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Bachelor’s degree/Masters/ Doctorate:
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Doktorate: Music, İTÜ, 2010;
Master of Arts: Music, İTÜ, 2004;
Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, 2001
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Biography:
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Tolgahan Çoğulu stands as the first prize laureate of the Georgia Tech Guthman Musical Instrument Competition in 2014, later securing the esteemed People’s Choice Award in 2021. In 2008, Çoğulu introduced his creation, the "Adjustable Microtonal Guitar." Subsequent to this, his collaborative efforts with his son Atlas Çoğulu and Ruşen Can Acet materialized in the development of the "Lego Microtonal Guitar" in 2020, followed by the creation of the "Automatic Microtonal Guitar" in 2021 alongside Selçuk Keser.
Renowned for his microtonal guitar, Çoğulu has performed at numerous festivals and universities across 38 countries, including notable appearances in Singapore, the United States, Mexico, China, Malaysia, Australia and many European countries. Actively engaged in expanding the repertoire for microtonal guitar, he has collaborated with over 40 composers to date.
In 2010, Çoğulu successfully completed his doctoral dissertation titled "The Adaptation of Bağlama Techniques into Classical Guitar Performance." In 2019, Tolgahan Çoğulu ascended to the position of Professor in Guitar at Istanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music State Conservatory. Notably, he founded the classical guitar department in 2010 and established the world’s inaugural microtonal guitar department in 2014. With a prolific discography encompassing albums and singles such as “Atlas,” “Microtonal Guitar Duo,”“Microtonal,” and “Amorphous,” Çoğulu has garnered international acclaim. His rendition of the eminent composer William Allaudin Mathieu’s three-movement 'Lattice-İşi' in just intonation was published by Cold Mountain Music in the United States in 2016.
In 2016, he undertook a 12-month research project at the University of Bristol, titled ‘Historical Tunings on the Microtonal Guitar.’ From 2015 to 2017, Çoğulu collaborated with the University of Music Würzburg on the project ‘Creating and Presenting a Repertoire for the Microtonal Guitar,’ supported by DAAD. This initiative involved 12 composers crafting compositions for microtonal guitar and ensemble.
An advocate for the advancement of microtonal guitar artistry, Çoğulu has organized the world's premiere “Microtonal Guitar Competition” since 2016. His comprehensive 'Microtonal Guitar Method,' spanning 350 pages and available in English and Turkish, was published in 2023 by Kitapol Publishing.
Çoğulu's recent performances include prestigious venues and institutions such as Harvard University Renaissance Studies Center, the 71st Granada Festival, London Jazz Festival, Tres Culturas Foundacion Sevilla, Leibnitz Jazz Festival, Almeria Castillo de Guardias Viajas, Malaga Castillo de Gibralforo, Lyon Saint Bruno Church, Helsinki Microtonal Music Studios, WOMEX’21 Showcase in Porto, Amsterdam Muziekgebouw, Germany Esslingen, Cologne Lutherkirche.
Currently, Tolgahan Çoğulu is conducting a research project titled “Adaptation of Turkish Music Makams to Flamenco through the Microtonal Guitar” at the Conservatorio Superior de Musica Rafael Orozco in Cordoba, until September 2024.
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