Merve Akyildiz ft.

Babylon Orchestra

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Merve Akyıldız

Pianist, Singer, Songwriter

Pianist, singer, and songwriter Merve Akyıldız, born on February 25, 1994, in Izmir, graduated from the Piano Department of the State Conservatory in Antalya.

Growing up with Turkish folk songs from an early age, she soon became drawn to Balkan music due to her Macedonian roots.

Winning awards in various piano and vocal competitions, the artist also studied jazz harmony during her education. She collaborated with various artists from around the world in genres such as jazz, ethno, ambient, pop, and Balkan music, contributing to multiple albums.

In 2018, she founded the Merve Akyıldız World Music Project, her first solo formation in the Balkan-based world music genre.

She is a soloist in the YuMaK ensemble and the Berlin Babylon Orchestra, performing with various symphony orchestras in Turkey.

Currently, she lives in Berlin and works as a musician and actress in the play “Alles wird schön sein” at the Maxim Gorki Theater and recently appeared as a guest artist at the Poetry & Jazz premiere in London, alongside Selçuk Yöntem.

Tour and Concert

2012 – 2016 – Performed at the 13th International Antalya Piano Festival’s “Young Talents Concert” by Fazıl Say and played W.A. Mozart’s Piano Concerto with the Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Turkey. Studied “Jazz Harmony” with Çağlayan Yıldız.
2018 – Merve Akyıldız Project is a world music project based on Balkan influences. Merve combines gentle classical melodies with jazz improvisations and the colorful rhythms of Balkan songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Serbia, and more, offering an unusual piano-vocal repertoire.
2020 – YuMaK (Project: Folking Around the World): Concerts were held with the Samsun Opera Ballet, the Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, and the İzmir State Symphony Orchestra. A concert with the Bursa State Symphony Orchestra followed in Turkey.
2020 – Babylon Orchestra – Singer and recording artist for the second album “Evlerine varageleusandım”, with concerts in Berlin (Humboldt Forum) and ODEON Göppingen.
2024 – Merve Akyıldız Balkan & Pop Band – Merging Turkish pop music’s most iconic songs with traditional Balkan folk tunes, this ensemble blends pop, jazz, a cappella, ethnic, and electronic styles. Alongside songs from Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Greece, they also perform multilingual shared songs in Spanish and Arabic, taking the audience on a rhythmic journey filled with both joy and deep melancholy. Promoting world peace through music, the band features Merve Akyıldız (vocals), Peter Somos (drums & percussion), Vladimir Karparov (saxophone), Roberto Badoglio (bass guitar), and Alexey Wagner (guitar).

COMPETITIONS

2010 – 3rd place at the International Kara Karayev Piano Competition in Baku, Azerbaijan.
2010 – Honorable mention at the 4th International Gradus ad Parnassum Piano Competition in Kaunas, Lithuania.
2010 – Special award “Best Turkish Composer-Interpreter” at the 5th International Pera Piano Festival & Competition in Istanbul, Turkey.
2012 – 1st place at the International Citta di Ostuni Music Competition in Brindisi, Italy.
2012 – 2nd place in the Piano Duet Category at the 17th International Hopes, Talents, Masters Music Festival & Competition in Dobrich, Bulgaria.
2012 – Masterclass Scholarship with pianist Maria Prinz in Sozopol, Bulgaria.
2013 – Masterclass Scholarship at the KK Music Festival in Cappadocia, Turkey.
2015 – Honorable mention at the 11th Nardis Jazz Vocal Competition in Istanbul, Turkey.

Musıc Vıdeos

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