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My name is Svetlana Marinchenko (Lana Mari). I am a pianist, composer, and producer based in Berlin, born and raised in Moscow.
I began my musical journey in music relatively late—at 17 years old from scratch when I discovered John Coltrane's "Love Supreme". Since then, I have never ceased my growth and exploration.  What compelled me to dedicate myself to music?
The desire to become part of this powerful energy stream and to transport listeners’ hearts and minds into realms of revelation and personal insight.  


After three years of self-taught learning, I was admitted to Musorgsky College, where I began my first composition attempts. I founded a fusion septet called "SVETAMUZIKA", and in 2015, we recorded our debut album together, with which we went on tour and I was invited to participate in two significant TV Shows (Big Jazz and Observer) During my studies, I had the opportunity to participate in exchange programs with Finland and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, I placed third among young composers at "Jazz in Groningen" and performed at the "Close Encounters Festival" in Helsinki.

I then moved to Munich to continue my education, where I founded my SVM3 piano trio. We won several awards (Steinway Jazzprize, Kurt-Maas Jazzprize, Langnau Jazz Prize 2  Place etc...) and performed at renowned venues and major festivals (Unterfahrt, Zig-Zag, Donau, Xjazz, BR2 Studio, etc.). We have released two albums: "Letters to My Little Girl"  featuring guest Ofri Nehemya (Shai Maestro, Avishai Cohen), and our second album "Between the Times".

I particularly want to highlight my experience with the GJC (Gutenberg Jazz Collective), where I was chosen to be a participant in 2021, which allowed me to collaborate with international jazz luminaries such as Lionel Loueke, Ben Wendel, and Sullivan Fortner.

Today my musical journey  is drawn by the desire to develop in an experimental and freer direction.  I try to explore entirely new fresh authenticity, which I am seeking for.  Simultaneously, I experiment with electronics, samples, polyrhythms and free improvisation in my trio (SVM3 feat Beatdenker) and Duo (WAP-Duality).  It is crucial for me to reflect the spirit of our time through these means, enabling people to recognize themselves in the sound, connect with their emotions, and experience resonance. Ultimately, art’s role is to emotionally unite people and reflect life and feelings in relation to existence itself. This is essentially my artistic goal—and I feel I am only at the beginning of this journey.

Regarding the social aspect of my work, as a woman and bandleader, it is important to me to support my female colleagues. I currently organize a concert series at Berlin’s B-flat Club spotlighting female bandleaders, with a special focus on instrumentalists. More broadly, I am keenly interested in the creative outcomes of my female peers and believe it vital to do all I can to strengthen and sustain the community.


 

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