The American-Norwegian composer Evan Gardner began his composition studies in 1996 at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music under Pauline Oliveros. After successful years of study in the USA, Norway, and Germany, he received several awards and commissions from renowned ensembles. In 2013, he founded OPERA LAB BERLIN, which has produced numerous successful productions, including Sales of a Deadman (2014), Lonely Hearts Bus Tour (2018), Odyssey: Dead Men Die (2020), and Who’s Afraid of Pop Culture? (2022). He is also active in cultural policy and served as a board member of the Association for Contemporary Music Theatre Berlin from 2014 to 2017.

Francesca Verga graduated with distinction from the Conservatory of Vicenza in 2008 and continued her studies with Bruno Giuranna and Antonello Farulli. She was a member and principal violist of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana (2010/11). After completing a BA in Philosophy in 2014, she specialized in viola at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), earning two Master’s degrees with distinction. Since 2019 she has pursued a PhD in Bern on Giacinto OLB Website updates for Arif texts March 2026.docx Scelsi. She is Musical Director of Opera Lab Berlin and a director and performer at Foyer41 in Bern.

Florian Bensch , born in 1991 in Tuttlingen, studied bassoon with Prof. Volker Tessmann and completed his Bachelor of Music, followed by a Master’s degree in chamber music with Prof. Georg Klütsch and Prof. Martin Spangenberg at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin. He was a scholarship holder of the Deut sche Stiftung Musikleben and Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now. Since 2015, Bensch has been bassoonist of the Berolina Ensemble, receiving several awards including an Echo Klassik and Opus Klassik for recordings. In 2021 he became a permanent member of the Kam merakademie Potsdam.

Inés González is a Spanish saxophonist from Toledo who developed her musical career in Madrid. Dedicated to making the saxophone a versatile and expressive voice, she performs widely as a chamber musician. She is a member of the Osimun Quartet and the saxophone ensemble Prochain Arrêt , with whom she released the album Wind Serenades (Mozart). She has performed at festivals including Grachten Festival Amsterdam and Facyl Salamanca, and in venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. González currently studies cham ber music with Osimun Quartet at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.

Franka Herwig , born in Berlin in 1984, studied accordion at the University of the Arts Bremen and the Conservatoire National i n Paris. Since 2014 she has performed with the Camerata of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and is a member of Ensemble Mini and the Alma Mahler Chamber Orchestra. She has performed internationally across Europe, South Korea, China, and OLB Website updates for Arif texts March 2026.docx the United States, appearing at major festivals. As a stage musician she works with the Junge Deutsche Oper Berlin. Herwig has received several prizes and scholarships, focuses on contemporary music, and teaches in Antibes and Monaco

Kelsey Maiorano , described by a former principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic as an “oboe force of nature,” is quickly establishing herself internationally. She is principal oboist of the Neues Orchester Basel and the City Light Symphony Orchestra , and served as co - principal oboist of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra (2017 – 2019). Maiorano has performed with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been a member of the Basilea Wind Quintet si nce 2022 and Opera Lab Berlin since 2018. She has received numerous competition prizes and awards.

Guilherme Rodrigues, born in Lisbon in 1988, began cello and trumpet lessons at the age of seven. He studied classical music and theory at the National Conservatory of Music in Lisbon until the age of 23. His music, shaped by improvisation and sound research, is exciting, polyrhythmic, and full of contrasts. Rodrigues’ work includes both acoustic and electroacoustic compositions, often described as delicate, intense, and physical. He collaborates with ensembles and dancers, and has created music for theatre, radio, television, and silent film. Rodrigues is part of the label Creative Sources Recordings, musical director of Hosek Contemporary Art Gallery, and a member of the Reanimation Orchestra and Opera Lab Berlin.

Marita Gehrer , born in 1997 in Graz, began playing the recorder at the age of five and entered the class of Rosemarie Grün at the Graz Conservatory at eight. In 2011 she made her debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus after winning the Musica Juventutis selection competition. She won the European Recorder Players Society Young Artist Competition in 2016. In 2020 she graduated with distinction in performance, followed by a degree in music education in 2022. Gehrer has OLB Website updates for Arif texts March 2026.docx performed at Styriarte, the Styrian Chamber Music Festival, the installation Treehumana , and Sales of a Deadman (Opera Lab Berlin)

Paul Hübner is considered o ne of the most creative brass musicians of his generation, working as an interpreter, composer, performer, and improviser. As a soloist and ensemble musician, he regularly appears at major international festivals for contemporary music. A central focus of his work is close collaboration with composers and stage artists to realize new works for an extended brass instrumentation. Through his own compositions and improvisations, he explores new sonic possibilities — acoustic, conceptual, and social. Hübner is a prizewinner of several national and international competitions and was a fellow of the International Ensemble Modern Academy and the Cité des Arts in Pari

Rachel Susser , based in Berlin and originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, is a versatile flutist. She studied Computer Science and Music Technology at Barnard College and flute at the Manhattan School of Music. As a Fulbright scholar, she researched tradi tional flutes and folk music in Peru, Bulgaria, and Romania. She completed her MMus in classical flute with distinction at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Susser has participated in premieres at the Guggenheim Museum, Carnegie Hall, and the Berlin Ph ilharmonie. She co - founded the Lysistrata Chamber Collective and the concert series Forgotten Female Composers

Raphael Papo is an award winning and versatile violinist. He has recorded for Disney and Netflix and performs regularly in the BBC Symphony Orchestra. His passion for interdisciplinary performance has led him to be cast in Björnsson and Marx's ¡SILENCIO, POR FAVOR! (Opera Lab / English theatre Berlin), Fiddler on the Roof (Regents Park Theatre, London), Caroline Felkins' Chaconne (The Place Theatre, London), Années Folles (Chalk Artist Co / Klangraum Kapellche).

Felix von Dohlen developed an early fascination with audio through the influence of his parents. As a teenager, he immersed himself in computer - based music production, mixing school events and local bands while developing a strong interest in sound and frequencies. In Wei mar he gained further experience recording music, working with rock and hip - hop artists, mixing bands, and DJing. After an internship with an event production company, he moved to Berlin, where he refined his skills in live sound, music production, and bui lding modular synthesizers. He now works as a freelance event technician and audio engineer.

Rubén Nsue , a dancer and choreographer of African heritage, was born in Madrid. His passion for dance has taken him to international stages, performing in contemporary dance, theatre, and hip - hop. After beginning his training in Madrid, he continued his studies in B arcelona, London, and New York. Nsue appeared in musicals including Hair and The Wedding Singer and founded the experimental dance company Lokomamia in 2007. His Berlin works, including Human Orchestra and Heroes , received critical recognition. He is a mem ber of Grupo Oito and founded the artistic platform RUUM in 2017.

11. Samuel Chalela Pucini Video and Film Samuel Chalela Puccini (Bogotá, 1991) studied Audiovisual Communication at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (2009 – 2013) and screenwriting at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb) from 2015 to 2019. He works as a director, screenwriter, and video artist in Germany and Colombia. His films, often shaped by existential conflicts, have receiv ed international recognition and festival awards, including El Teorema de la Salchicha and Der Tag X , which was nominated for a Student Academy Award. In 2022 he received a VG WORT scholarship for the project Akzidens .

Ben Goldby is a Berlin-based theatre maker working across writing, directing, and collaborative production in performance and music theatre. Active within the city’s independent scene, he contributes to projects at companies including Opera Lab Berlin and develops new work with the SONDER Theatre Collective. His writing explores contemporary experiences with clarity and curiosity, and he co-wrote Zimmer 3327 for Schlossplatztheater. Ben’s practice is shaped by ensemble processes, international collaboration, and a commitment to creating supportive creative environments where artists can experiment, exchange ideas, and build work together.

Paula (she/her) studied Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Practice in Hildesheim and works as an artistic production manager and dramaturg in Berlin’s independent scene. There, she is primarily involved in interdisciplinary projects in the fields of performance and music theatre, collaborating with artists such as Naoko Tanaka, Julia B.-Laperrière, and Christoph Clausen. Together with the latter, she realised three productions as VORTEX, the most recent of which was invited to the Fringify Festival in 2024. Paula was also a participant in the Academy for Performing Arts Producers #6 (2023) run by the International Production Houses, and she worked at the Ruhrtriennale in 2024. Since 2022, she has been a member of the artistic leadership collective of the Berliner Ringtheater, where she works as production manager. She worked on A Guide to Self-Synthesis in January 2025 and continues her collaboration with Opera Lab on You Me Alien.

Born in Mumbai, Aparna Shenoy is a Hindustani classical singer and dedicated teacher. She began her training at 13 with Guru Rajesh Purkhe ji, later studying with Dr. Revati Tai Kamat of the Jaipur-Atroli Gharana and Pt. Suryakant Gaikwad ji of the Kirana Gharana. Under his guidance she completed her Sangeet Visharad at the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Vidyalaya. She also trained in semi-classical styles such as bhavgeet, natyasangeet, and bhajans with Archana Tai Khasnis. Alongside her work as a homeopathic doctor, music has always been an important source of balance. At the Global Music Academy, she shares her passion as a teacher of Hindustani singing.

