Alara ACAR, harp
Born in 1995 in Izmir, Alara Acar started her harp classes at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory as a student of Ipek Mine Sonakın in 2006. In 2009 she participated in Yıldız Technical University Young Harpists Festival. She also participated in masterclasses of many renowned harpists such as Benoit Wery, Gunnhildur Einarsdottir, Sivan Magen, Mirjam Schröder and Anne Ricquebourg.
After finishing her Erasmus at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar as a student of Mirjam Schröder, Acar became entitled to continue her studies at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar. She has given many solo and chamber music concerts during her studies.
Besides the projects with the conductors such as Erdem Çöloğlu with the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Philharmonic Orchestra, and Nicolas Pasquet and Marek Janowski with the Weimar University Orchestra, Alara Acar also went on tour to Spain and Portugal with Cem Mansur and Turkish National Youth Symphony Orchestra as the principal harpist in 2016.
In 2017, Alara Acar won the third prize at the Giovani Musicisti Competition in Treviso, Italy. On January 2018 she, as a soloist, performed the piece Conte Fantastique by André Caplet with the Academy Orchestra of Staatskapelle Halle.
Having concerts with many orchestras in Germany such as Jenaer Philharmoniker, Loh-Orchester Sondershausen, Thüringer Symphoniker Saalfeld – Rudolstadt, Alara Acar continues her bachelor studies at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar as the student of Prof. Andreas Wehrenfennig.
Aslı Su Kurtuluş, flute
Born in 1997 in Bursa, Aslı Su Kurtuluş started her flute classes with Burçak Gül Sualp at the Avni Akyol Fine Arts High School.
Kurtuluş participated in masterclasses of renowned flutists including Gülşen Tatu, Bülent Evcil, Ayla Uludere, Silvia Careddu, Maxence Larrieu, Florance Souchard-Delépine, Jocelyn Auburn, Michel Moragues, Caroline Debonne, Rogerio Zerlotti Wolf, and Lydia Oshavkova.
In 2015 Aslı Su Kurtuluş passed the exams of Nice Conservatory in France, and she became a student of Sibel Pensel. She won the second prize at 7th International Flute Competition in Nice in 2016, first prize in the category of flute quartet at the 8th International Flute Chamber Music Competition in Cannes in 2017, first prizes at the International Flute Competition and at the International Flute Orchestra Competition with the flute orchestra “Les Fluted d’Azur”.
Giving concerts with Nice Conservatory Youth Symphony and Youth Harmony Orchestras, Aslı Su Kurtuluş continues her studies at the Nice Conservatory.
Deniz Ayşe Birdal, cello
Born in 1996, Deniz Ayşe Birdal started her cello lessons at Istanbul Devlet Conservatory at the age of 13. While studying at the conservatory as a part-time student and at Galatasaray High School, she won the first prize at the International String Competition Rudolf Matz and the third prize at the Violoncello Competition Liezen in 2011. Deniz Ayşe Birdal got an invitation to the class of Prof. Heidi Litschauer, she started her studies at Salzburg Mozarteum. In 2012, she got accepted to the Leopold-Mozart Institute for Talented Students. Birdal also had free classes with Prof. Jerome Pernoo from Paris State Conservatory.
Deniz Ayşe Birdal has participated in many festivals around the world such as International Kaunas Young Musicians Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad String Academy, Euro Music Festival, Tignes Music Festival, ISA Music Festival and Kronberg Academy Cello Festival, and she was invited to the Moscow Meets Friends Festival which was organized by Vladimir Spivakov. She also took part in masterclasses of cellists including Philippe Müller, Maria Kliegel, Michel Strauss, Ivan Monighetti, Jerome Pernoo, Jens Peter Maintz, Heidi Litschauer, Young Chang Cho, Maximilian Hornung, Valentin Erben and Julius Berger.
In April 2013 Deniz Ayşe Birdal made played Lalo’s Cello Concerto as a soloist with Kaunas Philharmonic Orchestra in Lithuania. She passed the exam of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation in May 2014, and she started performing at the special events of the Foundation. In 2015, Birdal won the second prize at the International Johann Andreas String Competition with a performance including her own composition Sky-Cut. Additionally in 2017 she was the solo cellist for the Augsburg premiere of Jenkins’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace with the renowned artists including soprano Isabell Münsch and actor Fred Strittmatter.
Deniz Ayşe Birdal continues her bachelor studies with Prof. Julius Berher at Leopold-Mozart Centre of University Augsburg.
