TUBA ÖZKAN, Viola - She was born in Giresun in 1967 and graduated from the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory with a High Honor degree in 1987. During her conservatory studies, she has been the student of Prof. Betil Başeğmezler for nine years. After her graduation, she started her professional performance life with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara. In 1989, she won the D.A.A.D. full scholarship of the Government of Germany. This provided her with the opportunity to study with Prof. Bruno Giuranna at Berlin High Music School for 2,5 years and to obtain a diploma with a High Honor degree. Upon her return to her country, she continued working at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra for one more year. In the following year she started playing with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra where she still works as a full-time musician. She has been invited to play with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra as a Viola Group Chef and Solo Viola Player between 1993 and 2009. In February 2010, she organized and worked as a tutor of a master class with nine students in the 1st Islands Viola and Chamber Music Mastership Course as part of the Islands IstANBUL European Capital of Culture Project. In July 2010, she has been invited to the KK Summer School in Urgup-Cappadocia where she trained 40 students. She led various street and cave concerts with a programme composed of Beethoven and Schumann's works with an intention to integrate classical musical work into the general public life. Moreover, she led a concert in the Saruhan Carvansaray built in the 12th century.The professors with whom she worked/studied in both national and international mastership courses include Prof. Bruno Giuranna (Hindemith Foundation, Vevey, Swiss) in 1990, Prof. Tabea Zimmermann and Prof. F. Gulli (Riva del Garda, Italy) in 1993, Prof. Michael Homitzer and Prof. Victor Pikayzen (Ayvalık, Turkey) in 1998, and Prof. Mathias Buccholtz (Montepulciano, Italy) in 2000. She offered Chamber Music Classes in the Department of Music in the Faculty of Performing Arts at Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) between 2002 and 2006 and at the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) in 2001.Özkan has especially given more emphasis on chamber music works in recent years. She has given 11 concerts at the Feukugigawa International Chamber Music Festival in Japan between 1997 and 1999. She currently continues her concert performances both in Turkey and abroad. She gives chamber music concerts with KLAVIOL and TRIOLE groups, which she personally initiated and organized. Moreover, she offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral courses in the Department of Music at the Marmara University. She is in the final phase of completing her doctoral studies in the Department of Music in the Faculty of Beaux-Arts at İstanbul Mimar Sinan University.