Maniucha Bikont is a singer, musician, performer. She composes songs, creates and performs music for films and theater performances. Participant in field research in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, PhD in humanities. She practices traditional, folk, modern impro and composed music, and plays the tuba.

Her solo album “Porządki”, was released 2024. She co-created the bands: Trio Marzenie, Maniucha i Ksawery, Tęgie Chłopy, Dom, Dziczka, Niewte. She collaborates with artists from the circles of avant-garde, improvised, traditional and film music, such as Mats Gustafsson (Ensamble E), Assaf Talmudi (BOTZ, “Porządki”), Seigo Matsunaga (IMA Songlines), Eyal Talmudi (Malox, JCF), Cezary Duchnowski (Devil's Violin), Bartek Weber (DOM), Jan Duszyński (Trio Marzenie), Anna Smolar (performance “Antigone from Molenbeek”), Małgorzata Kozera (film “Twarze Agaty”), Marcin Wicha (“Porządki”), Bastarda Trio, Prusinowski Kompania, Lautari, or Radical Polish Ansambl.

She performs in Europe, Asia and America. Winner of the True Musicians Tournament (2014), two-time winner of the Nowa Tradycja competition (2016, 2017), nominated for the Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej award (2020, 2021). Her album “Oj borom borom” was awarded by Polish Radio and presented at Lincoln Center in New York.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Jlin (Jerrilynn Patton) has quickly become one of the most distinctive composers in America and one of the most influential women in electronic music. Jlin’s thrilling, emotional, and multidimensional compositions have earned her praise as “one of the most forward-thinking contemporary composers in any genre” (Pitchfork). She is a recipient of a 2023 US Artist award and a 2023 Pulitzer Prize nomination. Her mini-album Perspective was released to critical acclaim on Planet Mu 2023. Her much-lauded albums Dark Energy (2015) and Black Origami (2017) have appeared on “Best of” lists in The NY Times, The Wire, LA Times, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Vogue. Jlin has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, the Pathos Quartet, choreographers Wayne McGregor and Kyle Abraham, fashion designer Rick Owens and the visual artists Nick Cave and Kevin Beasley. Her latest release Akoma (Planet Mu: March 2024) features collaborations with Philip Glass, Bjork and Kronos Quartet. 

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Saraswati Nandini Majumdar is a vocalist in the North Indian ‘khayal’ style. She has trained in Varanasi, one of India’s main centres for classical music, and Delhi, under maestros Rajan and Sajan Mishra. She has performed and taught music in India, the US, and Europe.

The pedagogy she has built, and her workshops called ‘Freedom and Discipline,’ explore improvisation not only as musical practice but also as politics and philosophy for life. As an improvisational artist, Nandini actively seeks collaborations with other musicians, movement artists, and writers from around the world. Most recently, she performed in a devised ensemble piece ‘Memories in Water,’ at MASS Gallery, Austin.

Currently based in Austin, Nandini will be completing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas in May 2025. Her doctoral project considers the intersections between artistic improvisation, vernacular South Asian performance traditions, jazz, postcolonial and critical race theory, and contemporary poetics. She is also the author of articles on arts and culture, a book of walks through Varanasi, and several children’s books.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Elham is a dynamic musician thriving in Montreal's vibrant music scene. As a co-founder of the DIBA collective upon her arrival in Montreal in 2014, she has immersed herself in the city's cultural fabric and cultivated her musical talents.

Her musical journey commenced in her teenage years, enriched by the tutelage of eminent Iranian masters such as Ali Ghamsari, Arshad Tahmassbi, and the Tar virtuoso, Hossein Alizadeh. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, she's mastered traditional Persian instruments like Tar, Setar, Shourangiz, and Robab.

Passionate about singing since childhood, Elham has overcome obstacles to express her voice, finally finding freedom in Canada. She has participated in over 150 concerts across Canada, collaborating with musicians of diverse nationalities. One of her notable collaborations was a concert at the Montreal Symphony House, as part of the OSM's programming, featuring a repertoire dedicated to Persian culture titled "Journey to the East, from Scheherazade to Simorgh."

She has also performed at various prestigious festivals in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, sharing her music and passion with a wide audience. Supported by the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts, she has undertaken several touring series in Montreal and beyond, showcasing her dynamic presence in the music scene.

Simultaneously, her studies in cultural organization management at HEC Montreal University reflect her commitment to developing her artistic career in an informed manner.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Amir Amiri is a visionary santur player, composer, and cultural inventor who bridges the past and future, tradition and innovation. His artistry merges ancient inspiration, dazzling virtuosity, and fearless creativity, elevating the santur into bold new musical territories.

Born in Tehran, Iran, Amiri is a master of the santur, a 72-string instrument with origins dating back to approximately 500 BCE. Since arriving in Canada in 1996, he has founded numerous groundbreaking ensembles that redefine the sonic possibilities of Persian music.

