Loukmaan Adams (Sulaiman)

Loukmaan started performing at the age of 6 and at the tender age of 13 was spotted and cast as "Broertjie" by the late Taliep Petersen in 1989 in the original and ever popular, District Six The Musical. In 1995 he was cast as "Bingo" in the hit musical, Kat & The Kings. In 1998 he received the FNB Vita Awards for best performer and choreographer for his role as Bingo and in 1999 he received the Sir Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a musical for the same production. In 2007 he received the Naledi Award for best choreographer for the musical Ghoema.

This multitalented actor, singer and choreographer has won numerous accolades and awards and has performed to audiences all over the world including West End, Broadway, Vienna, Frankfurt, Zurich, Hamburg, Germany, Netherlands, Japan and New York and shared stages with the likes of Bonnie Tyler, Stevie Wonder, PJ Powers and Vicky Sampson.

Michele Maxwell (Maria)

Michele graduated in both drama and music at UCT and followed an international performance career since the late 70‘s, travelling and performing mostly in Europe. She returned in 1990 and has since become legendary through her various roles in theatre, film and television productions.

As a Theatre Musician she has been Musical Director/pianist on ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’, ‘Marat Sade’, ‘S.A.Love’ and taken leads in musicals such as ‘Guys’n’Dolls’ ‘Mame’, ‘Oklahoma’ , ‘Nunsense’ and ‘Annie.’

Her television roles include, ‘Streaks’, ‘Fishy Feshuns’, Bubbles in ‘Isidingo’ , Abigail Martins in ‘Scandal!’ and the B.B.C. T.V. series, ‘Wild At Heart.’

Fahruq Valley-Omar (Khalil)

Fahruq is truly a veteran within the world of arts and drama having starred in more than 14 major films including hit movies such as 10 000 BC and A Boy Called Twist. Locally he has starred in numerous hit movies and television productions including The Piano, Going Up, Ali Barber, S.O.S, Fishy Feshuns and many others. His talent for acting has landed him major roles in more than 10 theater productions and he recently wrote and acted in Tree of Life, a one man show based on the works of Paulo Cuelho.

Keenan Arrison (Solomon)

Keenan is one of the rising stars in the SA film and television industries who qualified in 2005 from the AFDA Film School with a BA in drama. In a short period of time he has written his first one man show, A Bird’s Eye View, performing it since 2006 at various festivals throughout SA.

Keenan has had guest appearances in popular local TV shows like Madame and Eve and Interrogation Room. He booked his first big television role as the troublesome trainee navy diver in the action drama Divers Down (SABC1). Soon thereafter he landed a regular feature on South Africa‘s very first soccer drama on etv - Shooting Stars (still currently running), in which he plays the lead role of "Clinton Arendse".

Nobuhle Ketelo (Sangoma)

Nobuhle, the daughter of a Sangoma, was raised in the traditional African style and as a singer and poet carries the rich roots of indigenous Africa in her voice and soul. Spotted in 2005 after being selected as winner of the Station Plaza, Vukani, and Plainsman Rising Star Karaoke Competition, she was sought after and has since appeared in many local theater and traditional African musical productions at the Baxter, Artscape, Grahamstown Festival and New York.

Antoinette Blyth (Young Maria)

Antoinette qualified with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano and classical guitar in 2001. After her degree she found her passion in singing and trained as a soprano, while also teaching high school music. She is currentky enrolled and studying towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Singing Performance at UCT under Dr. Brad Liebl.

She is a sought after oratorio soprano as well as choral conductor and is currently the director for the Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town. Antoinette is a member of True Voices (a 6-voice a cappella ensemble) which performs in concerts and church services (and she coaches the Shoprite Jongestudente Choir, the winners of the 2010 annual Malay Choir Competition.)

Asmina Aleker (Hindi Vocalist)

Asmina is a rising Bollywood singing star from Mumbai who has married and chosen to settle in Cape Town in 2009. Her singing talent was honed from a young age by her father, Nazir Mahate, an accomplished composer and musician of Indian music. She has performed on major stages in India and as a singer in television soapies. Her rendition of classics by Indian greats such as Lata Mangeshkar is fast making her a popular Bollywood singer in South Africa.

