Sinem, pronounced “C”-nem, is an ancient Turkish word meaning “deep from within my heart.” As her name implies, Sinem writes and delivers her music in this very manner. Sinem’s love of music comes from an eclectic selection that include the likes of Bebel Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and others that fuel the bossa nova fire and sensual latin rhythms into Sinem’s own music. As a German-born American with Turkish family roots, Sinem is already set apart from her colleagues. Her music is a fusion of several of these influences, from the music she loves, Bossa Nova, to the music she was born into, Turkish, with the music she was raised in, American Pop and Jazz. The end result is music with beautiful, captivating subject matter; awe-inspiring lyrics embraced with sophisticated, infectious melodies; pure, enchanting vocals over sexy, latin and middle-eastern rhythms that leaves any listener completely spell-bound. It’s no wonder her listeners keep coming back for more.

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Husnu Senlendirici was born on July 12 1976, in Bergama, a small town in the Aegean region. Coming from a family deeply rooted in musical traditions (his grandfather, Fahrettin Kofeci, the clarinet; and his recently deceased father, Ergun Senlendirici, the trumpet), he immediately became fascinated by music and started playing the clarinet when he was only five. After taking off to a musical journey where he was introduced to various cultures in Anatolia, and particularly to his Aegean homeland musical traditions. He attended the Turkish Music State Conservatory at Istanbul Technical University in 1988 to study music. But Senlendirici didn’t spend much time there and dropped out after 4 years of education.

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Honored as a peacemaker and virtuoso, Omar Faruk Tekbilek is now one of the most sought-after musicians, whose work transcends political boundaries while maintaining traditional sensibilities in a way few artists can manage.Omar Faruk was a musical prodigy. He was born in Adana, Turkey to a musical family who nurtured his precocious talents. At the age of eight, he began his musical career by developing proficiency on the kaval, a small diatonic flute.

At the same time he studied religion with thoughts of becoming a cleric, or Imam. His musical interests were being nurtured by his older brother and by a sympathetic uncle who owned a music store and who provided lessons. “He had a music store, and he also had another job during the day. So he told me to come after school, open the store, and - in exchange - he gave me lessons.” While working in the store, Omar Faruk learned the intricate rhythms of Turkish music, how to read scales, and other rudiments. He was trained on and eventually mastered several instruments; ney (bamboo flute), zurna (double-reed oboe like instrument with buzzing tone), the baglama (long- necked lute), the oud (the classic lute), as well as percussion. By the age of twelve he began performing professionally at local hot spots.
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Recognized worldwide as a virtuosic percussionist Burhan Öçal has made the bridging of musical cultures his central mission. A native of Kirklareli in Thrace region, he grew up in a musical family. From his father, he learned a variety of percussion instruments, while his mother introduced him to religious vocal music. After his first contact with Western music, he became interested in combining other genres and cultural traditions, such as jazz and Western classical music, with his own. Burhan Öçal’s instruments are as diverse as his music. In addition to a wide variety of percussion, such as the Darbuka (a vase-shaped drum played with the fingers), Kös (kettle drum), Kudüm and Bendir, he is a highly skilled player on a number of stringed instruments, including the Divan-Saz, Tanbur and Ud. His expressive voice adds to the spectrum of musical elements at his command. Öçal has become widely known for touring and recording with his Oriental Ensemble, who performs traditional gypsy and Turkish folk music.

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1985 was not only the year that saw Madonna rise to the top, but also the year of another special event that took place in a Turkish family in Belgium: the birth of Hadise Açıkgöz.

Listening to the cries of the new born baby it soon became clear that the talent was already there. The very well known notes do-re-mi-fa-sol resounded very quickly in the living room. No wonder that, outside the love for horse riding, singing lessons became a high priority for the young Hadise.

After completing the studies of ‘Economics & Modern Languages’ Hadise immediately wanted to pursue her biggest passion “my parents understood that singing was totally my thing. The plan grew to go to a German Music Academy for an appropriate training. Unexpected circumstances forced me however to abandon this plan.”
This setback didn’t hold back this fan of foreign languages and different cultures to realise her dream step by step. A refined voice and endless perseverance seasoned with the necessary realism led to the participation on the counterpart to ‘Pop Idol’ in Belgium. ‘Idool 2003′ was broadcast on Belgians largest commercial television station VTM.

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