Sanem Kalfa – Miraculous Layers

With her distinctive voice, Turkish singer and composer Sanem Kalfa works at the intersection between jazz, improvisation, and contemporary vocal music. Her creative work combines vocal artistry, jazz-based forms, and various musical traditions, creating her own unique and memorable language.

Born in Trabzon at the Turkish coast of the Black Sea, Kalfa’s musical socialization included both regional cultures and a comprehensive classical education. She first studied cello, then voice in the Netherlands. She gained international attention early on, most notably by winning first prize at the Shure Montreux Jazz Vocal Competition under a jury led by Quincy Jones.

Kalfa’s previous releases – including Nehir, the duo project DANCE, and Black Sea Songs – demonstrate her consistently original artistic style, which has a far-reaching scope. Her work is characterized by her flexible use of the voice as an instrument: balancing compositional precision and open, intuitive improvisation.

With her current project MIRACULOUS LAYERS, Sanem Kalfa is working with three renowned musicians and shifting her focus to collective improvisation and multi-layered sound. The project aims to explore emotional states such as longing, vulnerability, change, and joy. Through complex sonic processes, they conjure open, narrative forms, directly engaging the audience while leaving room for individual perception and interpretation.

Sanem Kalfa - Voice, cello, electronics

Liva Dumpe - Voice

Marta Warelis - Piano

Sun Mi Hong - Drums