Yuval Ron is an Oscar-winning composer, Grammy nominee, and dedicated peace activist. In 1999, he formed the multi-faith Yuval Ron Ensemble, which performs "Peace Mission Tours" around the world, bonding people of all nationalities and religions. Yuval graduated cum laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, after which he launched a musical career that now includes work in film, television, radio, dance, and theater. To date, he has produced more than 20 CD's and over 100 musical compositions. Among his many honors, Yuval composed the score for the musical West Bank Story, which won an Oscar in 2006, and he performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama (head of the Tibetan Buddhist Order) at the "Seeds of Compassion" festival in 2008, and for Pir Zia Inayat Khan (head of the Sufi Order International). In 2010, he presented a TED talk.The Yuval Ron Ensemble includes Jewish, Christian, and Muslim artists who create musical bridges between people of various faiths and ethnic groups. The ensemble's CD's - such as Under The Olive Tree, Tree of Life, and Seeker of Truth - have become international favorites and have been featured on NPR's "Echoes" and "Hearts of Space" programs. The ensemble has been featured four times at the World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles, and in 2004, Yuval received the Los Angeles Treasure Award. In 2007, the ensemble performed at the International Oud Festival in Jerusalem as part of a "Peace Mission Tour" to Israel, and in 2011, the ensemble performed in Istanbul and conducted another "Peace Mission Tour" in Turkey. For more information on his music: www.YuvalRonEnsemble.com
Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, Ph.D., is a scholar and teacher of Sufism in the lineage of his grandfather Hazrat Inayat Khan, who first brought Sufism to North America and Europe, and his father Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, who founded Sufi Order International. When Pir Zia was thirteen, his father sent him to Dharamsala, India, to study under the auspices of his friend His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Pir Zia received his B.A. (Hons) in Persian Literature from the London School of Oriental and African Studies, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion (Islamic Studies) from Duke University. Since 2004, Pir Zia has served as President of the Sufi Order International, guiding Sufi communities in the North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South Pacific. To provide opportunities for intensive Sufi study, Pir Zia founded the Suluk Academy, which offers courses for Sufi initiates in New York, California, and France. He also is the Founder of the inter-spiritual institute Seven Pillars House of Wisdom, a Fellow of the Lindisfarne Association, and an Advisor to the Contemplative Alliance. Pir Zia is the author of Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity, and the Mystical Quest, and he is the editor of A Pearl in Wine and Caravan of Souls.
