Riyad Nicolas

Born in Aleppo in 1989 and dubbed as ‘Syria’s leading young pianist’ (International Piano Magazine 2012), Riyad has already established himself as a leading figure of his generation on the international performing circuit. Among his recent achievements are First Prize at the Francaix International Piano Competition in Paris and his débuts at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Cadogan Hall in London. He has performed with many orchestras such as the London Chamber Orchestra, Young Musician Symphony Orchestra, Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Aleppo.

Riyad moved to London in 2005, when he was awarded a scholarship to study at both the Purcell School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. In September 2013 he began studying at the Royal College of Music with Dmitri Alexeev.

Mariela Shaker

In 1999, at the age of 9, Mariela joined the Arabic Institute of Music in Aleppo. She graduated from the institute in 2004 with distinction and then taught the violin for five years at the Institute. In 2013, she received a full tuition scholarship to study Music Performance at Monmouth College, Illinois and prior to graduating from the College, she received an honour for Excellence in Music Performance.

Mariela gave her debut recital at the Kennedy Center in 2015 in celebration of World Refugee Day organized by UNHCR. She has been named as Champion of Change for World Refugee by President Obama and was honoured at the White House in 2015. She has recently performed at Beyond Borders International Festival in Scotland, the White House, the United Nations, Harvard University, and MIT, to name a few.

Mariela’s goal is to use her music to build bridges, promote peace and raise awareness for the plights of the Syrian people.