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Omar Znkawan is a Syrian saxophonist, clarinetist and composer who has been living in Berlin/Germany since 2018 and working on his project „Arabic Jazz music “. Currently, Omar is a fellow of the program „Weltoffenes Berlin 2019“ of the Berlin Senate of Culture and Europe and is cooperating with WERKSTATT DER KULTUREN.

He is working on recreating the Arabic music by adding new rhythms and harmonies for the musical forms to spread the Eastern atmosphere in Western styles. Especially on the saxophone, his aim is to introduce it with Arab instruments in a new image by playing the quartertone in Arab melodies and improvising in the Arab-Jazz style.

His project reflects his new vision of Arabic music with his band playing some standards of jazz and Arabic  music by mixing harmony with improvisation. Also, he and his band play songs and pieces of the most famous musicians in the Arabic scene in new jazz arrangements.

Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq plays saxophone, clarinet, flute and percussion. He comes from Los Angeles, California where he studied composition, arranging and performance in the U.G.M.A.A. Foundation with pianist Horace Tapscott and the "Pan-African Peoples Arkestra".

He has been working as a performing artist, as well as an instructor in saxophone, flute and clarinet in Berlin, Germany since 1992.

He is a producer, composer, arranger and owner of his own music publishing company called Lifelight Productions and Publications as well as the owner of his own record label, Lifelight Records.

He is a leader of several musical groups currently performing in Germany and other parts of Europe: “Fuasi & Ensemble”, “The Ebony Big Band”, “The Afro Cubano Latin Jazz Connection” and “The Horace Tapscott Tribute Ensemble”. In 2018 and 2019 he worked as leader of the LITTLE BIG BAND and the curator for a series of weekly concerts featuring WorldJazz musicians from around the world at the WERKSTATT DER KULTUREN, Germany.

Vladimir Karparov was born in 1977 and grew up in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.

He discovered music at an early age, Karparov moved to the German capital in 2002 to continue his studies at Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” and graduated in 2005 with a degree in saxophone and teaching. His participation in various festival events as well as numerous concerts and awards in Europe, Asia, Latin and North America, North Afrika, together with his collaboration with names both on the American jazz scene and in Western and Eastern Europe.

After playing on a number of various projects, Karparov has released in 2007 his debut album as a leader “Thracian Dance”. In 2009 he founded his second project - the Forkolor Saxophone Quartet. The „Forkolor“ debut album was released in 2014 on Unit Records. 

The WERKSTATT DER KULTUREN is supported by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe.