Olga Amelchenko is a Paris-based saxophonist and composer.

She began singing in a choir at the age of 5, and two years later started studying piano and the dombra.
Between 2003 and 2006, she studied choral conducting at the Conservatory of Abakan before transitioning to the saxophone. In 2006, she moved to Novosibirsk, where she studied at the conservatory until 2010.

In 2012, Olga moved to Germany and continued her musical education in Cologne for two years. She then moved to Berlin, studying at the Jazz Institut Berlin from 2014 to 2019, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

After graduating in 2019, she moved to Paris, where she is now based and active on the French and international jazz scene as a bandleader, sidewoman, and educator. Her work has gained increasing recognition in recent years: in 2025, she was nominated for the Révélation award at the Victoires du Jazz, followed by her selection as a Génération SPEDIDAM artist for 2026–2028.

Olga regularly performs with various ensembles and leads two projects: the Olga Amelchenko Quartet and Helicon.

Her debut album Shaping Motion was released in 2018, followed by Live at Loft in 2020 and Slaying the Dream in 2023. In 2025, she released Howling Silence, on Edition Records, marking a pivotal moment in her evolving artistic journey. Her new album, Touching the Invisible, will be released by Edition Records on October 23, 2026.

-Olga tells stories with her instrument; she wants to be heard and understood.

Marek Romański / Jazz forum

-Olga Amelchenko stands out for the purity of her sound on the alto saxophone, the depth of her compositions, and her total indifference to vulgarity.

Louis-Julien Nicolaou / Télérama