Anna Valiulina
Vocals, Germany
About the participant
DE, M?nchen
“There are few young singers who have so much vocal power and use it so intelligently as Ms. Valiulina… She is a wolf in sheepskin." (S?ddeutsche Zeitung, Munich, Germany) ‘‘Her outstanding voice makes her an insider tip for jazz lovers.’’ (Abendzeitung, Munich) Anna Valiulina’s soundscape merges Russian folklore with delicate jazz and soul elements. Her musical creativity knows no limit: characterized by a classical vocal training and fruitful jazz studies, the innovative musical style of the Russian-born singer and pianist combines folk music sounds of international couleur. The talented musician spices up her compositions with elements of Southern and Eastern European folk music as well as sounds from the East or the Balkans. The daughter of a Russian Bayan player with Tatar roots has always been immersed in diverse musical and cultural perspectives. Russian folk music as well as international soul and jazz standards were simply part of her life. She began her piano studies at the Irkutsk Music School at the age of five. At the age of 17, Anna began her studies at the St. Petersburg Mussorgsky College of Performing Arts and afterwards at the University of Musical Art and Culture in St. Petersburg. Since 2006 she has been living in Munich, Germany where she studied with Professor Leonid Chizhik and received degrees in jazz piano studies as well as jazz voice studies from the Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Anna’s virtuosic voice confers unique dynamics and aesthetics. Her first album, a synthesis of the music which has influenced her life, features Russian, English, Portuguese and Italian songs in jazz arrangements and incorporates a mix of various musical styles through her own compositions. Anna’s musical creation is greatly inspired by Russian folklore. She believes these songs, whose compositions partly date back to the ninth century, to be the inexhaustible basis of new jazz releases. The tension-filled harmonies and uneven rhythms allow melodious and inspiring compositions. The musician not only uses well-known folk songs like "Ochi Chernie" or "Dark Eyes: Gypsy Romance", but also previously neglected works which she performs with impressive and sophisticated vocalizations. Anna continues to shape her very own and diversified sound by working with international artists. Her partners include the Brazilian bassists Paulo Cardoso and Guto Brinholi, the young talented Serbian pianist Vladan Mijatovic, the Bulgarian award-winning pianist Konstantin Kostov and the Belorussian cymbalum player Michael Leontchik, who all impress by their unique improvisations. Ms. Valiulina has given highly acclaimed performances at the Gasteig Philharmonie Saal, Carl Orff Saal and "Black Box" in Munich, Jazz Club "Unterfahrt" and "K?nstlerhaus" (Munich), the GOP Variety Theatre, the "Night Club" of the Bayerischer Hof Hotel and such international music festivals as "Jazzibar" (Serbia), "Theatron" (Germany) and "Tollwood" (Germany). Her songs are popular among German and Russian radio listeners. Her recent sold-out performance, which took place at the famous Jazzclub Unterfahrt, has been recorded by the Bayerischer Rundfunk and will be presented in the TV Show "Klick Klack" to show a portrait of the rising star. The singer performed alongside big names of the jazz scene such as Claus Reichstaller (trumpet), Jan Eschke (piano), Christian Els?sser (piano), Tim Allhof (piano), Marcus Kesselbauer (saxophone), Bastian J?tte (drums), Guido Mai (drums), Alexander von Hagke (saxophone), and Andreas Kurz (bass), among others. Anna’s upcoming concerts will take place in Germany, Russia, Latvia, and Poland. In addition to her performance activities, Anna is a talented composer and arranger and teaches promising young jazz students.