Ertan Torgul

Throughout his career Turkish-American violinist ERTAN TORGUL has enjoyed an eclectic and multi-faceted musical path. As a recitalist, chamber musician, soloist, concertmaster, and teacher he has toured around the world and collaborated with some of today’s most sought-after musicians and ensembles. 

Mr. Torgul has been a member of the award-winning SOLI Chamber Ensemble since 1996 and has served as its Managing/Artistic Director from 2011 until recently. Specializing in contemporary repertoire, the Ensemble performs concerts and residencies on both National and International stage. A strong advocate of contemporary music and living composers he has commissioned over 100 new works and recorded six CDs, featuring commissioned works of American composers. Mr. Torgul is also a founding member of the critically acclaimed SUONO Trio, Quartet ES, and Quinteto Quilombo - a Tango Quintet specializing in Tango Nuevo – and has performed with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Michael Tilson Thomas, the Miami, Plymouth, Fry Street, Degas, and ROCO String Quartets, around the world. He was in-residence at the Ojai Festival, Mainly Mozart, Point Counterpoint, and the Internationale Quartett akademie Prag-Wien-Budapest, and was the recipient of Austria’s prestigious Prix Mercure, a prize winner in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and a laureate of the Paolo Borciani International Quartet Competition.

Recent season highlights include Beethoven Triple Concerto performances in Waynesboro and Staunton Virginia, performances with SUONO Trio on Four Seasons Arts series in Berkeley, CA, world premiere performance of composer Peter Lieuwen’s new work The QUAD Concerto, and a two-week tour to Northern Italy with SOLI Chamber Ensemble.

Torgul started his violin studies at the Ankara State Conservatory at the age of twelve with Prof. Nuri Çeken. Later he was entered in the “Special status” program designed for gifted students where he studied violin with Professor Suna Kan, one of Turkey’s premier soloists. After receiving his Bachelor of Music Degree in 1987 Mr. Torgul moved to the United States and continued his studies with William Barbini, Concertmaster of the Sacramento Symphony. He was a member of the Sacramento Symphony for two years before he went to Indiana University for further studies with Prof. Franco Gulli where he received his Performers Diploma. Shortly after Mr. Torgul joined the New World Symphony where he served as Concertmaster under Michael Tilson Thomas for two seasons, and recorded, under Argo Label, “Defining Dahl. The Music of Ingolf Dahl.”

Mr. Torgul currently serves as a Lecturer of Violin & Chamber Music at University of California, Santa Barbara, and Affiliate Artist in violin at Moores School of Music at University of Houston.