GÜLSİN ONAY'S NEW YEAR MESSAGE

Dear Friends,

As we enter 2012, I hope that in 2011 you had the opportunity to enjoy every detail that makes life beautiful, and that the coming year will bring to you and your loved ones health, joy and peace.

When I look back over the last year, I feel grateful for yet another year full of unforgettable concerts and precious memories.

.

“le gigantisme pianistique”
“l’interprète magnifique”
“Grande Dame”
GÜLSIN ONAY

A season of festivals comes to a close only to bring more glory as Gülsin Onay opens the new concert season with concerts in four countries.

"LE GIGANTISME PIANISTIQUE"

Gülsin Onay is enjoying a busy summer with international festival appearances, all lauded by the press in Europe and Turkey. Her Wiltz Festival recital was covered in Luxemburger Wort with the title, "Le gigantisme pianistique", while La Dépêche du Midi's headline for her Piano Pic Festival appearance was, "L'interprete magnifique".

A DAZZLING SUMMER FOR GÜLSİN ONAY

Gülsin Onay brings July to an end at the festivals of Wiltz and Piano Pic, whilst August will find her at Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival. Her busy summer schedule, which had opened with the Philharmonia concert at the İzmir Festival, will come to a fine conclusion with the Schleswig-Holstein, where she will play the Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto.

IZMIR FESTIVAL TAKES OFF HIGH with PHILHARMONIA, SALONEN & ONAY

Pianist Gulsin Onay plays with the Philharmonia and maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen on Monday night to launch the International Izmir Festival’s 25th edition.

PIANIST OF THE YEAR: GÜLSİN ONAY

Gülsin Onay was chosen “Pianist of the Year” in Donizetti 2011 Classical Music Awards, a major event in the classical music agenda of Turkey.

A SEASON HIGHLIGHT IN ODESSA AND COLOGNE

Gülsin Onay's rendition of Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto is a highlight of the concert season both in Odessa and in Cologne. Ms. Onay plays with maestro Hobart Earle and the Odessa Philharmonic in both cities, with the second performance in Odessa tonight and concluding in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall on the 14th of February.

WELCOMING 2011

With tours in South America and Turkey along with other countries, and 17 concerts over the last 10 weeks, Gulsin Onay celebrates the New Year with an equally exciting schedule.

CELEBRATING 200 YEARS OF COLOMBIA, CHILE & CHOPIN

Gülsin Onay’s 2010-11 concert season that opened in England, continued with another South America tour, which this time was marked by her Chile debut. She first gave a concert in Bogota and then in Santiago to honour the bicentenaries of Colombia and Chile, also celebrating the 200th birthday of Chopin.

GÜLSİN ONAY'S RACHMANINOV TOUR WITH LSSO

Gülsin Onay continues with her busy schedule of summer festivals. She recently returned from the United States, where she opened the Golandsky Institute’s International Piano Festival, following her performances at the festivals in Austria and Germany. Her debut at the Bayreuth Piano Festival was another striking success (see Press page).

She is now launching her next tour, which features three special performances with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra - at Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival, Meandros Festival and the 1st Youth Orchestras Festival in İstanbul.

GULSIN ONAY’S SPECIAL SUMMER EDITION

Gulsin Onay performed with Kirill Troussov and Antonio Meneses at İstanbul Music Festival for a rare chamber music treat - she continues her summer of festivals with appearances worldwide.

ONAY AT ISTANBUL ECC 2010 CHOPIN PIANO WEEKS

Istanbul celebrates the 200th birthday of Chopin at an international series of concerts. Chopin Piano Weeks bring some of the most distinguished Polish, Hungarian, Belgian and Turkish musicians to the European Capital of Culture.

The series of events took off on the 11th of April with a magnificent concert featuring Gulsin Onay at the piano. She will return to the Chopin Piano Weeks on April 19 with her touring recital performance “Happy Birthday Frédéric!”

GÜLSİN ONAY IN USA

Gulsin Onay’s concert season takes her across the Atlantic once more - this time to the United States. She will first perform at the Miami International Piano Festival and then at the New York Times Center, with a special emphasis on Chopin in her programmes.

ONAY PLAYS WITH MAESTRO SEREBRIER

NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM GÜLSİN ONAY

Dear friends and colleagues,

As 2009 draws to an end, I once again feel most grateful to music and the piano for filling each day with many wonders and inspiration.

GÜLSİN ONAY, UNA GRAN PIANISTA

Gülsin Onay's Buenos Aires debut earns her the headline “a great pianist”; lauded by Argentinian and Uruguay musical society.

Argentina's leading critic Carlos Ernesto Ure announced “Gülsin Onay, una gran pianista” in La Prensa Newspaper: “Gülsin Onay, a great pianist, presented her performance in Buenos Aires with admirable qualities, both technical and interpretative."

