Rana Bulut and Efe Erdem, the winners of the 2022 Nardis Young Jazz Vocalist Competition, will be on stage at the 32nd Akbank Jazz Festival. Born in Bursa in 1999, Rana Bulut has received vocal training from musicians who have long been contributing to jazz music in Turkey. She has studied jazz vocals with Ece Göksu and harmony, composition, piano, and ensemble with names like Aycan Teztel, Evrim Demirel, and Kağan Yıldız. She came in second in the Nardis Young Jazz Vocalist Competition with one composition of her own and one jazz standard. The trio she formed in 2020 has morphed into a duo by the name of Rana & Seher as of 2022. In addition to continuing to write her own compositions, Rana Bulut also does voice acting for various animated productions.
The first-place winner of the Nardis Young Jazz Vocalist Competition is Efe Erdem. Born in 2000, he began his musical career by studying viola and classical music at the Avni Akyol Fine Arts High School. After graduation, he got interested in piano and jazz while also training himself as a vocalist. Erdem has performed both in Turkey with the Nazım Hikmet Choir and abroad at various festivals. He is continuing his education in jazz vocals at the Istanbul State Conservatory. As part of the 32nd Akbank Jazz Festival, he will perform with his orchestra featuring Baturay Yarkın, Aydın Balpınar, and Jeff Savaryego.
Rana Bulut: Vocals
Efe Erdem: Vocals
Baturay Yarkın: Piano
Aydın Balpınar: Double bass
Jeff Savaryego: Drums