Burcu Göker

Burcu Göker started her musical education at the University of Istanbul State Conservatory when she was eight years old. She graduated from both the conservatory and the high school at the age of 14. She then received an Ezcacıbaşı Fellowship and went to Paris to study in the Sylvie Gazeau’s Superior Level Class at the Paul Dukas Conservatory in 1996. After earning a First Prize in the Chamber of Music and Music Theory, Göker was awarded the Premier Prix praise by the Jury for her violin performance and graduated from Conservatory in 1999. During her stay in Paris, she won many prizes in competitions including first prize distinctions in the 1997 and 1998 Paris UFAM violin competition; the 1997 Nerini Competition; and the 1998 Etienne Vatelot Competition.

Göker pursued her studies with Jose Alvarez at the Ecole Nationale de Musique of Aulnay. In 2000 and 2001, she was admitted to the Orchestre Français des Jeunes de Radio France, which earned her the opportunity to tour Europe. At the Verona Music Festival in Italy in 2001, her musicianship and violin abilities received a great deal of appreciation, which resulted in her being chosen to represent France in Ireland, playing in the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland as an assistant concertmaster. In addition to her musical studies in France, Göker participated in numerous master classes and festivals in abroad, including the Tibor Varga Music Festival in Switzerland (1995-1999) and the Summer Music Academy in Leipzig, as part of collaboration with the Julliard School (2001-2002). While studying with Steven Clapp at the Summer Music Academy in Leipzig, she was honored with the opportunity to perform a solo recital in the Gewandhaus Concert Hall. Upon graduating from Ecole Nationale de Musique of Aulnay in 2002, Göker went to study with Clapp for six months at the Julliard Music School in New York.

In 2003, she continued her violin studies under the violinist Stephane Tran Ngoc; viola studies under Matthew Michelic; and composition studies with Johanne Metcalf at Lawrence University. She graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance in 2007. During her studying at Lawrence University, she received several prizes and awards. Göker was the winner of the 2004 Concord Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition, which resulted in a performance and recording of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2005 and 2006, Göker was awarded the Elizabeth Black Miller String Scholarship for violin performance at Lawrence University. In addition to her academic studies, she held a position as a violin teacher at the Lawrence Academy from 2004-2007, and was first violinist in the Fox Vallery Symphony and also concertmaster of the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra from 2005-2007.

In 2008, Göker received research fellowship from the University of Calgary, and continued her education with Edmond Agopian. She also served as a research assistant. In 2009 she completed her master’s degree. She was also an active member of the University of Calgary String Quartet.
Göker collaborated in a series of recitals and recordings that covered the quartet’s performance of the complete cycle of Beethoven string quartets. She was also the concertmaster of the University of Calgary Orchestra between 2007 and 2009. In 2007, she was a winner of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition. As a soloist, she played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009. Since 2009, Göker has been pursuing a doctoral degree in violin performance at Florida State University, where she has served as an assistant teacher. She has also performed as a concertmaster in the Eppes String Quartet and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. Throughout her music studies, Göker has worked and performed extensively with a diverse range of artists such as Ami Flammer, Pierre Boutin, Jean-Pierre Sabouret, Guy Commentale, Devy Erlih, Stephane Tran Ngoc, Michele Margand, Roland Baldini, Steven Clapp, Miriam Fried, Tibor Varga, Alexander Anissimov, Emmanuel Krivine, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Jean-Sebastien Bereau, Faisal Larovi, Xavier Rist and David Becker.

Reference: burcugokerviolin.com, sanatkop.com, turkishny.com