BÜLENT EVCIL (Istanbul, Türkiye)
30 October @14.00-18.00 in D-511
Described by the world-renowned flautist Sir James Galway as “the best flutist of his generation”, Bülent Evcil began his musical studies at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul in 1980. He commenced his flute education with Mükerrem Berk and later continued his training with Marc Grauwels at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and Jean-Michel Tanguy at the Heidelberg-Mannheim School of Music. After winning second prize at the “Best Performer” competition held during Sir James Galway’s flute seminar in Dublin in 1992, he was invited to study with Galway himself — a formative opportunity that shaped his future career.
Between 2000 and 2005, Evcil served as principal flautist of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. He currently holds the position of solo flautist at both the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to his work in Turkey, Evcil has performed as solo and principal flute with several international orchestras, including the “Arturo Toscanini” Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Lorin Maazel, the Italian International Symphony Orchestra, the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, the Murcia Symphony Orchestra, and the Frankfurt (Oder) Symphony Orchestra.
Evcil’s solo career has taken him to over 20 countries, where he has been invited to perform in major concert halls and international music festivals. Notable appearances include performances at the National Flute Association (USA), the Italian “FALAUT” Festival, and various flute festivals in the United Kingdom, France, Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Germany. He has collaborated with distinguished conductors and musicians such as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Alexander Rahbari, Igor Oistrakh, Emil Tabakov, Ion Marin, Gürer Aykal, Tadeusz Strugała, Claudio Scimone, Fazıl Say, Richard Galliano, Benoît Fromanger, Davide Formisano, Marc Grauwels, Raffaele Trevisani, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Linda Kretzer, Phillip Moll, and Andrea Oliva.
Evcil has premiered numerous flute concertos in Turkey, including Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto Pastoral, widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding works for the instrument. Other premieres include flute concertos by Lowell Liebermann, Fazıl Say, Kamran İnce, and Yalçın Tura — several of which were dedicated to him. Fazıl Say’s Flute Concerto was recorded with the Camerata Salzburg under the direction of Nil Venditti, while Kamran İnce’s Flute Concerto was recorded with the Cemal Reşit Rey Symphony Orchestra conducted by Murat Cem Orhan, and released globally on digital platforms.
His discography includes Tango Time (Kalan Music) and Middle East Miniatures (A.K. Music). In 2015, Evcil recorded his third album, Virtuoso Flute, with the world-renowned pianist Phillip Moll.
The collection Flute World, featuring solo works for the entire flute family, was composed by Fazıl Say and dedicated to Evcil. These works have been published internationally by Schott Music. He also took part in Say’s Portraits project — an album honouring prominent Turkish figures — which was released in 2022 on all major digital platforms.
A passionate advocate for flute music in Turkey, Evcil is committed to raising the instrument’s profile and representing his country internationally through his artistry. He is the recipient of the Royal Belgian Medal for Artistic Encouragement and was named Most Successful Wind Instrument Artist of 2010 by Andante music magazine. His international accomplishments have also been recognised by leading publications; he has appeared on the covers of The Flute Talk (USA) and Falaut (Italy).
The masterclass will be held in cooperation with the Turkish Embassy in Tallinn.