Emre Sihan Kaleli

Composer

About

“My tales, like those of the Thousand and One Nights, are intended not to persuade readers, but to entertain and touch them.”
Jorge Luis Borges, foreword to Brodie’s Report

I am an Austrian composer of Turkish origin, working across genres from chamber music to music theater and multimedia. My music is dynamic and expressive, crafted to captivate listeners with rich narratives and immersive flow. My works have been awarded with a number of prizes and honors. Here is a selection of them:

2024 – Composition scholarship of the City of Vienna for 2025
2022 – ‘Förderungspreis’ of the City of Vienna in the Field of Music
2022 – 2nd Prize at the Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award Competition 2022
2021 – Austrian State Scholarship for Composition
2019 – ISCM World New Music Days 2020 in New Zealand – One of the two selected composers from Austria
2019 – impuls Composition Competition, Austria, Winner
2015 – Gargonza Arts Award (nominated by Heinz Holliger), Germany, A three months artist residency award in Italy
2015 – MIAM Composition Award, Turkey
2013 – Gaudeamus Award, the Netherlands, Honorable Mention
2009 – 5^thPre-Art Competition for Young Composers, Switzerland, 1^stPrize

Dates

18 November 2025: Adjacent rooms, a part of a labyrinth (extended version 2025, co-commissioned by PHACE and Wien Modern),
PHACE & Clement Power, Wien Modern
September 2025: New Piece for Violin, Violoncello and electronics, Strings&Noise (Sophia Goidinger-Koch & Barbara Riccabona), Klangspuren Schwaz
September 2025: New Piece for Soprano and Doublebass flute, Cantando Admont (Elina Viluma-Helling & Alessandro Baticci), REAKTOR Vienna
September 2025: New Piece for Soprano and Doublebass flute, Cantando Admont (Elina Viluma-Helling & Alessandro Baticci), Bruseum Graz
11 May 2025: A Labyrinth, A Ritual; Beatriz Gaudêncio Ramos & between feathers, Suena Festival Vienna
11 April 2025: I am a Diptych, Ensemble S201, Essen ChorForum
10 April 2025: I am a Diptych, Ensemble S201, Düsseldorf Erkrather Str. 365

PAST

19 March 2025: HERKUNFT, ensemble XXI. jahrhundert | Peter Burwik, Wiener Konzerthaus
13 March 2025: Dark Light, kollektiv unruhe | Beltrán Gonzalez, Rheinsberger Musikakademie
November 2024: Studio recording of ‘A Labyrinth, A Ritual’, Elina Viluma-Helling & between feathers
19.10.2024: Imaginary Devices II for accordion and electronics, Maria Mogas Gensana (Vertixe Sonora), Festival Rafel Bunyol
15.9.2024: Imaginary Devices II for accordion and electronics, Maria Mogas Gensana, Transart Festival Bolzano
23.5.2024: speak to me (for clarinet bell and mini megaphone), Szilárd Benes, Beynəlxalq Muğam Mərkəzi, Baku
17.4.2024: speak to me (for clarinet bell and mini megaphone), Szilárd Benes, KULTUM, Graz
6.4.2024: I am a Diptych, Ensemble S201, Szene 10, Essen
11.3.2024: A Dark Light / A Black Sun, De Paz / PHACE, ORF radio broadcast
4.3.2024: I am a Diptych, Schallfeld Ensemble, Preßl-Saal (KUG), Graz
16.2.2024: A Labyrinth, A Ritual for flute, accordion, voice, percussion and electronics (premiere), between feathers, Brick-15, Vienna
16.2.2024: I am a Diptych, Schallfeld Ensemble, Festival “Teatri del Suono”, Trieste
9.1.2024: A Dark Light / A Black Sun for ensemble and electronics (premiere), Ensemble PHACE, Wiener Konzerthaus | Berio-Saal, Vienna

Upcoming & Past Projects

2026: New music theater work in collaboration with Teresa Doblinger (Choreography) and Philipp Lossau (Stage design)
2025: New and extended version of ‘Adjacent rooms, a part of a labyrinth’ (co-commissioned by PHACE and Wien Modern); New work for Strings&Noise; New work for Cantando Admont (Performers: Elina Viluma-Helling, Voice & Alessandro Baticci, Double bass flute)
2024: New solo pieces for Szilárd Benes (clarinet), Maria Mogas Gensana (accordion); Alfredo Ovalles (piano) New ensemble piece for ensemble XXI. jahrhundert
2023: New work for Ensemble PHACE; New work for between feathers
2022: Hybrid Technologies for ensemble and electronics, commissioned by Riot Ensemble and premiered in September 2022 at the Gaudeamus Music Week; Subterranean – an interdisciplinary performance work created in collaboration with Teresa Doblinger (Choreography), Sara-Lisa Bals (Scenography) and The Black Page Orchestra, and premiered in June 2022 in REAKTOR

*Many thanks to City of Vienna, Federal Ministry Republic of Austria for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport and SKE-Fonds for the financial support of my works in form of grants and scholarships

Listen

Watch

List of Works (Selection)

1 – 3 Performers

Imaginary Devices II | accordion and electronics (fixed media) | 2024, 9′
speak to me | clarinet bell and mini megaphone | 2024, 6′
Proximity | solo percussion | 2021, 4’
I am a Diptych | cl, acc, vlc | 2021, 12’

4 – 7 Performers

A Labyrinth, A Ritual | fl, perc, voice, acc, electronics | 2024, 9’
Hybrid Technologies | bass cl, perc, pno, vln, vlc, cb, electronics | 2022, 10’
Strange(r) Things | fl, blockfl, hf, harpsichord | 2021, 12’
For Two Trios, Live Electronics, and Light | bass cl, gtr, hfe, perc, vla, vlc, electronics, | 2013, 12′
Processions | fl, ob, sax, vlc | 2010, 8’

8 – 12 Performers

HERKUNFT | fl, cl, e-gtr, acc, perc, pno, vln, vla, vlc, electronics (tape) | 2024, 22′
A Dark Light / A Black Sun | fl, cl, tp, perc, pno, vln, vlc, cb, electronics | 2023, 12’
Hybrid Technologies | fl, cl, acc, perc, pno, vlc, vlc, cb, electronics | 2022, 10’
Adjacent rooms, a part of a labyrinth | fl, cl, sax, tp, tb, acc, hf, pno, vln, vla, vlc, cb | 2020, 11’
Imaginary Devices: Book I | fl, ob, cl, acc, pno, vlc, vla, vlc, cb | 2020, 13’
Adjacent rooms, for Borges | fl, ob, cl, pno, vln, vla, vlc | 2018, 7’30’’
Five Love Songs | fl, cl, tp, gtr, pno, perc, vln, vlc, cb | 2015, 13’
Seventeen Thoughts on a Chamber Concerto | fl, ob, cl, gtr, md, hf, pno, perc, vln, vla, vlc | 2013, 15’
for Oboe and Ensemble | fl, solo ob, cl, hr, tp, tb, pno, vln I, vln II, vla, vlc, cb | 2017, 7’
Il voto dell’innocenza | 2 cl, keyboard, pno, perc, e–gtr, cb, sinewaves | 2012, 9’
‘I hear the fragile beauty of mortal earth’ | fl, ob, cl, gtr, md, hf, pno, perc, vln, vla, vlc | 2011, 8’

Music Theatre

Subterranean | 2022, 50’
A Sensorium | 2016, 40’

Orchestra

A Portrait of Atatürk as a Young General | Narrator and Orchestra | 2017, 13’

*Are you interested in my music, but none of the listed pieces suit your instrumentation?
Let’s get in touch and see whether we could collaborate on a revision to fit your ensemble.

Contact

[email protected]