Amman, Farah has traveled the world spreading the message of peace through her music. While the folk music she performs is traditional, the way she performs it is truly personal. Farah marries the traditional Arabic instruments and modes with the sounds that have inspired her, from the addition of harmonies to the surprisingly fitting inclusion of flamenco. The result is a contemporary revival of a music delivered in Farah’s own voice that may otherwise have stayed within the confines of its country. Farah approaches music as a medium to always choose peace and a way to amplify the voices of people around the world who need to be heard.

AJ Kush, Hip Hop

Savannah, Georgia, native AJ Kush believes in putting art to work for people. For well over 15 years, he has channeled his passion for history, music, and helping people into a dynamic career as a teaching artist. He is a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a B.A. in History and International Studies. As a teacher, motivational speaker, poet, and mentor, AJ has had the privilege of working with many Atlanta youth organizations and Metro Atlanta Public Schools. AJ is currently a student specialist for a National Drug Treatment Center. In addition to his work with youth, he specializes in substance abuse education, anger management, life skills, and rites of passage programs.

Falu Shah, Indian Classical

Falu began her formal musical studies at the age of three in her hometown of Mumbai, India. In her early years, Falu trained rigorously under the late sarangi and vocal master Ustad Sultan Khan, and later with the legendary Kishori Amonkar. She came to the US in 2000, and began to integrate her formidable Indian classical training with a range of styles and genres, resulting in a singular sound. Her original songs and reimagining of Indian classics combine the contemporary with the ancient.

Victor Sawyer & Marcella Simien, New Orleans Second Line

Memphis native Victor Sawyer fronts Lucky 7 Brass Band. As a performer, he has recorded at legendary studios such as Sun, Royal, and Ardent. Victor has also performed with Memphis legends such as 8Ball & MJG, Valerie June, Steve Cropper, and others. After receiving his Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, Victor moved back to Memphis. His move back to his hometown coincided with the settlement in Memphis by many New Orleans musicians and other residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Consequently, Victor continued his education in New Orleans jazz in an informal capacity, learning the tradition from New Orleans musicians who had been playing in second lines since childhood.

Marcella Simien was born into one of the first Creole families to settle Louisiana’s St. Landry Parish and is the daughter of award-winning zydeco luminary Terrance Simien. Marcella moved to Memphis to complete her degree from Memphis College of Art. She founded and serves as bandleader in Marcella & Her Lovers, a hybrid of classic Memphis soul with the freewheeling swagger of New Orleans funk. In addition to her work with Lucky 7 Brass Band and Marcella & Her Lovers, she performs with Marcella & Les Vagues, Magnolias and Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience.