From the Middle East

A graduate in lute studies at the Vicenza Conservatory in Italy, Luca Chiavinato has also dedicated himself to the study of Middle Eastern music, in particular the Oud, which he has studied with the great Palestinian master Adel Salameh. He has held concerts as a soloist, with ensemble and orchestras around the world and is a co-founding member of the New Landscapes quartet. Luca is a lute and guitar instructor at the Accademia di Musica Antica of the Centro di Educazione Musicale L.V. Beethoven at the Liceo Scientifico (High School) E. Fermi in Padua, Italy.

Since 2017 he has worked primarily in Iraq, having conceived and developed an Artist in Residence project there in collaboration with the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per and the Ya-Basta Caminantes Association. As part of this project, Chiavinato co-founded the Mshakht Ensemble, a performance and recording group that brings together about 170 young musicians from diverse regions and ethnic communities within Iraq, including Arabs, Kurds, Yazidis, Kaka’i, Shabak, Christians, and Syrian refugees.

He is also co-founder and program director of the Iraqi NGO Walking Arts – Art, Culture and Heritage, which promotes human rights through the medium of artistic languages.

Internationally acclaimed guitar player, composer and founder of MoonArra, Jagadeesh has been performing jazz and fusion for over three decades.  Having studied both Indian Classical and Western classical music, Jagadeesh utilises both to explore jazz and world music.  His interest in flamenco music led him to Spain where he spent a month studying under Juan Maria Paul in Sevilla.  Jagadeesh also developed an interest in playing the Oud after a trip to Cairo, Egypt. Playing both  nylon classical guitar and electric steel string guitar, Jagadeesh with MoonArra, has collaborated and performed with International musicians from Asia, Africa, Europe, America & Australia.

Jagadeesh continues to network with musicians both locally and internationally as part of his events interest.  Jagadeesh currently is Director Culture & International Relations at The Bangalore School of Music.

Jagadeesh along with Madhuri also successfully curated and executed the first edition of the Bengaluru Jazz Fest in November 2025.

Jagadeesh has been recently appointed as India Regional Director of IMMSANE, a International Music Media and Sound Arts Network in Education based in Zurich, Switzerland.

A Masters in World Literature, internationally acclaimed singer songwriter and co founder of MoonArra, Madhuri’s vocals has influences from all over the world, but rooted in India.  She began singing in school operettas and small musical productions since she was eight years old. She’s also been singing professionally since she was eighteen. She’s always loved the open sound of jazz and finds it the most inclusive form of music and a universal mode of communication. Madhuri has found a niche in world music and is constantly looking to expand the scope and possibilities of this genre with new influences and sounds from around the world as she travels. Her other interests include fine arts, performing arts, applied arts and she’s been in the field of training, learning and development as a consultant and has conducted developmental programmes in corporates, corporations, organisations and institutions.  She has an understanding of Indian Classical and Western Classical Music and utilises both in her exploration of jazz and world music.  A vocalist and songwriter, composer and pioneer of the Indian Opera, Madhuri has conceived and created significant concert productions for MoonArra such as Operaaga, Raagas Round Midnight, Women Aah Men, The Cosmic Tree, Voices of Trees, Love The Classics, Ladies of Jazz and Love, The Classics, Ladies and Gentlemen of Jazz.  Love and Epic Indian Women is a work in progress .  Music of the Moonflowers an Indian Opera and a few other original productions will go into different media formats.  

Madhuri was featured in an interview with Swedish based musician Biggi Vinkeloe in the first edition of Turnaround Magazine, run by Washington based jazz musician Amy Bormet and her foundation Washington Women in Jazz.  The edition also featured an interview with global jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater.  Madhuri was also featured on Joan Cartwright’s Women in Jazz Global radio podcast for women who perform and compose their own music and presented two of her compositions. Two productions conceptualized, arranged and directed by her and some original compositions were featured for listening in the Turnaround magazine.(Washington Women in Jazz).

Composer, Lyricist, Vocalist Lyricist, and trained in Hindustani classical music Jataveda Banerjee has been performing for more than a decade with musicians, groups and has also composed music for animation feature films and live and recorded music for theatre. Jataveda has been performing with MoonArra since 2021 and has toured Europe with them.