BIRSEN ULUCAN, Piano-Born in the city of Shumen, Bulgaria, Birsen Ulucan started learning the piano at the age of seven. In 1984 she was admitted to the piano class of Ekaterina Tszetkova at the Dobri Hristov Music School in Varna. In 1982 she took second in the National 'Svetoslav Obretenov' Music Contest, in 1983 first in the performance branch of the National Radio Competition held in Bulgaria and second in composition, and in 1988 second in the 'Interpretation of Bulgarian and Russian Composers' Competition which she entered in Bulgaria. In 1989 she graduated from the music school and that same year emigrated to Turkey with her family. At the Istanbul State Conservatory she studied under Prof. Meral Yapalı, receiving her diploma after one year, and for four years taught there as a lecturer. In 1992 she and her brother Özcan Ulucan entered the International R. Lipizer Violin Competition held in Italy, and as a violin-piano duo shared the prize for the best interpretation of a Beethoven sonata. She continued her education in the class of Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music in London, having been awarded a fellowship in 1993 by the Turkish Education Foundation and an additional grant by the Eczacıbaşı Culture and Art Foundation. In 1996 she received the Soloist Diploma from this school, the equivalent of a Master's degree, and that same year won first prize in the Smith Kline Beecham Music Contest held at Oxford, where she gave concerts. From 1997-99 Birsen Ulucan studied at the City University of London and was awarded a doctorate, and she performed the Liszt Piano Concerto at St. John Smith Square, one of London's most prestigious concert halls. From 2000-2004 the artist was employed as a pianist in the class of the world-famous violinist Maxim Vengerov at the Saarbrücken Music Academy in Germany, thus having the opportunity to study and work on the major compositions in the piano-violin repertoire. Since 1989 she has played with Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Ferenc Liszt Chamber Orchestra and the leading orchestras of Turkey. She has also given concerts at such festivals as the Salzburg Mozarteum (1996), International Istanbul Festival (1992 and 1993), France International Flain Music Festival (1996) and Cyprus Bellapais Music Festival and has given concerts in Bulgaria, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Italy, France, Austria, Israel and Portugal, the artist continues with her solo and chamber music concerts.

http://www.birsenulucan.com/