Sunniva Skaug (2003) won the 2017 and 2019 Britten Viola Competitions in Zwolle, 2nd Prize at the Maassluis Young Talent Competition 2019, and was a national semifinalist in the Prinses Christina Competition in 2018. She has viola lessons with Julia Dinerstein at the Hellendaal Music Institute in Rotterdam, and is a member of the string quartet “Young Strings Zeist”, under mentorship of the Jeruzalem Quartet. Her viola is built by Daniël Royé in Amsterdam.

Samira’s Blues is a new Amsterdam based band, with roots in North Africa. Samira Dainan follows the nomadic trail of her ancestors, lives in the Sahara of Morocco, attends ceremonies in the Atlas Mountains and the Sous and gets entranced during Gnaoua lilac (nights) in Essaouira. Back in Amsterdam she writes and composes songs for her band, inspired by those roots. The arrangements are made by Bas Gaakeer on guitar, bassist Hassan Aït-Moumad, and percussionist Karim Darwish providing the grooves. Samira's Blues celebrated a successful EP launch in Paradiso Amsterdam and was the freshest support act for Touareg band Tamikrest in Rotterdam & The Hague. This summer Samira's Blues will delight the summer festivals with her music and in the fall it's Morocco's turn. Their debut EP "Ya Baba" (Digital - Audiomaze) was recently released on all major platforms. Sing Magazine: "On the debut EP 'Ya Baba' you will hear enchanting North African spirituals and own songs that Samira sings in Arabic, Tamazight and French."

Nomads is a Contemporary Flamenco platform where different projects have space. Coming from a tradition of collective interaction and improvisation, flamenco art is in constant evolution from its birth. The very personal approach of every performer always brings different results in the combination with other performers and situations. The renowned Netherlands based artists Jessica Achten (dance), Carlos Ema (piano and electronics) and Primos del Norte: Erminia Fernández Córdoba (voice), Arturo Ramón (guitar), Udo Demandt (percussion) are collaborating together since 2012 with different projects as Expedite Flamenco, La Fábrica, Sinergy, Encuentros, Tierradentro. Their wide versatility and creativity gets always inspired and extended in every new combination with other arts and music styles, as they constantly change scenario, as nomads do, as Flamenco does.

The brand new project of pianist Georgios Tsolis, sets the Hague as their meeting point. A quartet Joined by the Cuban trumpetist Jorge Vistel and the Austrians: double bassist Philip Zarfl and drummer Klemmens Marktl. The quartet performs mainly original music composed by Georgios Tsolis as well as arrangements of renowned jazz standards. The interactive playing and the focus into collective Improvisation sets their musical direction: Jorge Vistel's deep routed Cuban tradition in combination with his incredible jazz performance; The extended vocabulary and jazz sound of drummer Klemens Marktl; The creatively / adventurous and melodic approach of the young talented double bassist, Phillip Zarfl; In combination with the drive of Georgios' performances, setting the story telling - melodies with complex but yet listenable rhythmic approach in his compositions - shaping the sound of this quartet. With an eye looking back to the roots of jazz music, the members of this quartet aim to a nowadays' modern jazz sound.

The most recent album Breaking Cycles by Cameroon-born Ntjam Rosie (1983) received raving reviews in all major papers and magazines. English platform Soulandjazz.com chose it for Soul Album of the week and Echoes Magazine voted it Soul Album of 2017! Currently Ntjam Rosie is working on her sixth studio album supported by a brand-new production team, consisting of Bart Wirtz, Lucas Meijers and Thomas Eduard, and it'l be release in October 2019. This spring/summer, Ntjam Rosie can be admired in 10 Dutch theaters in the successful production of Thijs Borsten, De Uitdaging, coupled with singer and trumpet player Jeroen Zijlstra. From the 30th of November she will be touring 40 plus theaters in the Netherlands and Belgium with the production Dear Winnie, a co-production by the NNT and the Flemish KVS. Previously Ntjam Rosie has toured Dutch theaters with the Artvark Saxophone Quartet (Homelands), was featured in Urban Myth’s We hadden liefde, we hadden wapens; and most recently she performed in her own theater production Breaking Beats. Ntjam Rosie has played on many stages and jazz festivals in the Netherlands, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, and has toured in over 20 countries. She has appeared numerous times on DWDD, Vrije Geluiden and other well-known radio and TV programs.

In 1999 Gambian griot Ebou Gaye Mada founded Boka de Banjul in its early from jam sessions with various musicians. Back then the full name was Boka Halat de Banjul, carrying the message of Boka Halat, which means 'joined ideas’ in Wolof. The combination of the various band members, their ideas, their musical background and their shared passion for music became the basis of a platform for positive energy. Boka de Banjul, now based in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, combines the Gambian Mbalax with music from all over the world like Afrobeat, jazz, rock and reggae. Anyone who sees Boka de Banjul playing live gets hit by the infectious energy. Ebou and his band play with such passion, experience and love for music that the audience is included in the rhythms and melodies through this sparkling performance. Few live bands can accomplish this level of interaction with a crowd. This talent has resulted in performances all over the world. Ebou Gaye Mada (1975) is an impassioned percussionist and Singer-songwriter from Banjul, the capital of the Gambia (West-Africa). He comes from well known Senegambian Griot-families: Gaye and Mbye, who are singers and percussionist up to today. As from an early age he started performing with his family and started traveling the world with several and diverse bands one of which was the legendary Gambian band Ifang Bondi. They were the initiators of the Afro-Mandinka beat, using traditional instruments, like the Sabar in West African pop music. Based in The Netherlands, Ebou Gaye Mada joined Kara Dara, a Caribbean, Funky, Jazzy, Poppy celebration of African music. In 2002 he formed his own band ‘Boka Halat de Banjul’ which means ‘Joined Ideas’. The band represents every encounter that he had in his life as an artist and performs West African pop and Mbalax from Senegambia. Since 2007 Ebou is the percussionist and lead singer of the famous band Mdungu, an Afro-jazz formation from Amsterdam. They recorded two albums. the first one, Afro What?! was produced by Justin adams. Their second album, Gambian Space Programm, was Ebou’s singing debut. It was nominated for the famous Dutch Edison Award (category World Music). The traditional Sabar music brought Ebou Gaye Mada to every corner of the world where he met great artists and mastered various music styles. As no other he now knows how to gently enrich each piece of music and still honour his roots. In contrast with this discretion, Ebou has a great capacity to passionately drag his audience into his contra-rhythm solo’s and rousing rhythms. And if the rhythms didn’t get to you yet, his powerful baritone voice will! His humble style and infectious energy made him popular with both music lovers and music makers. Some bands call him their ‘secret weapon’. Ebou Gaye Mada - percussion & lead vocals | Greg Smith - drums | Hassan Aitmoumad - electric guitar | Frank Jonas - electric guitar | Merijn van de Wijdeven - bass guitar | Sarah van Impe - percussion & backing vocals.