Kirke Karja (1989) has studied in Estonian Academy of Music classical piano, jazz music and she did her doctoral studies about composition techniques in contemporary jazz music. She is working as a composer, pianist, actor and is the chairman of the board at Estonian Jazz Federation.
Since 2016 Kirke has had around 150 concerts outside of Estonia, in last years also at the cutest European jazz festivals: Punkt @ Banlieues Bleues, Punkt @ Kristiansand, Jazzfest Berlin, 12points, Tampere Jazz Happening, Vossa Jazz, Jazzahead!, Jazzkaar, Raahe Jazz Festival, Sile Jazz, Parma Jazz, Jazz Jantar, Katowice JazzArt Festival, Sõru Jazz, Estonian Music Days, Jazz Middelheim, Luxembourg Jazz Rallye, Magnet Festival, Jazz Forum St Etienne, Sõru Jazz, Jazzweek Cologne, Winterjazz Köln, Darmstadt Jazzforum, Südtirol Jazzfestival etc. Most of them are visited with trio Karja/Renard/Wandinger.
As a composer she has had commissions by European Broadcast Union Jazz Orchestra, Pärnu City Orchestra, Latvian Radio Bigband, Machine á trois (Luxembourg), Ludensemble etc.
Albums with Kirke´s music
2024 – Kirke Karja and Felix Hauptmann duo (to be released in summer 2025 under Boomslang Records)
2023 – Karja/Renard/Wandinger: Caught In My Own Trap (under BMC Records)
2022 – Karja/Renard/Wandinger: The Wrong Needle
2019 – Captain Kirke and the Klingons: Captain Kirke and the Klingons
2019 – Kirke Karja Quartet: Wrong Kind of Paradise
2016 – Kirke Karja Quartet: Turbulence
2015 – Heliotroop: Ennemuistse jahipüssi kuul
2014 – Pae Kollektiiv: Pae Kollektiiv
Kirke Karja is also member of these groups:
Philip Dornbuschs Projektor
Fabian Dudek´s Day by Day
Verneri Pohjola Exotic Matter
Duo with Felix Hauptmann
Duo with Teis Semey
Prizes:
2024 – Estonian Jazz Composer of the Year
2024 – Karja/Renard/Wandinger: Estonian Jazz Ensemble of the Year
2022 – Award from Cultural Endowment of Estonia
2022 – Estonian Jazz Artist of the Year
2021 – Giorgio Gaslini prize for young jazz talent
2018 – Kirke Karja Quartet: Estonian Jazz Ensemble of the Year
2014 – The prize of young jazz talent