Prof. Dr. M. ORHAN AHISKAL
String Performer of the Year in Turkey at the 6th annual Donizetti Awards in 2016, violinist Orhan Ahıskal’s performance career covers a wide array of styles and periods from Baroque, performed on period instruments, to avant-garde works of the 21st century. In addition to his wide repertoire, Ahıskal’s warm stage persona, informative stage talks, and exciting performances have won him great receptions by a variety of audiences. He has been hailed as a “violinist and musician of the highest caliber”, “a first-class soloist”, “a most satisfying combination of exciting passion and subtle sensitivity”.
Ahıskal has performed extensively as a soloist in England, U.S.A., Azerbaijan, and Turkey with the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Antalya, Bursa, Eskisehir State Symphony, Anadolu Symphony Orchestras, Sheffield Festival Orchestra, the Hartt Symphony, Mersin Academic, Akdeniz, Yaşar University Chamber Orchestras, Orchestra Academic Başkent, Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the Baku Philharmonic State Chamber Orchestra performing concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Korngold, Lou Harrison, Mozart, Paul Patterson, Piazzolla, Schnittke, Shostakovich, and Vivaldi. As a chamber musician he has performed in over 400 violin and chamber music recitals in Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ahıskal premiered two violin concertos composed and dedicated to him.
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Ahıskal launched the project “Düştüm Yola” (I Hit the Road) in 2014 to promote rarely or never performed works for solo violin by Turkish composers, commissioning and premiering new works. Ahıskal has so far premiered seven new works by Turkish composers and performed and lectured in over a hundred locations for HitTheRoad. Educational aspects of HitTheRoad Cultural Journeys include lecture-recitals, masterclass and workshops; and most recently documentary videos, “Open Windows” podcast and music and history-themed city tours in Munich, Augsburg and Salzburg (HitTheRoad.World). Ahıskal, aside from his solo performances, is the concertmaster of the Freies Landestheater Bayern. ESME is honoured to have this esteemed and accomplished musician as part of our organization!