Our Team
Advisory Board Member
Adonis
Adonis (born Ali Ahmad Said Esber in 1930) is a highly influential Syrian-born poet, essayist, and translator. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and innovative figures in modern Arabic poetry, leading a modernist revolution that reshaped the landscape of Arabic verse.
Advisory Board Member
Dima Orsho
Dima Orsho is a Syrian-American soprano and composer blending Arabic traditions with contemporary classical and improvisation. A member of Hewar and frequent Silkroad Ensemble collaborator, she holds an M.M. from the Boston Conservatory and studied in Damascus. Recent projects include her album Hidwa: Lullabies for Troubled Times.
Chairperson and Advisory Board Member
Enass Khansa
Enass Khansa is a writer, curator, and cultural strategist specializing in Middle Eastern art, literature, and identity. Her work explores the intersections of visual culture, displacement, and memory, with a particular focus on Syrian and Levantine histories. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and has contributed to both academic and public-facing platforms across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
Advisory Board Member
Marcel Khalife
Marcel Khalife is a renowned Lebanese composer, singer, and oud master known for blending traditional Arabic music with Western influences. Born in Amchit, Lebanon, in 1950, he has significantly impacted Arabic music through his innovative compositions and performances.
Advisory Board Member
Rachel Trocchio
Rachel Trocchio is an assistant professor of English at the University of Minnesota whose research focuses on early American literature and Puritanism. She earned her PhD from UC Berkeley and has received grants including an NEH fellowship for work on Jonathan Edwards.