reprise ‘24

Naumati Banjai Cleveland

The Naumati Bajai Cleveland performs traditional Nepalese music, typically reserved for special religious ceremonies. Members come from across Ohio and perform Nepali folk songs on traditional woodwind and percussion instruments. Tonight they were joined by traditional Nepali dancers.

U4U Band

The U4U Band was created in Cleveland, Ohio in 2022 by musicians from different parts of Ukraine, forced to flee due to the outbreak of war in their hometowns. The composition of the band demonstrates that Ukraine has always been united in its intentions and beliefs, regardless of the territory of residence of its people. Our vision is to develop and promote modern Ukrainian music and culture for the benefit of its people. The U4U Band includes Ivan Prodanyk on vocals, Olena Aleksieieva on piano, Yaryna Tsarynska on violin, and Viktor Koromyslichenko on drums.

Heart of Afghanistan

Heart of Afghanistan featuring the Fanoos Ensemble includes four brilliant Afghan musicians: famed singer and Afghan TV star Ahmad Fanoos on vocals & harmonium, his sons Elham Fanoos on piano and Mehran Fanoos on violin, and Hewad Wardak on tabla. Unable to perform inside Afghanistan today, where the Taliban has banned all music, the group carries the flame of Afghanistan’s rich and complex musical heritage, from its pre-Islamic Buddhist period to the modern era.

Shacko & Akim

Twin brothers and refugees from Congo, Shacko & Akim have been making music together since they were 10 years old. When their father was killed and their land was stolen by the M23 militia, they fled Congo with their family in 2009 and grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda. In the camp, they spent their days playing music and trying to process the trauma they had experienced. Creating music became like healing medicine for them and their audience in the camp.

reprise ‘25

Rahim al Haj

Rahim AlHaj, virtuoso oud musician and composer, was born in Baghdad, Iraq and began playing the oud (the grandfather of all stringed instruments) at age nine. In 1991, after the first Gulf War, Mr. AlHaj was forced to leave Iraq due to his activism against the Saddam Hussein regime and began his life in Jordan and Syria. He moved to the US in 2000 as a political refugee and has resided in Albuquerque, NM ever since. In 2015 Rahim was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor for traditional arts in the USA. Learn more by visiting Rahim AlHaj’s website.

Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese rapper, singer, actor, activist and public speaker whose works have transformed the lives of millions in his native homeland. From his start in life as a child soldier in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan in the early 1980’s, Emmanuel has come through huge personal struggles to become a successful and acclaimed recording artist and peace ambassador; authoring a book and memoir, co-staring with Reese Witherspoon in the motion picture “The Good Lie”, and appearing alongside Lauryn Hill, Peter Gabriel and Nile Rodgers and Alicia Keys among others. Learn more by visiting Emmanuel Jal’s website.