Belinda Silbert (Hebrew Vocalist)

Belinda was introduced at an early age to music and the piano and studied opera at the Ruben Academy of Music. She has performed in Europe, Israel and South Africa as a Mezzo Soprano and was based in Brighton as principal Cantorial Soloist. Belinda has won many international accolades for her vocal abilities and is comfortable with both opera and modern genres. She is well known as a mystic and spiritual teacher and believes that music and spiritual awareness has to co-exist.

Bienyameen Camroodien (Flamenco Guitar and Mandolin)

Bienyameen started playing piano at the age of 6 and at age 11 he was so inspired by the guitarist, Jose Feliciano that he decided to become a flamenco guitarist. At age 15 he studied Flamenco guitar under the great Pablo Navarro. He is currently the musical director for La Rosa Dance Company and in 2005 he won a Kanna Award for Best Music Director for Blood Wedding. Bienyameen plays various instruments and has been acknowledged as one of the best ever Flamenco guitarists to come out of South Africa.

Francois Luc Arzul (Classical Violin)

Francois matriculated with distinction in Piano and Violin and graduated with a Performer‘s Licentiate (violin) in 1994 at the University of Stellenbosch. He moved to Johannesburg where he continued his studies at Wits under Zanta Hoffmeyr, achieving his B.Mus. with Honours in just 2 years. His amazing talent was acknowledged when he was appointed as first violin for the National Symphony Orchestra. In 2003 Francois moved back to Cape Town where he regularly performs with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra although he now prefers working with other musicians in a more intimate format.

Rashied Hassen (Tabla)

Rashied is an accomplished Tabla player and teacher as well as manager and music director for a local Cape Town Bollywood singing group called Eastern Melodies. Rashied has performed with many international artists and regularly performs with Haroon Qawal who specialises in Qawali singing, a form of spiritual praise singing.

Basil Appollis

Basil has been involved in more than 150 productions within theater, television and film either as actor, script writer, producer or director. He completed his Director’s Course with the British Theatre Association in London and most recently (2005/2006) completed a Postgraduate Script Development Programme with The Maurits Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam, Holland.. As Theatre Director for Silence of the Music he brings his vast experience of communicating with diverse audiences through set and costume design, intelligent lighting, interpretation of script and directing of actors, singers and musicians. As an award winning actor and director he understands the dynamics of thematic entertainment, satisfying both theatre goers as well as theatre critic.

Lynne Holmes–Ganief — Musical Director (Composer/Keyboard Player)

Lynne started performing and playng the piano at age 6. At age 13 she performed as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra for SABC. As a child, she has won numerous awards and buraries. She studied at UCT under the world renowned Professor Lamar Crowson, graduating with a distinction and standing ovation.

Lynne furthered her studies in composition under some of the foremost music tutors at Wits. Since 1999 Lynne has composed, produced and released 7 world music albums. In June 2009 Musica selected 4 of her CDs as Critics Choice. Lynne has composed and produced diverse music for many international ads as well as MNET’s television series, Known Gods. Her brand of classical world music has become a unique signature within the SA music industry

Yusuf Ganief — Producer (Arabic vocalist)

Yusuf was brought up with the spiritual teachings and traditions of Sufism, joining what was known in the late 60’s as a Qadirayah Thikr Jamaat and doing solo recitals since age 10. In 2008 Lynne recorded him as soloist Arabic vocalist on the album, The Prayer. It became the most played album on VOC Radio and they were invited to perform as their featured Nasheed artists at the annual VOC Festival. This gave birth to Desert Rose as a live performance group. The Prayer received international recognition and is distributed in Turkey and UK.

Yusuf was involved in the business world for more than 25 years holding various management positions before giving up his job as CEO for the Cape Town Festival in 2007 to join Desert Rose on a full time basis as business manager and lead vocalist.