SİBEL KÖSE SEXTET feat. Tolga Bilgin

Formed around Sibel Köse, one of Turkey’s most respected jazz vocalists,
this special ensemble brings together highly esteemed musicians. Each excelling in their own field, they blend their deep commitment to jazz with the experience they’ve gained in various formations over the years.
This powerful lineup brings a wide repertoire to the stage with original arrangements, ranging from jazz standards to the colorful melodies of Brazil, from French chansons to passionate tangos. Considered one of the unique ensembles of our country’s jazz scene, their rich interpretations and high-energy performances take the audience on an unforgettable musical journey at every concert.

Sibel Köse, vocal
Born in Ankara, Sibel Köse is one of Turkey’s leading jazz vocalists and instructors. After graduating from TED Ankara College, she then studied at METU’s Faculty of Architecture. She began her journey into jazz during her university years, and while gaining experience on stage with jazz musicians, she also attended international seminars and summer schools. As well as performing at festivals, Sibel won First Prize at the Zamosc International Jazz Vocalists Competition.
Since 1987, Sibel Köse has performed as soloist for various projects and groups ranging from duos to large orchestras in Türkiye and abroad, giving concerts with local and foreign musicians. She is regularly invited to important festivals and art events, and appears on albums, radio and TV programs.
Sibel Köse, has given concerts in more than 20 countries to date, and shared the stage with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Raul Midon, and Stacey Kent for the “Nina Simone Tribute” concert in 2008. She has participated in projects and recordings of renowned jazz masters – such as Tuna Ötenel, Janusz Szprot, Önder Focan, Ali Perret, Jean Loup Longnon, Dave Allen, Ricky Ford, and Michael Borstlap. As a musician, Köse shares her talent and skills with through the jazz vocal workshops that she started in Ankara in 1999 and which continue in Istanbul. She contributes to the dissemination and development of jazz music with seminars in Poland and abroad, and by teaching at various institutions in Turkey and for mainstream jazz summer schools and master classes.

Tolga Bilgin, trumpet
Tolga Bilgin began his trumpet studies with Hüseyin Cebi at Dokuz Eylül State Conservatory in 2002, continuing in 2004 to study with Ömür Gürlük. In 2005, he was invited to Siena by Italian musicians he had met during workshops he attended at the İzmir Jazz Festival. There, he participated in the Seminari Senesi di Musica Jazz with a scholarship, and gave a number of concerts.
In 2007, Tolga performed Joseph Haydn’s trumpet concerto with the Dokuz Eylül University Academic Orchestra, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s second Brandenburg Concerto in 2008 with the Concerto Barocco Orchestra. He gave a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto for two trumpets with Bahtiyar Matniyazov in 2009 with the Izmir State Opera and Ballet Chamber Orchestra. 2010, saw him performing variations from Jean-Baptiste Arban and Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma, and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” with the Yaşar University Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Rudin. He has also given many concerts with the Ege Brass group.
In addition to his achievements in the field of classical music, Bilgin has also made significant contributions in the field of jazz music. Besides his long-standing concerts and performances with Fatih Erkoç, he has participated in concert projects both at home and abroad with such renowned artists as Askin Arsunan, Sibel Köse, İmer Demirer, Furio Di Castri, and Giampaolo Casati.
During the 2013-2014 season, Tolga was offered a scholarship to a masterclass organized by the Juilliard University in Turin, Italy. In the 2014-2015 season, he was accepted by the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Turin to study for his master’s degree. During the same season, he received a special jury prize at the Premio Abbado Competition held at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. Tolga also performed in numerous concerts with the Turin Jazz Orchestra while he was in Italy.
The artist has had the opportunity to perform with world-famous artists such as Randy Brecker, Furio Di Castri, Mauro Battisti, Stefano Risso, Eric Reed, Valery Ponomarev, Giampaolo Casati, Flavio Boltro, Emanuele Cisi, Nanny Assis, Andrei Kondakov, and Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, and has given concerts at prestigious venues in New York, including the Blue Note and the Lincoln Jazz Center.

Engin Recepoğulları, saxophone
Engin Recepoğulları was born in Ankara in 1980. He studied saxophone and jazz harmony with Erdoğan Kolgar and Ömür Gidel, and saxophone and improvisation with Ricky Ford. He performed with the Open Jazz Orchestra, formed by Claudio Fasoli and Antonio Zambrini, at the 12th Izmir European Jazz Festival. Following these performances, he received an IKSEV scholarship and studied at the Siena Masterclass Summer Course in Italy. He was awarded the Young Musician of the Year scholarship.
Engin Recepoğulları continues his work in Istanbul, performing with important names on the Turkish jazz scene such as İmer Demirer, Sarp Maden, Önder Focan, Ayhan Öztoplu, Ozan Musluoğlu, Kerem Görsev, Muvaffak Falay, and Sibel Köse, as well as with different groups such as CRR Bigband, Istanbul Superband, and the TRT Jazz Orchestra.

