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, as well as 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:

• 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 – Call for Applications, Makrokosmos Quartet, 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 – ‘Satellite 2018–19’ project of the Ensemble Phoenix Basel, Switzerland, One of the selected composers
• 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).

• Commissions in 2020: New work for the Klangforum Wien commissioned by impuls; new work for the ensemble XX. jahrhundert; new work for the Makrokosmos Quartet; new work for the airborne extended
• Commissions in 2021/22: new work for the Riot Ensemble; new sound theatre work in collaboration with The Black Page Orchestra; new work for the Trio Tempestoso; new work for the Many Many Oboes (CH); new work for Alexander Gabrys (POL/CH); new work for Antonio Politano (IT)