Aynur

About this event

Winner of the prestigious WOMEX Artist Award and the Master of Mediterranean Music Award from Berklee College. A groundbreaking voice Aynur is a key figure in contemporary Kurdish music. She draws on traditional folk songs and the dengbêj singing style, but sets them within an open soundscape that also incorporates jazz, classical music and other Western influences. As a result, her music appeals to both a Kurdish audience and listeners with broad, international tastes. Aynur has shared the stage with greats such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, maestro Riccardo Muti and Javier Limón. Anyone who hears her live immediately understands why. As Yo-Yo Ma so beautifully puts it: “To hear Aynur’s voice is to hear the transformation of all the layers of human joy and suffering into a single sound.” During Istanbul Ekspres, her voice takes centre stage: clear, powerful and direct. Perfect for deep-rooted melancholy, hypnotic folk and virtuoso, boundless crossovers.