Tolga Atalay Ün, Chief

One of the sought-after conductors, harpsichordists and pianists of the young generation, Turkish-American artist Tolga Atalay ÜN was born in 1995. In 2016, he took part in the Opening Concert of the 33rd International Ankara Music Festival as both a conductor and a soloist, and this concert was highly appreciated by music authorities. Ün, who was specially selected to play the piano in the concert given in March 2019 in honor of the annual visit of King Charles III of England to the Royal College of Music in London, made his first appearance with professional state orchestras in Türkiye in February 2022 with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra as both a conductor and harpsichordist, and made history as one of the youngest conductors to conduct the CSO. In his career that began immediately afterwards, he gave concerts as a conductor, harpsichordist and pianist with orchestras such as L'Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, CRR Symphony Orchestra, Olten Philharmonic Orchestra, Ankara State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Antalya State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Mersin State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Izmir State Symphony Orchestra, Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra, TRNC Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Academic Capital and Karşıyaka Chamber Orchestra, and conducted many opera and ballet performances. During his student years, he gave concerts as a conductor and soloist with the Ankara Youth Symphony Orchestra, Bodrum Chamber Orchestra, Hacettepe Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Hittite Philharmonic Orchestra, which he founded voluntarily with his friends. Their first concert with the Hittite Philharmonic Orchestra took place at the anniversary celebrations of the foundation of the Ankara State Conservatory, and he also conducted his own piece written for the orchestra. Among the competition awards and medals he has won are the 2022-2023 Term Ankara Beysukent Rotary Club 'Professional Services Award', 2021 RCM 'Mills Williams Medal', Worshipful Company of Musicians 'Beethoven Medal', First Prize and 'Thomas Harris Beethoven Award' in the Senior Intercollegiate Beethoven Piano Competition organized by the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe in London in December 2017; In August 2017, he won the First Prize, the Best Saygun Interpreter Award and the Audience Award in the 4th Ahmed Adnan Saygun Piano Competition; in May 2017, he won the First Prize in the Kendall Taylor Beethoven Competition at the RCM, London; in November 2015, he won the Second Prize in the London Broadwood Horniman Harpsichord Competition; in 2010, he won the ‘Special Jury Award’ in the ‘Chopin National Piano Competition in the 200th Anniversary of His Birth’ organized with the cooperation of the Bahçelievler Rotary Club and Başkent University, with the contribution of the Embassy of Poland; and in May 2009, he won the ‘Honorable Mention’ in the 14-16 age category in the 4th International Istanbul Pera Piano Competition.

Primarily in Turkey, as well as in countries such as England, Germany, Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Greece, Romania and TRNC; Roma Auditorium Parco Della Musica, London Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room, Cadogan Hall, St.Martin-in-the-Fields, St.James's Piccadilly, Drapers' Hall, Steinway Hall London, Regent Hall, Handel House London, St. She has given concerts in important halls such as Mary's Perivale London, RCM Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Embassy of Turkey in London, Abbey Road Studios in London, Conway Hall in London, Salzburg Mozarteum, Bayerische Musikakademie Marktoberdorf, CSO Ada Ankara, Izmir Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center, Istanbul Ataturk Cultural Center, Bogazici University Albert Long Hall, Istanbul CRR Concert Hall, Istanbul Is Sanat Towers, Consulate General of Germany in Istanbul, Arter Museum in Istanbul, Notre Dame de Sion High School in Istanbul, Embassy of France in Ankara, Ankara MEB Shura Hall, Bilkent Concert Hall, Antalya Cultural Center, Aspendos Antique Theater and Mersin State Opera and Ballet.

Throughout his education life, he studied piano with Assoc. Prof. Sibel Özgün, Prof. Norma Fisher and Prof. Niel Immelman; harpsichord, historical keyboard instruments and baroque period performance techniques with Prof. Terence Charlston and Prof. Robert Woolley; and conducting with Orhun Orhon, İbrahim Yazıcı, Burak Tüzün, Peter Stark, Howard Williams and Lior Shambadal. Ün, who graduated from Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory as 'Variety of the School' and his BA, MA and Artist Diploma education at the Royal College of Music (London) with 'Honors', received the titles of 'Mills Williams Junior Fellow', 'C. Bechstein Scholarship supported by the Christopher Hogwood Scholarship' and 'Kenneth and Violet Scott Scholarship' during his seven-year education in London. Ün, who was also supported by Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation and Talent Unlimited as a contribution to her education in England, became one of the musicians supported under the sponsorship of TÜPRAŞ within the Güher & Süher Pekinel 'Young Musicians on World Stages' System between 2016-2021. She took lessons on Modern Music History and Contemporary Music Techniques from Composer İlhan Baran between 2009-2013. In 2004, she passed the exam opened by the State Polyphonic Children's Choir of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and became one of the child choristers of the choir directed by Ahter Destan, Atilla Çağdaş Değer and Çiğdem Aytepe between 2004-2009. She took part in many tours, concerts and performances with this choir as a chorister and accompanist in Turkey and abroad. The most important of these roles include being a child chorister in the Nutcracker Ballet, the Czech Republic tour organized upon the invitation of the Prague Men's Choir, and being one of only three child choristers who took part in the opening of the Samsun Opera. During his seven-year education, which he started at the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory in 2007, he gave numerous concerts as a soloist, conductor, chamber musician, accompanist and chorister, premiered newly written works, and made numerous radio and television recordings, especially for TRT. Ün, who gave lectures at the Ankara University of Music and Fine Arts as of October 2021, currently continues his professional work as a conductor, pianist, and harpsichordist, and works as the conductor of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet. As of July 2024, he became the General Music Director of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet.

Elvin Hoxha Ganiyev , violin