Dr. Samia Mahbub Ahmad is a Hindustani (North Indian) classical vocal musician who has been studying, performing and teaching this ancient 5000 year-old genre of music of the Vedic times, in North America, South Asia and Southern Africa for the past two decades.

Samia has apprenticed with Grandmasters Sri Tapan Baidya, a pioneer of this genre in Bangladesh, and Vidushi Padma Shri (one of the highest recognitions from the government of India) Sumitra Guha in India. Samia has used her classical base to also specialize in Nazrul Sangeet (song compositions of the Rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam), Bhajans, and New Age music, melding Hindustani classical music with contemporary melodies and rhythms of South Asia, South Africa, and the West. She has expanded her collaborative work to combine vocal music with dance choreography and visual arts. Samia's performances and teaching explore the notions of spiritual unity in religions that share a common cultural base.

Devapriya Nayak (Debu) was born in West Bengal, India, and began learning tabla at the age of three from his grandfather, Chaudhury Kausalya Nandan, who was an accomplished pakhawaj and tabla player of the Punjab Gharana. Later, Debu became a disciple of Pt. Radhakanta Nandi of the Benaras Gharana. In 1981, Debu came to the US to pursue higher studies and continued his tabla taalim from Maestros like Ustad Zakir Hussain , Pandit Anindo Chattergee and Pt. Samir Chatterjee.

Currently Debu remains a ‘Ganda Bandha’ shishya of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Debu is an accomplished soloist and accompanist. He has performed with renowned artists like Pt. Vinayak Torvi, Pt. Ramesh Mishra, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, Habib Wali Mohammad, Asif Ali Khan, Shahanaz Begum, Gaurav Mazumdar, Partha Bose, Mitali Banerjee-Bhawmik, Tulika Ghosh and many others.

Recently, his tabla was featured in a collaborative effort of Indian Classical Music and Jazz. The CD, called PROBE, is currently available under ‘World
Music’ at the Sackler Gallery Bookstore in the Smithsonian. He along with the members of PROBE have also performed at the Smithsonian Institution.

Prakruti Hoskere is an upcoming and promising Bharatanatyam artist from Bangalore, India. Hailing from a family of traditionalists, dancers and art connoisseurs she is pursuing the art form with dedication and passion. She is also an A-grade auditioned Doordarshan artist.

Prakruti, who is a student of Guru P. Praveen Kumar, started her training in Bharatanatyam under the able guidance of Guru Narmada at the age of five. The Late Guru Narmada was one of the foremost exponents of this traditional art. Guru Narmada’s expertise in imparting training and Prakruti’s capacity to learn, led to her Rangapravesha in June 2002. The great Bharatanatyam exponent Dr. Vyjayantimala Bali witnessed her acclaimed debut.

She has continued her rigorous training after her Rangapravesham in the past ten years under the close supervision and training of Sri Praveen Kumar, director of the Chitkala School of Dance, Bangalore.