Bulut Gülen, trombone
Bulut Gülen started his musical education at the age of 9, and
is a graduate of the Trombone department from Ankara Hacettepe University and Istanbul’s State Conservatory. After many awards, concerts and tours, he completed his education in 2007 at Berklee College of Music in the USA with a Professional Music Diploma. He has had the opportunity to play in concerts and festivals in America, Canada, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Balkans and Türkiye, with many international jazz musicians. Bulut completed his Master’s degree at the New England Conservatory.
Bulut Gülen has performed at jazz festivals in Montreal, Beantown (Boston), Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Bursa, Alanya, Bozcaada, Bodrum and Kas.
He also played at such historic jazz clubs as Birdland, Jazz Gallery, National Sawdust, and Lincoln Jazz Center. During his time in America, he found a place for himself as a performer in many big band and also small combo recordings. He taught at Hacettepe University State Conservatory’s Jazz Department for 2 years. Gülen’s first album recording of his own compositions, “Su”, was released in June 2015 by A.K. Music.

Kürşad Deniz, piano
Born in Istanbul in 1983, Kürşad Deniz graduated from Galatasaray High School and later from Galatasaray University’s Department of Computer Engineering. He started playing the piano at the age of 5 with lessons from his father, and later continued on his own. He became interested in jazz in middle school and has been playing in jazz clubs since 2003.
In 2010, Kürşad performed with the Sibel Köse Quartet at the 13th International Ankara Jazz Festival and as a solo artist at the 17th International Istanbul Jazz Festival’s Tunnel Festival. Meanwhile, he appeared as a guest on television programs such as ‘Jazz with Kerem Görsev’ and ‘Reflections’. In August 2010, Kürşad gave concerts in Finland (Pori and Helsinki) with the Sibel Köse Quartet. His collaborations include musicians such as Sibel Köse, İmer Demirer, Cem Aksel, Ferit Odman, Önder Focan, Sarp Maden, Manuel Dunkel, Mark Alban Lotz, Kamil Erdem, Kerem Görsev, Stéphane Spira, Lloyd Chisholm, Yahya Dai, Asaf Sirkis, Ray Blue, Amy London, Dante Luciani, Allan Harris, Deborah Davis, and Kenny Wollesen.

Kağan Yıldız, contrabass
KağanYıldız was born in Istanbul in 1980. He started his first musical studies with his uncle, Orhan Akıncı, who was a music teacher.
In 1991, he won a place at Mimar Sinan University’s State Conservatory, to study Double Bass, and began his studies with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Engin Babahan. He graduated in 2002 and continued his studies in the field of jazz music.
Since 2006, Kağan Yıldız has been a member of the Kerem Görsev Trio, and has featured on albums such as Diversion, Therapy (recorded with the London Philharmonia orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London), To Bill Evans (recorded with the Prague Philharmonic orchestra in Prague), and Emirgan and Four Days (featuring Grammy Award-winning tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts). Also a lecturer at Bahçeşehir University Jazz Academy, he has participated in numerous jazz festivals in Türkiye and abroad, and has shared the stage with such leading figures in jazz music as Benny Golson, Alan Broadbent, Freddie Cole, Mark Murphy, Dave Samuels, and Dena DeRose.

Berke Özgümüş, drums
Since 1996, Berke Özgümüş has worked on many different projects in Istanbul with various groups.
In 2000, Berke entered Bilgi University’s Music Department with a scholarship, and graduating with the highest honors. Özgümüş coached the group at Darüşşafaka High School between 2000 and 2002 and has been giving private drum lessons since 1998.
Berke served as a drum instructor and assistant director in the Certificate Program for the Modern Music Academy between 2006 and 2009. During this time, in addition to drum lessons, he also gave Ensemble and Repertoire lessons. He continues his musical career as a drummer in the band Redd.
Some of the albums he has played on include Bora Uslusoy’s “Umutsuz Aşk”, Mehmet Güreli’s “Odamda Yolculuk” and “İplerin Kopuşu”, Üst Kattakiler’s “Üç Deniz Ötesi”, Bulutsuzluk Özlemi “20. Yıl Konseri DVD”, Şenay Lambaoğlu’s “Başka Türlü Bir Şey”, REDD’s “Plastik Çiçekler ve Böcek”, “21”, “Prensesin Uykusu (Soundtrack)”, “Hayat Kaçık Bir Uykudur”, “Mükemmel Boşluk” and “Yersiz Göksüz Zamanlar”.
Other groups and musicians he has worked with include:
İmer Demirer, Nezih Yeşilnil, Önder Focan, Tahsin Ünüvar, Yahya Dai, Elvan Aracı, Baki Duyarlar, Erdal Akyol, Nilüfer Verdi, Raci Pişmişoğlu, Şenova Ülker, Kamil Erdem, Donovan Mixon, Kent Mete, Yavuz Çetin, Demirhan Baylan, Demir Demirkan, Kerim Çaplı, and Keisa Brown.