Meltem Ege is an internationally acclaimed vocalist, composer, and educator. Whether breathing new life into a standard or conducting one of her performance explorations through scene-based improvisation, Meltem enjoys taking a deep dive into the power of live performance. She has received several first-place awards at international jazz voice competition; been a featured soloist in numerous big bands and symphony orchestras; and headlined countless shows at numerous clubs, concert halls, and festivals throughout Europe, Asia, North and Central America, and Africa. Though initially trained in several sub-genres of jazz and rock, Meltem continues to expand her multi-genre technique into spoken word, contemporary opera, electroacoustics, and experimental pop.
As faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts she teaches private voice lessons, mic use and PA system setup, vocal improvisation, MAP/ExPop Forum, and the notorious Theory Performance Lab. As a lesson teacher, she aims to help students understand and coordinate the mechanics of their singing—whatever their preferred style of music—while fostering authenticity and freedom of expression. She values communication, enthusiasm, and humor.
Meltem holds a bachelor's in classical piano from Bilkent University in Turkey; a bachelor’s in jazz performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA; a master's in vocal performance from Baskent University in Turkey, and a Performer-Composer doctorate from the one and only California Institute of the Arts. During her studies, she has worked with giants such as Bobby McFerrin, Sheila Jordan, Rhiannon, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Stoloff, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Mili Bermejo, to name a few.