OMID SHAYAN
Omid Shayan is a saxophonist, band-leader and composer based in Preston, Melbourne. He has won the 2014 Darebin Music Festival Composition Competition, and been the recipient of Creative Victoria’s ‘Music Industry Recovery Grant’ (2020) and one of fifteen recipients of the Australia-wide, 2021 ABC Jazz Composer Commission Fund. In 2023, Omid was commissioned to compose for the piano/saxophone/oboe trio DuoObax. This was premiered at the 52nd IDRS Music Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
From 2012 -2019, He was Musical Director of the Merri-bek Band Hall Community Big Band and from 2019-2021 was musical director of the Darebin-based world music ensemble ‘Orkeztra Glasso Bashalde’ (now called the Black Sea Ensemble).
Omid has released four albums with his ensemble ‘SHAYAN’ and also leads the drum/bass/sax trio ‘SnaJ’.
MANDY GOLDSWORTHY
Mandy Goldsworthy is a session drummer, percussionist and teacher from Melbourne. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance (jazz) at Melbourne Polytechnic, a Master of Music (Performance Teaching) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Teaching (Secondary) from the University of Melbourne, Mandy has played in a number of versatile groups and projects. Some musical projects include playing percussion with National and State winning brass band, Boroondara Brass, percussion with the Melbourne Opera Company, playing drums with various jazz ensembles and currently drums with original Funk band, Please People. Mandy has a passion for playing a wide variety of styles on both tuned percussion and contemporary drum kit which influence her style of playing and versatility.
JACKSON FUMBERGER
Jackson is a graduate of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in both Performance and Interactive Composition schools, where he specialised in the superimposition of music technology and violin. His obsession with electric violins and their possibilities has led to many projects, from creating dynamic video game soundtracks with Austin Wintory, to making reactive projection art with the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra. Jackson is an innovator in the field of live looping and solid-body violins, and when he isn't writing articles on the creative use of technology, he enjoys playing baroque suites and folk tunes with friends.