Colombian-born Mauricio Velasierra is an expert and pioneer of keyless Latin American wind instruments: quenas, sikus, and mohzeños. Besides developing techniques to play them fully chromatically he has also reimagined and rebuilt them, transforming the acoustic sound into animalistic distortion machines. A genre escape-artist, with a facility to improvise between worlds, Velasierra plays with an explosive directness that has taken his music to prestigious venues and festivals internationally. He is also a composer, renowned for his innovative and highly original style, which combines modern jazz, contemporary classical and progressive music influences. His work has been critically acclaimed by The Guardian, Songlines, The Wire and the German Record Critics Prize, among others.

Sadie Shea is an NYC-based actor, dancer, singer, and cellist. She graduated from NYU Tisch School for the Arts in May 2025, receiving a BFA in Drama. She trained at the Atlantic Theatre Company, Experimental Theatre Wing, the Classical Studio, and at arthaus.berlin. Recent credits include: I’ll Be There (Feature film), A Guide to Self-Synthesis (Opera Lab Berlin), Play by Ear (La MaMa Galleria), and WIGS: the Play! (The Pit). In 2024 she premiered her new play, SMOKESHOW, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is a 2021 National YoungArts Winner in Theatre.

Originally from Nantes, Constance Morvan studied in Paris with Florent Pujuila and Bruno Martinez, and completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Berlin University of the Arts with Prof. François Benda. She performs regularly with various orchestras and theatres in Germany and France (Brandenburg State Theatre Frankfurt, Eroica Berlin, Berlin Academy for American Music, Berlin Symphony Orchestra …) and as a chamber musician at festivals such as Festival du Val de Saire, Festival Musique en Bugey, Les vacances de monsieur Haydn in La- Roche-Posay, and the Passion:spiel Festival in Weimar.

Peach Kander is a queer poet and dioramist. They hold an MFA from NYU and were the poetry editor at Pigeon Pages and Washington Square Review. They hold a BFA from University of California, Davis, and currently live in Oakland, CA. They were a recipient of a City Artist Corps Grant from New York Foundation for the Arts and a residency from Art Farm Nebraska. Their chapbook MAGIC BOX is out now from Ursus Americanus Press. Their writing has appeared in We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics (Nightboat Books). Other creative property can be found in the Sephora archives.

Susan Stryker is a scholar, filmmaker and activist whose work has contributed to the cultural conversation on transgender issues for more than three decades. Born in 1961, she is best known for her autotheoretical writings and the documentary film “Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria”, which chronicles one of the first collective uprisings of transgender people in the United States. Stryker's written works include the essay collection When Monsters Speak, the introductory text Transgender History, and Changing Gender, an intellectual history of the gender concept, forthcoming in August 2026.

Astan Meyer also known as Astan KA is a Berlin - based performer, singer, songwriter, experimental rapper, dancer, actress, and event - curator. Born in France with roots from Mali, she embraces a double culture that led her to consider herself as a “child of reconciliation.” Her musical style, “Gangsta Jazz,” blends vocal inspirations from jazz, punk, drill, trip - hop, slam/poetry/storytelling, Malian blue s and Afro - underground sounds. She fronts Asphalt Djelis, sings with Sonic Interventions, and explores themes of love, protest, identity, and universality. Astan has performed in musicals, theater pieces, short - films and TV shows. She co - founded Cult - Sup, collaborates with artists and brands worldwide, and used to work as a stylist and 1st assistant's artistic director for the Afro - futuristic fashion concept KASAPIO.

Roshanak Rafani (b. 1994) is an Iranian percussionist specializing in Daf, Dayereh, and Tombak, active across contemporary, classical, and cross - cultural music. She has performed with leading ensembles including the Austro - Iranian Symphony Orchestra, Lugano Percussion Ensemble, Bridges Kammerorchester, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Pierre Bloule z Ensemble and the West - Eastern Divan Orchestra under renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, and Matthias Pintscher. Since 2013, she has collaborated internationally with diverse artists and ensembles, co - founded the Tehran Percussion E nsemble, and continues her work as a performer and educator in Berlin. She is a core member of the Rondo Projects and the Aban Ensemble.

Born in New Z ealand and raised in Australia with Japanese roots, Youka Snell is a Berlin - based violinist, shamisen player, and singer. Classically trained since the age of ten, she holds degrees in violin (performance) and composition & production from the Queensland C onservatorium. Youka leads the Japanese neo - folk band Mitsune, touring across Europe, and works internationally from her Berlin studio. Her projects span film, television, and live performance, including string arrangements for nearly 80 episodes of Bluey and vocals for the Golden Lion - winning film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)

Madison Weinhoffer is a Houston born interdisciplinary artist, and arts educator currently based in Berlin. She graduated with a B.F.A in acting and a B.A . in anthropology from Texas Tech University, and recently graduated with her MFA in European Devised Performance Practice from Columbia College Chicago. She enjoys puppetry, making music, intermodal arts exploration, research on bridging the gap betwee n neuroscience and art, and supporting community based spaces through creation.