Süeda Çatakoğlu is a singer, pianist, composer and producer. Her debut album Sueda Sings Sezen released under Ahenk Müzik, has been entirely arranged and produced by Süeda and engineered and co-produced by Kara Snethlage.
She graduates as a full tuition scholar at Berklee College of Music and specializes in Jazz Composition, Contemporary Writing and Production. She is joined by many wonderful guest musicians from Berklee, Boston, New York, Germany and Türkiye. The album got many reviews from various music critiques and authorities both in Türkiye and worldwide as being a unique production and distillated from certain genres in music history. 
Süeda Sings Sezen album reimagines Sezen Aksu classics through a fusion of jazz, Turkish folk, European Cabaret and musical theatre as well as including songs from her innovative albums such as "Deliveren, Düş Bahçeleri, Biraz Pop & Biraz Sezen but most especially Deliveren, which holds a very special place in Süeda's heart.
This concert will be entirely executed acoustically and Süeda will be accompanied by distinguished musicians, Akihiro Kokufukata on trumpet and Sinan Tökmeci on electric bass.
The Story of This Album
"Anyone born in the late 90’s has experienced a Sezen Aksu song at some point. When I was a small child, even before I began my musical studies, I listened to her songs and admired the richness of her musical style. To me, Sezen represents a modern Anatolian woman who does not run away from her feelings, embraces them bravely, and combines that with Turkish and European influences. This has always deeply impressed me.
The depth of Sezen Aksu’s music has accompanied me during my conservatory years, while I focused on Classical and Jazz studies, and so her music has greatly influenced my own songs. While I was growing up as an immigrant in Germany and America, her songs marked many turning points in my life. I have been performing her songs for years in jazz clubs, fusing them with other musical styles with influences from Broadway and European Cabaret, most especially songs from her Deliveren album. I have always been inspired by her subtle satire, self-evident philosophy of life, and her tolerance and acceptance. These qualities have greatly influenced my songwriting.
We met with Sercan Yilmaz to release my EP project of 3 songs, the lyrics and music of which belong to me. When he offered me this project, I gladly accepted. In the album, I tried to adopt a style that describes Sezen Aksu's influence on my musical life and I especially tried to choose songs that symbolize my experiences as an immigrant and the turning points of my life as a young woman . Based on my 8-
year musical journey in Europe and America, I have interpreted the songs based on what I have learned and experienced along the way. My fellow musicians come from all corners of the world, and in some cases have continued their education with me at Berklee. In all cases, their playing reflects their own characters, cultures, and backgrounds in unique and refined ways through our shared jazz and improvisational tradition. We have come together to create this original body of work where all have expressed themselves freely."
About Süeda
Süeda has received degrees and special awards in competitions such as the International Pera Piano Competition, Izmir Saygun Piano Competition, 2nd Hacettepe National Piano Competition. She participated in masterclasses conducted by Turkish State Artist İdil Biret at Ayvalık International Music Academy (AIMA). She has shared a stage with Idil Biret at Alibey Cultural Center on Cunda Island. She studied jazz, arranging, improvization, jazz theory and harmony, composition and songwriting lessons with jazz vibraphonist Oli Bott. Since 2018, she has studied Balkan songs, French chansons with Paula Turcas, the soloist of the ZMEI3. Her solo graduation recital at the Pierre Boulez Saal, one of Europe's leading concert halls, attracted the attention of music authorities in Berlin and was praised in the German press.
She was awarded a scholarship from the Academy of Music in New York to study musical theatre for two years. In the same period, she was accepted with a full scholarship from Berklee College of Music in Boston for the Professional Diploma program, which is a graduate program where she can study in different fields such as Jazz Composition – Modern Composition and Music Production. Since September 2021, she has been continuing her education in jazz composition, arranging & music production and musical acting at Berklee College of Music. In the 2022-2023 academic year, she received a scholarship from this institution within the scope of Eczacıbaşı Music Scholarships. In Spring 2022, she performed a solo piano recital at David Friend Hall as part of the KeysFest Piano Festival organized by Berklee College of Music and was awarded the Emanuel Zambelli Concert Pianist scholarship.
She was accepted as a member of one of Boston's most respected urban theaters founded by MIT University, Central Square Theater's Ambassador Ensemble. She is also a studio assistant at Berklee College, where she accompanies jazz vocal lessons as a pianist, is a music director for musical theater classes, and continues her active concert life
in Boston and in the USA. She performed Mülteci Kaldım with an international group of musicians at a political activism and fundraising concert at the Berklee Performance Center. She is currently recording her 3-song EP, which she plans to release shortly. In January 2023, she performed at numerous venues in Orange County, California.
LISTEN TO SÜEDA:
on SPOTIFY
on APPLE MUSIC
More about Süeda on her website suedacatakoglu.com
