Suna Kan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suna Kan, born 1936 in Adana, Turkey is a Turkish violinist of classical music.

She started playing the violin at the age of five and gave her first public concerts when she was only nine years old, performing Mozart's A major and Viotti's A minor violin concertos. She continued her studies in Ankara under Walter Gerhard, Izzet Albayrak and Lico Amar. In 1949 she was sent to France on scholarship, under a special law passed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. She studied with Gabriel Bouillon at the Paris Conservatory and graduated in 1952, winning the first prize. In 1971, she received the title "State Artist" from the Turkish government. She was also awarded "Chevalier dans l'ordre National du Merite" by the Government of France.

Suna Kan's extensive concert tours have so far covered most parts of the world, including England, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Russia, China, Japan, South American countries, Canada and the United States. She has performed with many international orchestras such as the London Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Residentie Orchestra (the Netherlands), Moscow Symphony, French National Radio Symphony (ORTF) under great conductors like Istvan Kertesz, Arthur Fiedler, Walter Susskind, Hans Rosbaud, Zubin Mehta, Gotthold Lessing, Louis Fremaux and Michel Plasson. She also collaborated with celebrated artists like Yehudi Menuhin, Igor Bezrodny, Pierre Fournier, Andre Navarra, and Frederick Riddle in performing double concertos.

Kan is the founder of TRT Ankara Chamber Orchestra and its virtuoso violinist. Since 1986, in addition to her concerts, broadcasts and recording activities, she is professor of violin at the Music and Performing Arts Department of Bilkent University, in Ankara.