Sakina Teyna

Sakina Teyna was born in 1973 in the small town of Varto to a Kurdish-Alevi family and grew up listening to Deyiş poetry. Due to the intensive assimilation policy towards Kurdish identity in Turkey, she only came into contact with Kurdish music through politicisation during her time at university. In 1991, she began working as a vocalist under the umbrella of the MKM, the Centre for Kurdish Culture and Art in Istanbul. Like many Kurdish artists, she had to continue her music illegally during politically turbulent times and paused her artistic work for a long time due to her political activities. In 2006, she arrived in Austria as a political refugee and began making music again. After an intensive creative phase, Sakina released her first solo album ROYÊ MI. Together with pianist Nazê Îşxan and violinist Nurê Dilovanî, she founded the group TRIO MARA in 2011. In symbiosis with Sakina’s voice, the female trio rearranged classical Kurdish music pieces with piano and violin, blending traditional elements with modern formats. In 2013, she began collaborating with Anadolu Quartet. In 2015, Sakina founded the jazz band Sakina & Friends in Vienna together with musicians from Austria, Spain, Iran and Turkey and gave many concerts. She has performed as a soloist in numerous concerts and continues to work in Vienna.