Arifa (The Netherlands)
A bridge of sounds between the Orient and Occident

With musicians from Romania, Turkey, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands, Arifa’s music is just as diverse as its origins, moving from traditional Turkish and Balkan sounds to jazz and classical music. Ancient musical traditions from the Middle East and the Balkans are blended with jazz and contempo- rary improvised music through a Western frame of mind. Based in The Netherlands, Arifa was founded in 2010 and has since played on 5 con- tinents! Arifa’s secret is the creative chemistry between its four members: Alex Simu (Romania) clarinet & live laptop, Michalis Cholevas (Greece) tarhu, Franz von Chossy (Germany) piano and Sjahin During (Turkey / The Netherlands) percussion set.