Lifetime Music Stories
By Liviu Iftime
Kilkenny is set to host at the beginning of November just before her birthday, Aleka Potinga, the Romanian rising jazz singer in Ireland.
Born in Timisoara, Romania, Aleka has fast become one of the rising jazz vocalists on the Irish jazz scene. She has a Bachelor of Arts in classical music performance as a cellist from the Bucharest Music University and a First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts in Jazz performance as a vocalist from Newpark Music Centre – Dublin. As a cellist she has toured around Europe with orchestras and chamber music ensembles: Romanian Youth Orchestra, Sonoro Interferente Project. She was part of the soundtrack recording of the movie ‘Youth Without Youth’ by Francis Ford Coppola. Her career as a jazz vocalist developed in Romania and Ireland playing with musicians like Luiza Zan, Alex Man, Albert Tajti, Ciprian Pop (RO), Rick Condit (US), Chris Guilfoyle, Barry Donohue, Izumi Kimura, Cora Venus Lunny, Matt Jacobson, Ronan Guilfoyle, Conor Guilfoyle, Cello Ireland, Michael Buckley (IE).
She is currently teaching as a lecturer in the Jazz and Contemporary Music Programme at Dublin City University and is artistic director of the DCU Jazz Choir. In 2018 Aleka sang in Tommy Halferty’s ‘7 Musical Steps to Camus’. In 2019 Aleka played ANAM Festival with Ronan Guilfoyle’s project Kanda, collaborating with Indian percussionist Ramesh Shotam as well as Irish traditional musicians Martin Nolan, Ellen Cranitch and Peter Browne. Both her debut EP, ‘Aleka’ from 2016 and her latest CD release in April 2019, ‘Person I Knew’ with the stellar band of Chris Guilfoyle, Michael Buckley, Ronan Guilfoyle and legendary Dutch drummer Eric Ineke have received 4 star reviews in the Irish Times. (alekasings.com)
The performance will take place on the 4th of November 2021 at Billy Byrnes Pub during one of their famous “Sofa Sessions”. Aleka will be singing with Tudo Bem, a project led by bassist Ronan Guilfoyle with Chris Guilfoyle on guitar, Leopoldo Osio on piano and Andre Antunes on drums.
You can find out more and view Aleka Potinga online at alekasings.com
