EMRE SIHAN KALELI

“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 the Brodie’s Report

I am a Turkish composer currently based in Vienna. I have studied and acquired professional experience in four countries: Turkey, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands, and Austria. Close artistic collaborations with certain soloists and collectives, namely Matthias Arter (oboe, Switzerland), Aleksandra Bajde (composition & voice, Slovenia), the Omnibus Ensemble (Uzbekistan), the pre-art soloists (Switzerland), the Nieuw Ensemble (the Netherlands), the Ensemble Modelo62 (the Netherlands), and the ensemble XX. jahrhundert (Austria) played a significant role in my artistic development. I should mention the studies with Richard Ayres, extra-curricular mentorship of Joël Bons along with master-classes with Dmitri Kourliandski as other important influences on me. 

Most of my compositions strongly differ from one another, displaying a plurality of aesthetic directions and accompanying technical tools. Nonetheless, it can be observed that my music strongly tends to be expressive – it is impulsive with frequent and abrupt changes, and rich in the sense of diversity of musical scenes and situations that it presents. 

My works have been awarded with a number of prizes and honors. Here is a selection of them:

• 2022 – 2nd Prize at the Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award Competition 2022
• 2021 – Austrian State Scholarship for Composition
• 2020 – Call for Projects, ISCM Austrian Section, Selected
• 2019 – ISCM World New Music Days 2020 in New Zealand – One of the two selected composers from Austria
• 2019 – impuls Composition Competition, Austria, Winner
• 2019 – International Call for Scores, mdi Ensemble, Italy, Winner
• 2019 – Call for Scores, Nief-Norf Summer Festival, USA, Winner
• 2019 – Call for Scores, 28th International Review of Composers organised by the Composers’ Association of Serbia, Winner
• 2018 – ‘Startstipendium’ for Music and Performing Arts of the Austrian Federal Chancellery, Austria
• 2017 – Call for Scores, Ensemble Reconsil Vienna, Austria, Winner
• 2015 – Gargonza Arts Award (nominated by Heinz Holliger), Germany, A three months artist residency award in Italy
• 2015 – MIAM Composition Award, Turkey
• 2015 – Funding for a two-years artistic project with the Ensemble Modelo62 from the Dutch Performing Arts Funds, the Netherlands
• 2013 – Gaudeamus Award, the Netherlands, Honorable Mention
• 2009 – 5^th Pre-Art Competition for Young Composers, Switzerland, 1^st Prize

I also work as the Assistant Artistic Director at the ensemble XX. jahrhundert.

Here you can find my portrait interview on the Music Austria (MICA) website (in German).

• Currents projects (2022): Subterranean – a new sound theatre work in collaboration with Teresa Doblinger (Choreography), Sara-Lisa Bals (Scenography) and The Black Page Orchestra; New work for Riot Ensemble to be performed at the Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2021: New work for ensemble XX. jahrhundert
• Projects 2021: New staged work in collaboration with Oorkaan for a young audience; performances by Klangforum Wien, airborne extended, Trio Tempestoso, and Manuel Alcaraz Clemente

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