The acoustic and electro-acoustic music of Iranian composer/sound designer Bahar Royaee (she/her) has been acclaimed as “succeed(ing) as a poetic incantation, brimming with ideas and colors” (Classical Voice North America) and “haunting” (Boston Arts Review). A recipient of the prestigious Opera America Discovery Grant 2025 and Fromm Foundation Commission Awards 2022, Bahar writes music for various genres, from opera, theater, and film to chamber music. Significant chamber music performances include Ojai Festival 2025, ECLAT Festival 2025 in Germany with FabrikQuartet, Biennale Venice in Italy 2024 with Hannah Levinson, Festspiele festival in Germany with Opus21 ensemble (2024), Composer Conference Gala 2024 with Talea Ensemble, Ultraschall Berlin with Muriel Razavi (2023), Berlin Prize for Young Artists with Adam Woodward (2023), ICE Festival Germany with ensemble Tempus Konnex (2022), Tehran Electroacoustic Music Festival (2022) and Time: Spans Festival (2020) with International Contemporary Ensemble and Suzanne Farrin. In the realm of theater, Royaee has worked for various theater production companies like Alliance Theater, Golden Thread Production, Kitchen Theater, Rattestick Theater, University Settlement, Gloucester Stage Company, and Tank.

Amal Bisharat (she/her) is a Palestinian-American multidisciplinary artist- a theater director, producer, writer, musician, actor and photographer based in LA and San Francisco. She is Artistic Director & Co-founder of Meem Theater م, currently developing "Morning in Jenin Musical", a Palestinian refugee story adapted from the best-selling novel “Mornings in Jenin” by susan abulhawa. Bisharat holds a BA in Music and Theater and, for 12 years, worked as a theater director and music director in partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District. In 2023, as Artist-in-Residence with Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco, she co-produced and directed their signature program ReOrient Festival of Short Plays (2023), and directed an online reading of "The Gaza Monologues" by Ashtar Theatre-Palestine (2023). Bisharat is a current member of the board of MENATMA (MENA Theater Makers Alliance) and served on the Community Council for Golden Thread’s 2024 Season for Palestine. She is grateful to have received support for her work from the following organizations: San Francisco Arts Commission Artist Grant (2023), Theater Bay Area CA$H Creates Grant (2022), TBA Arts Leadership Residency Grant (2023), Investing in Artists: Artistic Innovation CCI (2024), Zoo Labs: FUND (2024), Doria Feminist Fund (2025). Bisharat believes in the transformative power of art and storytelling whether on a stage, in a photograph, or in the stories we tell ourselves.