13 Musicians from 11 Countries including India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Cuba, Italy, Taiwan, Spain, Iran, Mali, Haiti and Palestine. Co-founded by Ethiopian-American singer-composer Meklit Hadero, Movement Immigrant Orchestra is a vibrant ensemble features 13 wildly talented musicians from 11 different countries ready to take audiences on a one-of-a-kind musical journey across cultures and continents. The ensemble features some of the Bay Area’s most beloved bandleaders, bringing together musical traditions from India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Cuba, Italy, Taiwan, Spain, Iran, Mali, Palestine and Haiti.

The program includes Hadero’s powerful vocals, the evocative sounds of Mexican singer/songwriter Diana Gameros, the dynamic rhythms of Italian percussionist Marco Peris Coppola, the masterful melodies of Malian virtuoso Mamdou Sidibe, the intricate beats of Carnatic percussionist Rohan Krishnamurthy, the soulful strings of Barrio Manouche guitarist Javi Jimenez, the profound harmonies of Iranian-American bassist/composer Safa Shokrai, the virtuosismo of Cuban trombonist Obrayan Calderon, the sublime mastery of Carnatic saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan, the elegant electronic experimentalism of Taiwanese cellist Roziht Edwards, the genius taksim of Palestinian oudist Clarissa Bitar, the rooted vocals of Spanish singer-songwriter Kata Miletich, and the ethereal beauty of Haitian singer singer Lalin St. Juste. Each artist brings their unique background and expertise, contributing to the creation of a truly global and collaborative musical experience.

The Movement Immigrant Orchestra is part of the broader Movement project, a multi-platform storytelling initiative that centers the voices, stories and songs of immigrant, migrant and refugee musicians, claiming public space for these artists to sing and speak their stories with complexity and nuance. Since 2020, Movement’s radio stories have been featured in nationally syndicated public radio broadcast on PRX’s The World, regularly airing to 2.5 million listeners. Movement’s second podcast season launches on July 16th, and its community building initiatives amongst immigrant musicians have been seeded in the Bay Area, Seattle, New York and Washington DC.

This program is supported by: