“Because there are few solo compositions for my instrument, it’s best for a double bassist like me to become an orchestral musician. Only in this way do I get the opportunity to play the great composers’ works. The double-bass section of the Berliner Philharmoniker is simply wonderful. They produce a very special quality of sound, made up of the individual contributions of every bassist.”
Fora Baltacıgil, scion of an Istanbul family of musicians, learned to play the double bass from his father, principal double bass of the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, who provided him with a basic musical foundation. At the age of 14, he took part in Gary Karr’s masterclasses. Other decisive influences came from Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied after completing his course at the Istanbul Conservatory and earned his diploma in 2006.
Fora Baltacıgil acquired his first orchestral experience as a substitute in the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His first permanent engagement as principal bass took him to the Minnesota Orchestra in 2006. In September 2009 he moved to the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2008 he was a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble and also took part in major festivals as a soloist and chamber musician. Fora Baltacıgil, who compares his instrument to a great ship, enjoys spending his free time sailing, diving and fishing, and he is also an avid cook.
Ensembles:
Awards:
McKnight Foundation of Minnesota Artist Fellowship (2009), first prize at the Caprio Young Artists Competition of the Riverside Symphonia (2006), first prize at the Delaware Symphony Concerto Competition (2004)
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Die Berliner Philharmoniker: Illustrated book by Jim Rakete
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