Amir ElSaffar is a renowned composer, trumpeter, santur player, and bandleader known for exploring vital connections between jazz and Maqam. Celebrated for exploring the links between these traditions, he has received awards like the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and the US Artist Fellowship. Leader of the Two Rivers ensemble and Rivers of Sound orchestra, he has released acclaimed albums and performed internationally. ElSaffar has composed for various ensembles and recently expanded into electronic music, dance, film, and theater. As a master trumpeter, he has developed new techniques for microtones and ornaments rooted in Arabic traditions. He performed with Cecil Taylor’s large ensembles from 2002 to 2005 and has played with renowned artists such as Archie Shepp, Vijay Iyer, Danilo Perez, and Anthony Diggins. Amir has mentored 14 young, talented musicians and Maqam reciters from Mosul through a two-week workshop, helping them explore and share the joy of creating music inspired by Maqam. He also performed and managed the recording of a full album with them, which will be released by Maqam Studio, and they showcased their work at the Mosul Maqam Festival in Ghabat Park in September 2024.

Marie is a poet, translator, and holds a PhD in Kurdish Studies from the University of Exeter. Her notable works include books such as Kajal Ahmed's Handful of Salt, Abdulla Pashew's Dictionary of Midnight, Selim Temo’s Nightlands, Farhad Pirbal’s The Potato Eaters, and Exile is Arrival (2025), a landmark anthology of 19th-century Kurdish poetry. Her writing has been published in outlets like Poetry, Modern Poetry in Translation, World Literature Today, Plume, Epiphany, The Iowa Review, and Words Without Borders. She served as the founding director of Slemani’s UNESCO City of Literature and was a 2022 NEA Fellow—the first-ever recipient working from the Kurdish language.

Christine Robins is a folklorist specialising in genre, memory, and minority communities, including the Êzidi, Mandaeans, and Yaresanis. She earned a BA in Classics and French from Oxford, studied Kurdish at SOAS, and completed her Ph.D. on Yezidi oral traditions in 1996. She has been a postdoctoral fellow at SOAS, a lecturer at INALCO in Paris, and has been part of the faculty at the University of Exeter since 2007. Currently, Christine is studying language therapy and actively supporting local communities in language healing efforts.

Dr Ross holds a BA from SOAS, an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge. His current research explores revolutionary ethics in Yemen, focusing on how concepts of freedom, value, and radical discontinuity shape revolutionary identities. He is also working on an ethnographic monograph that chronicles the recent years of revolution and counter-revolution in Yemen. He earned his PhD in Social Anthropology from Cambridge in 2015. His thesis, “Being Change in Change Square: An ethnography of revolutionary life in Yemen,” was based on extensive fieldwork within the revolutionary movement in Sana’a. Following his PhD, he held a brief Visiting Fellowship at Harvard University’s Department of Anthropology and a Research Fellowship at the University of Zurich.

A multidisciplinary artist pursuing a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter.

Tahany Saleh is a researcher and activist specialising in preserving culture and human heritage. She holds a master's degree in Development from the University of Mosul. Tahani led the library rescue team at the University of Mosul and worked on the "Mosul Lives" project with Kashkul. She also contributed to archiving the works of photographer Mohammad Jawad. Currently, she is a participating researcher in the Mosul Maqam project.

Mahmoud Jumaa is a research assistant for Mosul Maqam project. He is a poet, writer, journalist, and researcher in modern literature. He holds a master's degree in "Digital Literature" from the University of Mosul. He has published articles and research on Arabic poetry and literature. He authored a book on the transcendent text in Sami Hadi’s poetry and has two poetry collections. He is a member of the team at Sharaft Magazine and is currently working on a book about the destruction of Mosul's libraries from 2014 to 2017.

Hajar is studying Medical Laboratory Science with a minor in Business Administration at the American University in Iraq – Sulaymaniyah. She has experience as an artist and graphic designer, combining her creative skills with digital media. Hajar has participated in numerous art exhibitions in Mosul and Sulaymaniyah, showcasing her work to diverse audiences and contributing to the local cultural scene. Currently, she is a graphic designer and social media coordinator for the Mosul Maqam project, creating visual content highlighting community and creativity. Her background in science, business, and the arts allows her to blend creativity with strategic thinking in innovative ways.

Yasser Talal is an entrepreneur and a Business Administration student at the American University in Iraq, Sulaymaniyah (AUIS). He is an award-winning innovator with practical experience in technology projects and cross-sector collaboration, paired with a deep passion for preserving the intangible cultural heritage of Mosul.

Ghada Waadallah is a Software Engineering student minoring in Law at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). Ghada is an intern at Kashkul as part of the Mosul Maqam internship program, she works on research, graphic design, metadata, and translation. With a strong interest in visual art and digital design, Ghada enjoys exploring how technology can be used to support creative expression and cultural preservation. Alongside her studies, she is building experience in programming, design tools, and collaborative projects, aiming to connect her passion for art with her technical background in innovative and impactful ways.