Queen of the Violin

Picking up a violin at just five-years-old was the first step to an exciting life for the Turkish violinist, Suay Doganay. She tells Farah Baig about her globe-trotting life as a musician and what charmed her about our sunny Kingdom of Bahrain.

Bahrain has long been known for its creative artists and cosmopolitan community with expats from all over the world calling the island ‘home’. Suay Doganay is one such individual who has grown to be a favourite on the music scene. The eccentric violinist is known for her high-energy performance, mesmerising tunes and unique fusion-style. After living in the Kingdom for nearly five years, Suay and her electric violin are instantly recognisable, but her journey with music started many moons ago. “I was born into a musical family with my father being an opera singer,” she says, adding that she had performed at the Turkish National Day event held in Bahrain.

Suay was just five-years-old when she tried her hand at the violin, and had her first concert at just 15 with her father. While some children pick up instruments as an extra-curricular activity, she pursued it for the long-haul. The well-accomplished violinist graduated from not one but three different universities for music with one of them certifying her to be a music teacher too.

“I knew for the longest time that I would pursue it professionally. I was initially in an orchestra since my education was in classical music,” she states. “After graduating I would watch videos related to electronic music and always wanted to play it. In fact, the violinist Vanessa Mae was my idol.”

Fate had it that she eventually met a musician who wished to perform with her, on the condition that she play the electric violin. “I jumped at the opportunity and soon I was playing at weddings and private events for massive crowds in Turkey,” she says.

Being an expansive country, performing in Turkey wasn’t the easiest experience, especially since she was a music teacher too at the time. “It was hectic. I would miss flights, not know where my gigs were, and have to perform before having to fly back to Istanbul to teach in the morning. But my career evolved to a whole new level when I started performing at Nikki Beach in Bodrum,” she says.

“That’s when I began connecting with tourists and other musicians who were open to collaboration not only in Turkey but around the world. It started with a contract in New Delhi, India where I performed at one of the most prestigious hotels visited by the popular Bollywood celebrities and eventually led to me performing in France, Greece, Belgium, Holland and several other places!” she adds enthusiastically. Her performance in France led to a series of events which brought her to Bahrain. “I have people around me in Bahrain that are practically family and support me in all that I do. I also love the vibrant community with people from all over the world. Conversations lead to so many ideas and it’s just beautiful,” she says.

“It’s also extremely safe, and then there’s the fact that after living in a big city like Istanbul, it’s nice to be able to drive to the other side of Bahrain in just 30 minutes!”

Aside from her performances, Suay also organises unique electronic music events as a promoter under the label RAUM Bahrain inspired by the extra-terrestrial.

“I’ve always done things in my own way, with a vision of creating something unique. Music and connecting with people are my passion, and I would love for people to come and dance with us,” she concludes.

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