I began playing the violin at the age of 8, and switched to viola at 12. Since coming to Holland I’ve been able to work with illustrious artists such as Valery Gergiev, Jacque van Steen, Nobuko Imai, Gilles Apap, Gilad Karni, Mikhail Kugel, Garth Knox, Eva Stegemann, Patrick Ayrton and many more. I have been studying the past 6 years at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag where I completed a Bachelor of Music degree under Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir and am currently pursuing a Master of Music under Mikhail Zemtsov.
In November of 2018 my viola duo Black Büyü premiered an all original theatrical production titled Moonwalk at the International Viola Congress in Hofplein Theater, Rotterdam. In February of 2019 that same duo won first prize at De Grote Kamermuziekprijs - De Doelen 2019 with a multi-genre program featuring different musical styles, improvisation, and a medley of selections from Moonwalk featuring video projections.
I was selected for The Global Leaders Program, a post-graduate certificate program in project management, social entrepreneurship and leadership strategy as one of their Cohort members in 2019 where I traveled extensively throughout Chile and Jamaica, working to increase access and the impact of music within disadvantaged communities. In applying what I learned in that program back in The Hague, I founded an initiative to present concerts for underserved communities called Music Bridge. We presented our first concert for a Turkish immigrant community in May of 2019 in partnership with Wijkcentrum Bouwlust and with a budget funded by Fonds1818. We are currently in development for our next presentation at Dakota Theater in partnership with Stichting CultuurSchakel.
I feel so fortunate to have been the recipient of my viola and bow from NMF. Without their assistance I would never have been able to source such fine equipment during my time of study and the beginning of my professional career. It is not an exaggeration to say that this viola and bow have opened doors for me both artistically and professionally. I have grown particularly attached to the viola by Andrew Finnigan from 2008 which I regard as one of the highest quality violas I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Similarly the bow by Andreas Grütter has allowed for the single most significant period of artistic development in my life and has been used in performance on stages all over the world. My gratitude towards the NMF for their support during these years can’t be measured!
