Biography

Born in Istanbul in 2000, cellist Yunus Altıkanat began his musical journey on the accordion before taking up the cello at the age of ten through the Music for Peace Foundation, the Turkish partner of El Sistema. He later continued his training at the Istanbul State Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, where he studied with Prof. Reşit Erzin and Prof. Gözde Yaşar.

His orchestral experience has taken him to major concert halls and festivals across Europe. He performed as principal cellist of the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and is a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. Through these ensembles, as well as his own artistic activities, he has appeared at venues and festivals including the Salzburg Festival, BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Musikfest Bremen, Verona Settembre Musicale, Istanbul Music Festival, Encuentro de Santander, and the Schiermonnikoog Festival.

Based in Berlin, Altıkanat has performed at the Pierre Boulez Saal as part of Edward Said Days and Quartet Week. An active chamber musician, he has collaborated with distinguished artists including Emmanuel Pahud, Mihaela Martin, Nobuko Imai, and Marc Gothoni. He was also selected to participate in the Belcea Quartet's Beethoven masterclasses at Beethovenfest Bonn and has worked closely in chamber music with Oliver Wille.

Alongside the core classical repertoire, Altıkanat is deeply engaged with contemporary music. He has worked closely with the Kronos Quartet and joined them on stage during their 50th anniversary celebrations.

He has received further artistic guidance from Jens-Peter Maintz, Alexander Rudin, Adrian Brendel, Claudio Bohórquez, Antonio Meneses, Frans Helmerson, Peter Bruns, and Gary Hoffman. Altıkanat completed his Bachelor's degree at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin in the class of Prof. Frans Helmerson and is currently pursuing his Master's degree at the Universität der Künste Berlin with Prof. Konstantin Heidrich. He is also an academy member of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

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