Esra Pehlivanli

Esra Pehlivanli (born 1977, Ankara) is a musician who plays the viola. She studied with the eminent Violist Mikhail Kugel and holds diplomas of master's degree and advanced studies from the Gent Royal Conservatory in Belgium and the Conservatorium Maastricht in the Netherlands, finishing both degrees with the highest distinction.

Pehlivanli has been awarded several prizes such as the V. Krzyzstof Penderecki International Contemporary Music Competition (Poland), Torneo Internazionale di Musica (Italy) and the first prize in Premio Valentino Bucchi International Viola Competition (Italy), where she obtained a Presidential Medal of Honour.

Pehlivanli ’s repertoire spans from Baroque until the music of present time. Composers such as Ivo Petric, Chiel Meijering, Bruno Strobl, Nico Huijbregts, Yigit Kolat, Gerard Beljon, and Sinta Wullur have written music for her including the first Concerto for Viola & Accordion and Symphony Orchestra by Selim Dogru.

Pehlivanli has performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, Turkey, Poland, Austria, China, Slovenia and Luxembourg. She has played as a soloist with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, and the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra. Pehlivanli has taken part in festivals such as Robeco Zomerconcerten (the Netherlands), Grachtenfestival (the Netherlands), International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht (the Netherlands), Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany), De “Wohltemperierte” Accordeon (the Netherlands-Germany), Akkorde-On-Stage (Austria), International Ankara Music Festival (Turkey), Mersin International Music Festival (Turkey), and radio and TV recordings for RTL Germany, TRT Turkey, Concertzender the Netherlands.