Emerging Artists

Born in Baghdad and raised in Amman, Jordan, Layth Al-­Rubaye is a leading Middle Eastern violinist on the world music stage. Raised in a musical family, Al-­Rubaye started playing the violin at the age of four and quickly began performing as a young soloist.

A globally acclaimed Palestinian cellist, Naseem Alatrash is a sonic product of his upbringing in the Middle East. An accomplished classically trained musician and improviser in diverse styles, Alatrash has earned a reputation for fearlessly broadening the horizons of the cello on the world stage.

Ali Amr is a vocalist and qanun performer. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music while it forges ahead to new frontiers, embracing many different styles in the process. Amr was honored with three advanced Marcel Khalife Competition prizes as the Best Arabic Music Performer, 2004-2007.

Eleni Arapoglou is a dynamic singer from Athens, Greece. After graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in drama and dance, she continued her studies at Berklee, where she obtained a professional diploma in vocal performance. While at Tufts, Arapoglou toured with the Tufts Jazz Orchestra and opened for the Roots with her band in May 2010.

A piano virtuoso and composer, Ariadna Castellanos is one of the most promising flamenco jazz talents today. She graduated from Berklee in 2012 and the following year her debut album, Flamenco en Black & White, produced by Javier Limon, was nominated for a Latin Grammy (Best Producer of the Year). She is currently working on her next album.

Tal Even-Tzur, an Israeli pianist, vocalist, and composer with delicate yet modern harmonizations in her playing and her compositions, is an outstanding musician with a promising career ahead.

Since coming to Berklee, Vasileios "Vasilis" Kostas has recorded Greek music in the Madrid studio of multi-Grammy-winning producer Javier Limón, director of Berklee's Mediterranean Music Institute. Kostas' path in music began in Ioannina, Greece, where he was born and raised.

Tali Rubinstein is an extraordinary recorder player, vocalist and composer from Israel. Her contemporary music, unique sound, and outstanding performances make her a promising new talent in the jazz and world music scene.

Bassist and vocalist Tonina Saputo comes from a family of music lovers that exposed her to many music styles, from funk, soul, jazz to classical music.  She was born in San Diego, California but raised in St. Louis, Missouri from a multicultural family from African and Italian backgrounds.