Nermin Kaygusuz, kemancha - She was born in Ankara and graduated from Besiktas Girls High School and attended the Istanbul City Conservatory Turkish Music Faculty for a short while. During this time she passed the entrance examination for the newly established State Conservatory for Turkish Music and was accepted as a violin student in the Foundations of Music department. She studied violin with Erdoğan Saydam for four years. After graduating in 1979 she entered the City Conservatory violin department, and studied there for two years until her mentor passed away after which she left the school and started working independently. In 1986-1992 she obtained her postgraduate degree and her arts proficiency from the Social Sciences department at the Istanbul Technical University. Throughout her studies she had the opportunity to study under distinguished teachers such as Tülin Korman, Özdal Orhon, Sadeddin Heper, Yalçın Tura, Demirhan Altuğ, Bekir Sıtkı Sezgin, İhsan Özgen and Ercümend Berker. In the meantime, she started taking lessons from Cüneyd Orhon for four string kemancha. After two years intensive study, began working as a teaching member of the faculty at the Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory and was made associate professor in 2001. In 2003 she worked with Prof. Dr. Berthed Hoeckner at the University of Chicago in the field of music aesthetics. She has given many concerts domestically and internationally and published many CDs, namely "Gönülden Damlalar" , ”Kemençe ve Gitarla Saz Eserleri” and “Telkâri”. As of 2005 she has been performing with the Avaze Turkish Classical Music Women’s Ensemble, which she co-founded.
She believes that Turkish classical music performance practice needs, on occasion, be performed applying modern and new practices. Kaygusuz has also founded the instrumental ensemble “Arayışlar” and the choir “Melodias Epicas”, with whom she has given many concerts domestically and internationally. Since 2005 she has also been performing in Piano-Kemancha-Vocal concerts with the duo “Buluşma”, which she founded with Faris Akarsu. In 2006 she wrote and published the book "Muallim İsmail Hakkı Bey ve Musiki Tekâmül Dersleri" ("Muallim İsmail Hakkı Bey and Lessons in Musical Advancement”).
She believes that Turkish classical music performance practice needs, on occasion, be performed applying modern and new practices. Kaygusuz has also founded the instrumental ensemble “Arayışlar” and the choir “Melodias Epicas”, with whom she has given many concerts domestically and internationally. Since 2005 she has also been performing in Piano-Kemancha-Vocal concerts with the duo “Buluşma”, which she founded with Faris Akarsu. In 2006 she wrote and published the book "Muallim İsmail Hakkı Bey ve Musiki Tekâmül Dersleri" ("Muallim İsmail Hakkı Bey and Lessons in Musical Advancement”).
