Ecevit Tunalı

Ecevit Tunalı was born in Romania. He started his musical education in his childhood. He moved to Turkey with his family at the age of twelve. He entered the Turkish Music State Conservatory at Istanbul Technical University and studied violin and cello. In 1979, he met a virtuoso and master craftsman Cafer Açın and transferred into the Department of Instrument Making. Tunalı graduated from the Conservatory in 1984. In the same year, he started working as a luthier (violin maker) in the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra. He attended Hans Shicker Workshop in Freiburg in 1988, and C.T. Fundateanu Workshop in Frankfurt in 1990. Tunalı then started teaching at Mimar Sinan Fine Art University, State Conservatory in 1992. He participated in an exhibition, which was held in the Music Messe in Frankfurt in 1994. In 1995, he attended the Vahakn Nigogosyan Workshop at Oberlin College, Ohio and H. Köstler Workshop in Stuttgart. Tunalı worked as a restorer at the Geigenbau Machold Rare Violins Workshop between 1999 and 2000. He was featured on many TV channels such as TRT 1, TRT2, ATV, CNN Turk, Kanal D and Açık Radio. As well as making violins, violas and cellos, Tunalı restores them and analyzes antique string instruments including Stradivarius and Guarnerius violins at his workshop in Şişli, Istanbul. He also researches the history of violin making. He is frequently invited to New York to restore valuable antique instruments. Famous virtuosos such as Colin Car, Viktor Pikayzen and Ayla Erduran perform with valuable instruments, which were restored by Tunalı. He has also organized an international violin making workshop in Istanbul.

Reference: msgsu.edu.tr, webarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr, arsiv.sabah.com.tr