Heiraza (air-ah-za) is the transformation of a young woman who immigrated alone to the US in 2010 from Türkiye and navigated years of twists and turns to finally surface with many songs in her voice.

Heiraza is a shapeshifter. She soars between languages, sounds, cultures, and life experiences, and roots herself in this fluidity. Her drive, force, art and music always rise from curiosity and the intention of healing towards joy. She cherishes every second of her singing together with people (and sometimes with nature) ranging from Grammy winners and accomplished artists to non-musicians and passionate souls.

Before releasing her first single, Heiraza studied many different genres and world traditions, toured with a variety of projects singing in 13 different languages. She has performed on stages like the Hatch Memorial Shell, WBUR CitySpace and Shalin Liu Performance Center as a multi-award winning vocalist. Some of her musical influences are Mahalia Jackson, Hamiyet Yüceses, Whitney Houston, Edgard Varèse, Umm Kulthum, Goran Bregović, Björk, John Cage and Erik Satie.

Her voice has been described as honey and smoke, haunting, and dangerous. In her music, Heiraza holds onto electronic and experimental sounds alongside raw and confrontational lyrics about immigration, mental health, grief, hope, identity, and family dynamics. She plays with different beats and rhythms in the light of different world traditions, as well as microtones with fluency. Many years after immigrating, at a time of isolation and mental health struggle while seeking comfort and healing, Heiraza began to sing the songs written by her father over 50 years ago. Besides the Turkish songs written by her father, she rewrote lyrics in English to the selected songs in the form of letters to her father, telling stories of the experience she gained as an immigrant, addressing grief, longing, financial hardship, trauma, mental illness, searching for belonging and identity. These letters are the songs you will hear at this concert.

Utar Artun is an acclaimed composer, arranger, and musician who serves as an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music. Born in Ankara, Türkiye, Artun’s musical journey began with a deep focus on percussion and composition at the Hacettepe Conservatory. His trajectory soon took him to the United States, where he completed his degree at Berklee summa cum laude in a record 2.5 years, earning the prestigious Arif Mardin Scholarship and the Brian Oliver Memorial Award. He further solidified his academic foundation with a Master of Music with Academic Honors from the New England Conservatory, where he remains a faculty member at the Preparatory School.

Throughout his career, Artun has become a bridge between the worlds of jazz, classical, and world music. He has performed and recorded with a "who's who" of legendary artists, including Bobby McFerrin, Kevin Eubanks, Dave Weckl, A.R. Rahman, and Dave Holland. His versatile skill set as an orchestrator and conductor has been central to groundbreaking global projects like Rhythm of the Universe and the Berklee Yo-Team. His artistry has been featured at premier international venues, ranging from the Abu Dhabi Festival and Musicacoustica Festival in China to the Istanbul Jazz Festival and Boston Jazz Fest.

As a prolific composer, Artun has produced a massive catalog of over 160 works for symphony orchestras and 300 pieces for big bands. His reach extends into the commercial and national spheres; in 2022, he arranged and composed symphonic music for the Hollywood film About Fate, starring Emma Roberts. In 2023, he reached a historic milestone by composing Yüz Yılın Yıldızı, the official anthem for the 100th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic, featuring a 100-piece choir. His recent achievements also include the 2024 Yapı Kredi Afife Jale Award for Best Musical Theatre and his first symphonic album, Scope.

Beyond his creative output, Artun is a major influence in the music industry and education. He currently serves as the composer-in-residence for the Turkish American Orchestra in New York and is a voting member of The Recording Academy for the Grammy Awards. Whether leading the DDG4 Quartet & Big Band as a music director or touring with saxophonist Grace Kelly, Artun continues to shape the global music landscape. His professional memberships in SCI, NACUSA, and BMI reflect his commitment to the contemporary music community, while his mentorship at Berklee continues to inspire the next generation of global musicians.

David "FuZe" Fiuczynski's music is often described as unclassifiable,
challenging, and invigorating. Fiuczynski leads the underground cult band
Screaming Headless Torsos and directs the Planet MicroJam Institute for
advanced microtonal studies at Berklee College of Music. David studied at
New England Conservatory's avant-garde and experimental 3rd Stream
department and is also a 2011 Guggenheim in music composition. Born in
the US, David grew up in Germany where he was always interested in
mixing and “fuzing” different music elements. His recent music melds
traditional melodic elements from the Middle East, Asia, India, and Eastern
Europe, with rock, funk, electronica, and other styles.

Anderson Mirafzali is a dynamic bassist from Boston, MA, celebrated for his versatility on both upright and electric bass. After studying with renowned musicians like John Patitucci, and Terri Lyne Carrington, he has gone on to work with John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood), funk virtuoso MonoNeon, soulful singer Allen Stone and Michael Maher, trumpeter for Snarky Puppy. With influences ranging from punk, rock, jazz to funk/R&B, Anderson brings a unique sound that resonates across genres. Currently, he's a member of David Fiuczynski's KiF Trio, where his inventive fretless bass work continues to make waves in the modern music scene.

Johnathon Birch is a drummer from Toronto, Canada of Jamaican descent who’s currently based in Boston. Johnathon has played with Ringo Starr, MonoNeon, Grace Kelly, Tamada, Phil Thompson, Jubilee Worship and is a member of Screaming Headless Torsos and David Fiuczynski’s KiF.