Today we’d like to introduce you to Meltem Ege.
Hi Meltem, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey as a jazz singer started as a classical pianist. At 14, I was accepted on a scholarship to train as a concert pianist at Bilkent University Music Preparatory High School in Ankara, Turkey. Shortly before completing my first bachelor’s degree there, I started singing rock and metal in local venues with a few bands and quickly gathered a following. But it was when I started singing jazz that I knew I had found my calling. The tunes, the improvisation, the on-stage spontaneity and the communication was everything I was lacking in my classical career. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in piano, I decided to test my chops in singing, so I applied to a few international vocal jazz competitions. I won first-place awards in Turkey, Finland, and Lithuania. Before I knew it, my jazz career took off. Despite performing frequently, I wanted a degree in jazz voice to go deeper into the history and music. The only school I applied for was Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and thankfully I was accepted—once again on scholarship—to their Vocal Performance Department, where I received achievement awards and won second place in a songwriting competition before finishing two semesters ahead of schedule. After graduating, I returned to Turkey and started touring as a featured soloist with numerous big bands and symphony orchestras, and headlined countless shows at numerous clubs, concert halls, and jazz festivals worldwide. So far, I’ve sung in 5 continents and counting!
While I was touring, I started a Master’s Degree in Performance at Başkent University in Ankara, where I had also started teaching as voice faculty. I understood very quickly that I was equally as passionate about teaching as I was about performing, so once I received my MA, I knew the next step for me was to pursue a doctorate. I wanted this degree to tie together everything I had done until that point; I wanted to keep performing, but I also wanted to develop my vocal pedagogy and also put my classical training and piano chops to good use. I once again applied to one school: the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, CA. I was accepted, on scholarship, into the prestigious Performer-Composer program, where I was also able to develop myself as a composer as well as a voice teacher and performer. I’m lucky to say that upon receiving my doctorate, CalArts offered me a teaching position that I hold to this day. Being there continues to be a transformative and empowering experience for me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, there were struggles, but it was those struggles that really defined me as a person and as an artist. So far, I’ve changed cities 5 times in my life, each time pursuing a different goal and each time starting from scratch. During these times, I’ve had to power through many moments of self-doubt and isolation, but through all of that, I’ve learned how to trust myself and my abilities, and I’ve also learned to be patient because good things come to those who wait and who put themselves out there with an open heart. Over the years through these struggles, I’ve built an incredible international family who inspires me and that I’m grateful for every day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m what you call a teaching artist. During the academic year, I teach a variety of classes at the California Institute of the Arts, such as voice lessons, recording techniques, jazz singing, and stage performance classes. I also teach private lessons and masterclasses all over the world. Over the summer, I compose and tour as much as I can before the school year begins. This summer, I was able to sing in Panama, Mexico, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
As an artist, I’m currently working on releasing my latest album. I haven’t named the album yet, but I composed or co-wrote all the music. The instrumentation is a jazz guitar trio with a string quartet or a duo horn section. This album is extremely special to me because I believe the music and the process accurately represent how I live my life and who I am. Just as I am a Turkish-American who lives in both countries and cultures at once, half of the instrumentals were recorded in Los Angeles and the other half in Istanbul. Also, the lyrics are half English and half Turkish. I also wanted to include the “bedroom musician” skills most musicians acquired during the pandemic lockdown, so I recorded all the vocals at home with my now new husband Prof. Bradley Butterworth, fellow musician, CalArtian, and head of the music industry track at UCR. We made some incredible memories throughout this entire recording process and are very proud of the work we did. On a personal level, I’m always proud to see women release independent, self-produced original albums so I’m extremely excited to be at the point in my life where I’m able to do the same myself. It’s very satisfying to feel one’s creative desires and abilities align. I’m currently doing the album’s editing myself before sending the tracks off to by mixed and mastered by some very special people. More on that later.
As an educator, I think one of the things that sets me apart is that I’m not only highly trained as a pianist, vocalist, and composer, but I also have a great deal of real-life performance experience. I feel that this provides a wealth of knowledge for younger artists who are working on developing themselves as creatives and performers. I can work with a student on their technical chops, vocal interpretation, and composition skills in once class while also addressing things like bandleading, stage presence, and tour planning.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was around six years old, I remember imagining my room was a forest. Even then, I was astounded by how vivid one’s imagination could be: I could clearly see trees of many shades of green swaying in a gentle wind, and I could feel the moisture in the air. I was so content and so happy to be jumping from tree to tree, playing with the animals, and feeling as free as can be. I always try to remember this and remind myself to hold on to this kind of imagination. As an adult, I feel like we can be too focused on the “real” world, overly engaged with the worries and responsibilities life brings. But in this life where oppressive forces continue to feed us chaos and fear, I believe that joyfulness is the best means of radical resistance. Therefore, I try to make time in my day to go back to my childhood imagination, to give my brain a different experience, to keep telling my consciousness that I can play, create, have fun, and feel joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.meltemege.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meltemegemusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCobMCnfZkzph_7fzAioiBpg
