Aydın Gün Award goes to young violinist

ISTANBUL

The annual Aydın Gün Encouragement Award has been presented every year since 2012 by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts (İKSV) to promising young musicians in the field of classical music to help support their development. This year the award was given to 24-year-old violin virtuoso Emre Engin.

The Aydın Gün Encouragement Award, worth 15,000 Turkish Liras, was presented to Engin by İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı. 

Presented by İKSV every year to a musician under the age of 29, the Aydın Gün Encouragement Award’s recipient is selected by a committee from among applicants in the categories of instrument, voice, composition and conducting. The selection committee is led by İKSV General Director Görgün Taner and consists of conductor Rengim Gökmen, State Opera and Ballet Director Yekta Kara, violinist Cihat Aşkın, Borusan Sanat General Manager Ahmet Erenli and Istanbul Music Festival Director Yeşim Gürer Oymak.

Engin completed his high school education at Uludağ University’s State Conservatory before being admitted to London’s Royal Academy of Music for his undergraduate education, from where he graduated with high honors. Engin is currently continuing his graduate education in Pinchas Zukerman’s class at New York’s Manhattan School of Music, where he was offered a full scholarship. Engin is also a holder of a distinctive scholarship from The Foundation for Contemporary Education’s Outstanding Talents Project.

In addition to his orchestra-accompanied performances, Engin has been continuing his chamber music work as part of a string trio featuring Pinchas Zukerman’s assistant violist Cong Wu and cellist Thomas Dega. Since July 2015, Engin has also undertaken the role of the co-founder of the International Notes at the Bay Violin Festival in the state of California.