Çağatay Akyol | Harp

This phenomenon personality, the harp’s acrobat, exemplified the climax of music-making. In Çağatay, understanding, sensation, intuition, invention, creation, musical consciousness are in one state. When he hugs his harp, you will not believe your ears. He is a musical person and most importantly he has a rare cultural maturity. –Ahmet Say / Music Writer

Çağatay Akyol started working as a solo harpist in the Presidential Symphony Orchestra when he was only 19 years old. With his hypnotizing depth, virtuosity and musical intelligence, he is one of the most important artists of his era.

In his youth, he performed with many international orchestras. He graduated from Berlin Academy of Music with highest degree where he worked with Mariana Schmidt Krickeberg and Regina Herving.

Mr. Akyol gave concerts at the world’s most prestigious festivals such as the Salzburg Music Festival, Wien Modern, BBC Proms, Mahler Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Festival de Radio France en Montpellier and Ferrara Musica. He performed with world-renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Peter Eotvos, Michael Gielen, Yakov Kreisberg, James Judd, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Tugan Sokhiev, Daniel Gatti and Daniel Harding.

He also performed as a guest soloist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and Dresdner Staatskapelle. Mr. Akyol was invited as a jury member to the Felix Godefroid International Harp Competition in 2006. Between 2008-2010, he worked as a guest artist in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Çağatay Akyol recorded two albums, Lyrical Harp and Recorder (November 2004) and Harp & Violin with Cihat Aşkın (July 2009). In his Anatolia Project on Hittite music sponsored by the European Union, he has become the one and only person who plays Hittite Lyre.

He set out to share Anatolian music with the whole world by founding his chamber music ensemble Arpanatolia, which combines Anatolian instruments with the harp.

In the Mesopotamia Symphony, world-renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say’s work, his extraordinary performance is still remembered.

Akyol, who frequently gives concerts in Korea, was invited to Hong Kong as part of the World Harp Congress. He met with the audience in many important centers of the world including China, Canada, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Japan, America and Italy.

Mr. Akyol continues his duty as a solo harp player in the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.