Melisa Yildirim is a talented and soulful kamancha player from Istanbul, Turkey. Melisa is passionate about cross-cultural collaboration, having worked with a number of Kurdish, Iranian and Alevi musicians, and recently taking part in Making Tracks, a music-based cultural exchange program in the UK. After completing her high school education, she pursued her undergraduate studies at the Conservatory of Turkish Music in Istanbul Technical University (ITU). She won first prize in the ‘Teke Region of Folk Instruments Competition’ in Turkey. In 2021, Melisa opened for Womex Award-winning artist Aynur Doğan at the EFG London Jazz Festival at The Barbican Center. Melisa is working with various professional artists around the world and composes music inspired by traditional Anatolian music forms.
Melisa Yildirim
