Elana Sasson
Vocalist, composer, and bandleader
Elana Sasson is a vocalist, composer, and bandleader whose music bridges Kurdish and Persian traditions with contemporary jazz and Mediterranean folk. Her sound explores identity and duality, weaving emotive modal melodies, rich harmonic textures, and diverse instrumentation into a dialogue between heritage and innovation.
Trained by master musicians from Iran and Kurdistan and a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Elana’s voice has been praised by Songlines Magazine as “an arrestingly beautiful focus.” Her latest album, In Between (PKMusik, 2025), received glowing reviews, including a 4-star rating from Songlines. She has performed at leading venues across Europe and the U.S., including Fundación Juan March, Palau de Les Arts, Stone Nest, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and has appeared at international festivals such as UPV Jazz Festival and Fronteras Festival.
Her collaborations include work with Mahsa Vahdat, Matthieu Saglio, and Hadar Noiberg, and her music has featured in the Venice Biennale-premiered film Tatami. She is a member of the Iranian Female Composers Association and holds a Master’s in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee.
Elana recently captivated audiences at JMI’s sold-out relaunch event at Stone Nest, Shaftesbury Avenue, on 28 May 2025.
