Nil Kocamangil | Cello

“She is a very fine cellist and has a lot of musical imagination and sensibility, searching always different possibilities to speak the music.” — Gautier Capuçon

Born in Istanbul in 1989, Nil Kocamangil is one of the leading cellists of her generation. She has won over the public and the press with her powerful, intense, and virtuosic playing, both as a soloist and chamber musician.

Since her debut concert as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of 15, she has performed important works from the cello repertoire with numerous orchestras, including the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Tekfen Philharmonic, Sandnes Symfoniorkester, Mannheimer Philharmoniker, Sinfonietta Köln, Olten Philarmonic, Oberbergisches Kreises Symphonie Orchester, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, and Bursa State Symphony Orchestra, among many others.

Ms. Kocamangil has won several awards at international and national competitions, including 3rd prize and Jury Special Award in the “Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition” in Croatia, 1st prize and German Friendship Special Award in the “International Austrian and German Music Competition” in Bulgaria, 1st prize and Jury Special Award in the “International Young Musicians Competition” in Italy, 1st prize in the “Canetti International Music Festival,” 2nd prize in the “National Cello Competition” in Turkey, 3rd prize in the “Liezen International Cello Competition” in Austria, and 1st prize in the “Leipzig Chamber Music Competition” in Germany. Additionally, she received the Prix du Musée Bonnat and the prize of Saint Jean de Luz - Rotary/Lions Club in the two different years she participated in the “Maurice Ravel International Music Academy” in France.

In addition to her appearances at famous concert venues such as l’Auditorium de Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie im Gasteig München, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Cite de la Musique Paris, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Rosengarten Mannheim, Theater Odeon Zwolle, Theater de Vest Alkmaar, Théâtre du Chatelet Paris, she has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at outstanding festivals such as the “Verbier Festival,” “Istanbul Music Festival,” “Ankara International Music Festival,” “Euregio MusikFestival,” “Norwegian Youth Chamber Music Festival,” “Amsterdam Chamber Music Festival,” “Dvorak Festival,” “The Holland Music Sessions & Festival,” “Sommer-Schlosser Virtuosen,” “D-Marin Turgutreis International Music Festival,” “Athens & Epidaurus Festival,” and many others. She has also collaborated with renowned artists such as Tedi Papavrami, François-Frederic Guy, Isabelle van Keulen, David Grimal, Oliver Triendl, Calidore Quartet, Borusan Quartet, and Alexander Hülsoff, among others.

In 2015, Nil Kocamangil was chosen to participate in the “New Masters on Tour” concert series by The Holland International Music Sessions. As part of this tour, she gave a recital in the Netherlands, including a performance at the prestigious “Concertgebouw Amsterdam”. In addition, she recorded the “Swan” by C. Saint-Saens as a soloist with Mannheimer Philharmoniker under the baton of Boian Videnoff for the CD “Träumereien”, which was released in November 2015. During the 2012 concert season, she performed the cello suites by J. S. Bach live as part of the Hagen Theater Ballet’s production “Bach Tanzt” in Germany.

Ms. Kocamangil has had the opportunity to work with many renowned cellists, including Gary Hoffman, Frans Helmerson, Yo-Yo Ma, Jens Peter Maintz, Laurence Lesser, Lluis Claret, Amit Peled, Maria Kliegel, Steven Isserlis, Philippe Müller, and many others at renowned academies and workshops. As a passionate chamber musician, she has also worked with distinguished artists such as Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Pavel Gililov, Natalia Prischepenko (formerly of the Artemis Quartet), Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Paul Katz, Klaus Hellwig, James Buswell, Vladimir Mendelssohn, and members of the Ebene Quartet, among many others.

Ms. Kocamangil began playing the cello at the age of nine and has since pursued her studies with Dilbag Tokay (MSFAUSC, Istanbul), Claus Kanngiesser (Hfmt Köln), Marc Coppey (CNSM de Paris), and Gautier Capuçon (FLV, Paris). She also obtained her chamber music master’s degree with her piano trio and string quartet under the guidance of Itamar Golan (CNSM de Paris) and Miguel Da Silva (Ysaye Quartet-CRR de Paris). In June 2019, she graduated with distinction from the “Meisterklassenexamen” (Doctor of Music/solo cello) program in the class of Prof. Peter Bruns at Hochschule für Musik und Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig, and immediately after her graduation, she worked as a cello teacher at the same institution from 2019-2020. In addition, she has given masterclasses in Turkey and the Netherlands.

During her studies, Ms. Kocamangil was the recipient of many scholarships and awards, including those from the Tekfen Foundation, Turkish Education Foundation, Dr. Nejat Eczacıbası Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Borusan Kocabıyık Foundation, Sinfonima Foundation/Mannheim (instrument), Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, ProQuartet, Association des Jeunes Talents, Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation, and Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz/Germany, as well as support from private sponsors. Furthermore, she participated in the orchestra academy of Düsseldorfer Symphoniker/Deutsche Oper am Rhein under the mentorship of Nikolaus Trieb from 2015-2017.

Nil Kocamangil founded and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the “Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival” and “Istanbul International Music Academy,” which have been organized under the name “Academy Festival Istanbul” since 2021 at the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall. She is currently teaching cello and chamber music at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory in Istanbul while also performing as the Solo Cellist with the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Kocamangil plays on a 19th-century cello that was generously provided to her by a private sponsor.