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Biography:
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Assoc. Prof. Barış Kerem Bahar began his musical education at an early age as a member of the Children’s Choir of the İzmir State Opera and Ballet. In 2000, he received the Special Prize at the Chamber Music Competition organized by the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation, and in April 2002, he was awarded Second Prize at the 5th International Edirne Classical Music Competition. He has performed works such as A. Stamitz’s Viola Concerto (Turkish Premiere), A. Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violas, W.A. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, J.N. Hummel’s Fantasie, and O. Aydınoğlu’s A dos Altistas with various orchestras. He actively participated in viola and chamber music workshops/masterclasses led by distinguished artists including Ruşen Güneş, Lukas David, Ellen Jewett, and Bruno Giuranna. He also studied Mozart interpretation with Jerrold Rubinstein and Baroque performance practice with Italian harpsichordist Giovanna Fabiano. In 2012, he completed his Master’s Degree in Viola Performance at the Istanbul University State Conservatory with honors. He has been invited by numerous institutions, including the Giacomo Puccini Conservatory of La Spezia and the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, where he gave concerts and masterclasses in viola and chamber music. He completed his Proficiency in Art degree with honors under the supervision of Prof. Beste Tıknaz Modiri and Çiğdem Epikmen at the Istanbul University State Conservatory, while also continuing his studies with Luca Morassutti at the Conservatorio Luca Marenzio. In 2015, Bahar gave the world premiere of J.S. Bach’s Viola Concerto in G Minor at the Pietro Da Cemmo Hall in Brescia, Italy. In 2026, he performed the world premiere of Recep Gül’s Viola Concerto at the Liszt Academy of Music. His first book, The Viola Book, was published in January 2018. His second book, Lillian Fuchs: Portrait of a Violist, was published in December 2018. His third book, A Long Story About Love, featuring his stories and poems, was published in 2020. Assoc. Prof. Bahar has performed with distinguished ensembles including the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sion, and the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra. His compositions for solo viola, collected under the title Tomris and the Blacksea, Op.1, were published in the United States by Gems Music Publications, and later recorded and released in Spain by renowned violist Paul Cortese. He currently serves as a faculty member at the Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory and was awarded the title of Associate Professor in 2021. He is the founding president of the Turkish Viola Society and a member of both the International Viola Society and the European String Teachers Association. He also serves as the General Artistic Director of the Istanbul International Viola Days. Since 2024, Assoc. Prof. Barış Kerem Bahar has been an official artist of D’Addario, becoming the first and only Turkish classical musician to hold this title.
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