My first interest in music emerged when my mother began studying to become a music teacher. I remember those days very well - my mother was preparing for her entrance exams and I would sit and listen as she did her ear training with a little keyboard. I'd even try and play a few songs on this little keyboard myself. One day, one of my mother’s professors heard me playing the keyboard and recommended that I start learning the violin. I had never seen a violin before in my life and there was nowhere to buy one in the city we were living in Turkey. Thankfully, my family managed to buy a violin from another city. I will always remember the day when my mother came home and surprised me with the violin. It was probably one of the best days of my life. I then started to take lessons from one of my mother’s professor at the University.
It had been almost a year since I started to play when one of the most famous violinists from Turkey came to my city for a concert. I was so excited to see him as I was such a big fan. I used to listen to all his albums at home. After his concert, he listened to me play and encouraged me and my family to move to Ankara where I could further my music education at the Conservatory. Everything changed in 2002 when I moved, with my whole family, to start studying at the Ankara State Conservatory.
I gained my bachelor’s degree one year earlier than expected, graduating as the most successful student of the violin department in 2011. I continued to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria with Silvia Marcovici and then with Ildiko Moog in Ankara.
During my training, I participated in many masterclasses and studied with violinists such as Alexander Vinnitski and Mincho Minchev. I also worked as a research assistant at the Yüzüncü Yıl University Turkish Music State Conservatory in Van where I gave violin lessons from 2015-2017.
I am currently studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky at the Royal College of Music where I am an ABRSM International Scholar supported by an ISH Award.
Royal College of Music
London, UK
Ankara State Conservatory
Ankara, Turkey
What’s on your playlist right now?
Even though I am a classical musician, I don’t have much classical repertoire on my playlist. I have lots of Turkish folk music, some movie soundtracks and a few hit pop tracks as well.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
I know how to create websites. Since 2014 I have been running websites for amateur violinists.