Ensemble Olivinn

The Olivinn Ensemble creates a unique combination of sounds – with elements from traditional Turkish and Anatolian folk songs, as well as from classical European and more contemporary works. The quartet adopts an approach which allows new art forms to develop by removing the categorisation into specific genres, whilst not allowing their roots to fade or be abandoned. The composer and pianist, Sinem Altan, who was educated in Berlin and has won a number of prizes for her work, is responsible for the musical arrangement, while the vocalist, Begüm Tüzemen, who comes from Istanbul, lends her interpretation with her vocals that are marked by a wide stylistic range; the multi-instrumentalist Özgür Ersoy, who comes from East Anatolia, and Berlinbased percussionist Axel Meier, with his colourful rhythms, complete the ensemble’s line up. In 2011, the Olivinn Ensemble won the Young Ears Special Prize for Outstanding Arrangement of Innovative Concepts in an Intercultural Context with the fairy tale concert “Keloglan and the Band of Thieves”. Their first concerts included those for the Radialsystem V in Berlin, the Nikolaisaal Potsdam, and Leipzig Trade Fair and on the occasion of the Kiel Week celebrations.