Robin DiMaggio is a musical force with whom to be reckoned. Known as one of the world's premiere drummers and percussionists, Robin is also a highly skilled songwriter, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, engineer and instrumentalist (piano, bass, saxophone, and clarinet). Mr. DiMaggio is a promoter of the Millennium Development Goals and will be the Music Director for the South-South Awards. Having traveled extensively from an early age, his music embodies rhythms and sounds from diverse cultures throughout the world, and the talent pool with whom Robin has worked is as vast.

Kenneth Bruce Gorelick, better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986. Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums. His sixth studio album, Breathless, became the number one best selling instrumental album ever, with over 15 million copies sold, of which 12 million were in the U.S. He broke another record when his first holiday album, Miracles, sold over 13 million copies, making it the most successful Christmas album to date.

World renowned musician Don Felder was one of the five members and former lead guitarist of the rock group the Eagles for 27 years. Credited with adding a rock and roll edge to their country sound, he wrote the music for their biggest hit, the multi Grammy award winning song “Hotel California”. With 14 Grammy nominations and 4 wins, his signature guitar work has become legendary on songs like “Hotel California”, “Life In The Fast Lane”, “One Of These Nights”, “New Kid In Town”, and the list goes on.  Don and the Eagles also hold the honor of having the first Platinum album certified by the RIAA. That album, The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, has reached over 26 million copies, becoming the best-selling album of the 20th century.

Internationally hailed as one of the greatest songstresses of our time, GRAMMY Award winning Roberta Flack remains unparalleled in her ability to tell a story through her music. Her songs bring insight into our lives, loves, culture and politics, while effortlessly traversing a broad musical landscape from pop to soul to folk to jazz. She regularly plays to appreciative audiences around the world, and had the pleasure of appearing recently with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. Very active as a humanitarian and mentor, Ms. Flack founded the Roberta Flack School of Music at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, providing an innovative and inspiring music education program to underprivileged students free of charge.

David Frank Paich (born June 25, 1954 in Los Angeles, California) is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich. With Toto, Paich has released 17 albums and sold over 30 million records. David Paich traveled to China where he worked composing theme music for the 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2009, he sang the hit song "Africa" at the Millennium Development Goals awards in New York and co-produced a new tune for George Benson. Paich was involved with the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards as a music producer and keyboardist for the on-stage band. In October 2009, David Paich was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame along with the other members of Toto.

Oumou Sangare is a Malian Wassoulou musician, sometimes referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou." Wassoulou is a historic region south of the Niger River, and the music there is descended from traditional hunting songs, and is accompanied by a calabash. Her mother was the singer Aminata Diakité. She is an advocate for women's rights, opposing child marriage and polygamy. Oumou Sangaré is considered an ambassador of Wassoulou; her music has been inspired by the music and traditional dances of the region. She writes and composes her songs, which often include social criticism, especially concerning the place of women and their low position in society. Since 1990, she has performed at some of the most important venues in the world: the Melbourne Opera, Roskilde festival, festival d'Essaouira, Opéra de la monnaie of Brussels.

Originally from Israel, is a GRAMMY Award Winning violinist famous for fusing classical style with jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. She has collaborated with such artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Donna Summer and many other top Billboard artists, and was even personally invited to perform at the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama for the annual celebration of Women’s History Month. In addition to the legendary music Ms. Ben-Ari produces, she is also the co-founder of “Godenk” (“Remember”), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness among young people about the Holocaust. She has supported programs for over 40 charitable organizations and holds positions as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and Global Ambassador for FIBA.

Keaton Simons knows how to captivate an audience with his bluesy, soul-bearing songs, masterful guitar playing and authentic voice. Keaton has worked as a writer, musical director, singer, bassist and guitarist with notable acts like Gnarls Barkley, Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg and Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde. In addition, Keaton has opened for Coldplay, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar and Train, written with Jason Mraz and Hanson, produced songs for Disney teen star Nolan Sotillo (most recently “We Could Be Anything” in the new film Prom), and acted as the face of Advanced Guitar for the new Xbox game Rocksmith. His music has been heard in dozens of feature films and television shows, including NCIS, Numb3rs, Malcolm in the Middle and Crash. Keaton has produced music with Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, One Republic), The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair) and David Bianco (Tom Petty, Bob Dylan), and released albums both independently and through major labels, most recently 2008's Can You Hear Me on CBS Records.

Musical director, keyboardist, and composer Michael Bearden is the band leader for "Lopez Tonight." Michael is an extraordinary musical talent who has been sought out by some of the world's most popular artists from the late Michael Jackson to Madonna. Bearden's diverse musical skills have been used by the biggest names in music, including Brandy, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Destiny's Child, D'Angelo, Usher, Faith Evans, Brian McKnight, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez. He has performed and/or recorded with many world-class artists. Additionally, Michael was principal keyboardist for President Barack Obama's star-studded inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

South African composer, vocalist, and bassist Bakithi Kumalo was born in the Alexandria Township of Johannesburg. Abandoned by his father as a toddler, he was raised by his mother, who was a singer, and his family in nearby Soweto. He was exposed to local musical styles such as mbaqanga (a groove peculiar to the townships), mbube (a cappella vocal music), and jive (electric, urban pop) while he was very young. Growing up, Bakithi dealt with economic hardships and the oppressive political system, Apartheid. Eventually, after contributions to the Grammy-winning “Graceland” album, he gained major visibility in the American music industry, finding himself in much demand for recordings and tours with many great artists such as Chaka Khan, Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper, Laurie Anderson, Jon Secada, and Gloria Estefan.

Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his son his first pair of congas when he was five years old. Along with the congas the junior Castro played the bongos, which he grew up performing on the streets. Unlike many of his “Latin brothers”, Castro listened and played percussion not to just Latin music but jazz, rock, classical, and anything else that could have percussion added in. He claims not to have planned on becoming a studio musician, only that he wanted to play music. Whether this meant live or in recordings, he didn’t care as long as he got to play.