WHIRLWIND OPENING OF ONAY'S CONCERT SEASON IN 3 CONTINENTS

Gulsin Onay begins her 2009-10 season at whirlwind pace, with a string of concerts across 3 continents. After her tour in England in mid-September, with 5 concerts in as many days, October takes her to Skopje, Argentina, Uruguay, Madrid and Oslo.

CHOPIN FESTIVAL OPENS WITH GÜLSIN ONAY

The 2009 International Piano Festival of the Chopin Society, UK opens with Gülsin Onay’s recital.

A week after her Odessa debut, Gülsin Onay appears once more on the London stage. She will perform works of Chopin, as well as by Haydn and Mozart at the opening recital of the International Piano Festival at the St. Gabriel’s Church on June 28th.

VAI RELEASES GULSIN ONAY ON DVD

The prestigious American DVD label "Video Artists International" has just released two of Gulsin Onay’s live concerto performances with the Bilkent Symphony on DVD.

In this her debut DVD album, the celebrated Turkish pianist performs the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor and the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor. The Bilkent Symphony Orchestra is directed by conductors Emil Tabakov (Grieg) and Avi Ostrowsky (Saint-Saens).

10/10 FOR ONAY'S SAYGUN CONCERTOS CD

As part of their Saygun series, the German CPO label recently released Gülsin Onay's new recording of both his piano concertos, partnered by Howard Griffiths and the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. Already the CD has received high critical acclaim:

GULSIN ONAY ON CPO LABEL

ATHENS CONCERT IN FRENCH PRESS

On her Greece debut with maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Greek-Turkish Youth Orchestra, Gülsin Onay received standing ovations from the audiences as well as great acclaim from the critics. The French national newspapers Le Monde and  Libération both referred to the pianist as “the exceptional Gülsin Onay”, whilst Athens News expressed that the Athenians were ready for a return visit from this formidable and sophisticated performer.

FESTIVAL AND RECITAL TOUR

An ever busy concerting schedule awaits Gülsin Onay again in late spring and summer. The renowned pianist is first touring the States, Germany and Austria for recitals and festival appearances from 7 April to 14 June. Her summer programme will follow with festivals in Turkey, and tours to Greece with the conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy and once more to Germany.

NEW CONCERT VIDEOS ON THE WEBSITE

Please visit the Gallery to watch this collection of recent live performances.

Debussy, Images II - "Night Music" Recital, Ankara 2008
Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit, Gibet and Scarbo - Ankara 2008
Chopin, Nocturne Op.48 No.2 - Ankara 2008
Rachmaninov, 3rd Piano Concerto - Bilkent Symphony/Vladimir Askenazy - Ankara 2007
Chopin, 2nd Piano Concerto II mvmt - Presidential Symphony/Rengim Gökmen - D-Marine Classical Music Festival 2007
Schumann, Abegg Variations - Bella Pais Festival, Northern Cyprus 2006
Mendelssohn, Variations Serieuses - Bella Pais Festival, Northern Cyprus 2006

GÜLSİN ONAY PLAYS SAYGUN WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC

The Royal Philharmonic concert, dedicated to Turkey’s most famous classical composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun, brings Gülsin Onay once again to London. Renowned universally for her definitive interpretations of Saygun, the pianist will play her teacher’s 1st Piano Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic under the baton of Gürer Aykal.

FROM KREMLIN FESTIVAL TO GERMANY

Welcoming 2008 with a busy recording and concert schedule, Gülsin Onay gave the first concert of the year to benefit UNICEF. She was then at the Kremlin Festival, performing Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto on 15 January and right after that in Germany where “she conjured glistening strings of pearls from the piano” at her recitals.

in 2007

4 AWARDS
8 FESTIVALS
2 CONCERTS with VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY
5 OPENING CONCERTS
57th COUNTRY in the WORLD
8 CONCERTOS
SAYGUN CONCERTOS with 9 ORCHESTRAS
for the CENTENARY OF AHMED ADNAN SAYGUN Panels and Masterclasses
and... 1 NEW ALBUM

GÜLSİN ONAY RECEIVES TURKEY'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS MUSICAL AWARD

GÜLSİN ONAY RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE FROM HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY

Hacettepe University have conferred an Honorary Doctorate on pianist Gülsin Onay. Ms. Onay received her degree at a ceremony held on 25 September 2007 at Hacettepe University in Ankara.

LIVE CONCERTOS ON CD

Two much-praised live interpretations of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov concertos by Gülsin Onay have now been released as live concert recordings under Lila label.

ONAY ENCHANTS PAKISTAN

Gülsin Onay gave a recital in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad which won the hearts and minds of the audience, and lavish praise from the national media. Her performance at the Turkish Embassy Cultural Centre was lauded by many, including Pakistani newspaper, Dawn, which wrote: “Turkish pianist enchants city audience.”