Sanem Kalfa

Sanem Kalfa is a singer, improviser, composer, cello player based in Amsterdam. She was born in Trabzon, a city on the Black Sea coast of northeast Turkey. Kalfa unites both her background as a cello player - the instrument with which Sanem started her musical education - and the vast vocabulary she developed throughout the years as a vocalist and improviser. The result is a unique sound that expresses all the diversity of Kalfa's musical vision. Sanem Kalfa is known for her broadly developed voice, her singing combination into a powerful blend of emotions. In her singing career she won several awards, including the 1st Prize Shure Montreux Jazz Vocal Competition presided by Quincy Jones. In 2014 she released her debut album “Nehir”. She released her second album “DANCE” as a duo with George Dumitriu in May 2018. Her last album with George Dumitriu and Joachim Badenhorst, “Black Sea Songs”, was brought out in 2021. She has taken part in over 10 other releases as a side woman. She also performed in many important festivals and venues in the Netherlands and Europe.