His duo Perséides with double bassist Jean Félix Mailloux was a featured act at the National Arts Centre’s Sounds of Persia: Canada’s New Music Masters in 2018, where Amiri also served as Artistic Director. His ensemble projects continue to push musical boundaries, including the Amir Amiri Ensemble, which embodies the fluidity of Middle Eastern musical influences, and Ensemble Kimya, a Montreal-Paris collaboration weaving together early classical and contemporary music from Europe, the Middle East, and India.

Expanding his creative horizons, Amiri composed the score for the feature film Universal Language, Canada's official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards.

Honored as CBC Artist of the Year in 2003 by the Galaxie Rising Stars Program, Amiri continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his magnetic presence and deeply evocative performances.

Recipient of Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Known for his work with Peter Jackson and Howard Shore on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Mark Willsher is equally at home as producer, engineer, mixer, and supervising music editor.  His work spans a broad array of genres, from feature films to classical, folk, and hip-hop.  Recent projects include New Line Cinema’s ‘Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim’ (Composer: Stephen Gallagher), Netflix’s animated feature ‘Ultraman: Rising’ (Composer: Scot Stafford), and the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Kaija Saariaho’s Opera Adriana Mater (Music Director: Esa-Pekka Salonen) – for which (as mixing engineer) he won a Grammy® Award for Best Opera Recording. 

In addition to production work Mark has always been actively involved in audio education as both guest lecturer and guest faculty. He has lectured at The Peabody Institute, MIT, The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was guest audio faculty at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada for seventeen years. Since 2023 Mark has been guest faculty at the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland. He is also on the panel of immersive audio experts for the ECHO Project: A collaborative research project on 3D microphone array techniques for orchestral recording, which has broad industry sponsorship. With a background in music performance, and a deep understanding of all technical aspects of the recording process, Mark’s guiding philosophy is always to be able to step back and be absorbed by recordings on an emotional level – to not be conscious of the speakers, microphones, editing, mixing.  His  personal studio is a fully equipped immersive mixing space with a hybrid analogue/digital workflow. Since 2016 Mark resides in North London with his wife, violinist Cecily Ward, and their two Portuguese Water Dogs – Francie & Lando. 

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Sean Connors is an Ensemble Member and Technical Director of Third Coast Percussion. He has performed with Amphion Percussion, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, eighth blackbird, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Signal, and Metropolis Ensemble, and he was the percussionist for 2 summers with the prestigious Aspen Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble.

As an educator, Sean served for 2 years as assistant professor of percussion at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and taught elementary school and middle school music in the Chicago suburbs.

Sean holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.

Peter Martin is an Ensemble Member and Finance Director of Third Coast Percussion.

As a chamber musician, Peter has performed with many leading new music ensembles including the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Eighth Blackbird, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Opera Moda, Tomorrow Music Orchestra, and Ensemble Signal. In addition to his work with Third Coast Percussion, Peter is a member of the award-winning contemporary music group Ensemble Dal Niente. His recorded work can be heard on the New Focus, New Amsterdam, Mode, Ears & Eyes, Harmonia Mundi, and Narooma labels.

As an educator, Peter was an Assistant Professor and Director of Percussion Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA from 2009-2013. He held previous teaching positions at Northwestern University and Trinity International University.

Peter holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music Degrees from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While a student, Peter was awarded first prize at the Percussive Arts Society International Solo Marimba Competition. His teachers include Michael Burritt, She-e Wu, Leigh Howard Stevens.

Robert Dillon is an Ensemble Member and Development Director of Third Coast Percussion. He has also performed as a substitute with the Chicago, Boston, and San Diego Symphony Orchestras, and served as principal percussionist in the Madison Symphony Orchestra from 2007-2008. A passionate educator, he previously served as chair of percussion studies at Merit School of Music and a percussion instructor at Loyola University Chicago.

Robert has appeared numerous times on the Chicago Symphony’s contemporary music series, MusicNow, as well as the University of Chicago’s Contempo series, and was a member of the unique, international 12-percussionist Ensemble XII, which grew out of Pierre Boulez’s Lucerne Festival Academy (Switzerland). Robert was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and participated in programs at the Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival USA, National Repertory Orchestra, and Pacific Music Festival (Sapporo, Japan).

In addition to Third Coast recordings, Robert can be heard as a soloist on Innova Records (Christopher Adler—Ecstatic Volutions in a Neon Haze), and a performer on Naxos Records (American Music for Percussion, Volume 1) and Parlour Tapes+ (Katherine Young – Diligence is to Magic as Progress is to Flight). He has performed as a soloist in America, Switzerland, and Jordan.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory, where he received the John Cage Award for Outstanding Contribution to Contemporary Music Performance. His teachers include Michael Burritt, James Ross and Will Hudgins.