Israel

Known in Israel by her full name Achinoam Nini, Noa is Israel's leading international concert and recording artist. Born in Tel Aviv in 1969, Noa lived in NYC from age 2 until her return to Israel alone at the age of 17. Her family is originally from Yemen. After serving the mandatory two years in the Israeli Army in a military entertainment unit, Noa studied music at the Rimon School where she met her long-time partner and collaborator Gil Dor. Noa is married to Dr. Asher Barak and together they have 2 children, Ayehli and Enea.

Noa's strongest influences come from the singer-songwriters of the 60s. These musical and lyrical sensibilities, combined with Noa's Yemenite roots and Gil Dor's strong background in Jazz, Classical and Rock, have created Noa and Gil's unique sound, manifested in hundreds of songs written and performed together. Noa plays percussion, guitar and piano.

Noa has toured and sang with rock superstar Sting, performed her song "Child of man" with Stevie Wonder for a CBS TV special in the US, and shared the stage and microphone with many great artists including Carlos Santana, Sheryl Crow, George Benson, Maurane, Eric Serra, Johnny Clegg, Pascal Obispo, Zucherro, Al Dimeola, Massimo Ranieri, Florent Pagny, Jean Jacques Goldman, Jorge Drexler, Joan Manuel Serrat and Miguel Bose.

Noa and Gil have collaborated frequently with Arab and Palestinian artists from around the world, including: Khaled from Algeria, Nabil Salameh from Lebanon, Handallah from Nablus, Rim Banna from Nazareth, Amal Murkus from Kfar Yasif and Mira Awad from Kfar Raameh.

These collaborations enable the duo to express, musically, their belief in the power of communication and dialogue as a means of promoting peace and understanding. In March 1999 Noa sang for President Clinton at the White House in the event held by the 'Yitzhak Rabin Foundation' honouring the late Rabin's 77th birthday. She was also invited to sing in Oslo for the anniversary of the Peace accord signed there, before an audience that included: President Clinton, Ehud Barak, Yasser Arafat and the King of Norway.

Noa and Mira Awad

In 2003, Noa was nominated as 'Goodwill Ambassador' for FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), in a ceremony which took place in Rome.

In May 2004 Noa performed in 'We Are the Future', a globally telecast fund raising concert for children in conflict areas. The event, which was produced by Quincy Jones and hosted by the mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni, featured an international line-up of stars and performers such as: Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli and Herbie Hancock. The concert was performed live in front of an audience of 350,000 in Rome's 'Circo Massimo', and broadcast on MTV, VH1 and various other channels to millions more around the world.

On July 2nd Noa performed in Bono and Sir Bob Geldof's 'Live 8' concert in front of hundreds of thousands of people that filled Rome's Circo Massimo and millions of TV viewers across the world. The concert's aim was to put pressure on the world's leading nations to erase third world debts.

Mira Awad is an actress, singer and songwriter. She was born in Rama village in the Gallilee in 1975 to a Palestinian father and Bulgarian mother.

Mira has performed in theatrical works as diverse as Ad'kor (I Remember), an arabic musical, and the Israeli Opera House's production of My Fair Lady - in which she played Eliza Doolittle. She is currently working in Tel Aviv's Hakameri Theatre, appearing in the productions: Plonter, Shirat Hakameri, Makom Aher Ve Ir Zara (Another Place, a Strange Town), Ze Hayam Hagadol (The Big Sea), and The Return to Haifa.

Mira is also a familiar face to TV viewers in Israel, having appeared in the series "Arabic Work" and "Noah's Ark" - she'd even turned her hand to presenting duties. She's also a successful film actress, having appeared in three motion pictures so far.

Musically, Mira has collaborated with Greek singer George Dalaras and Hip-Hop artist Guy Mar, and is about to release her debut album, "Bahlawan/Acrobat". And of course, she has joined forces with Noa, performing on her album "Now".