Oya Ergün
Praised for her pristine voice and authentic interpretation of the classical and folk repertoire, Oya Ergün is an internationally performing musician and educator. A zealous musician-singer, Ergün produced and released three albums titled “Ruhum” (My Soul), “Sevgilim” (My Lover), and the “Baroque Lace” that available to listeners around the world via “Spotify” and “iTunes.” From Turkish and Azerbaijani folk and classical songs to the seventeenth-century European Baroque arias these recordings offer a wide range of repertoire list, combining sounds of the world from East to West.
Education
Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, from the early age, she was exposed to music and learned to play on a baroque flute and violin. After graduating from the Marmara University in Turkey with the degree in musicology under the supervision of professor Yıldız Dağdelen, in 1998, Oya Ergün continued her education at the Amsterdam Conservatory, The Netherlands. At the Conservatory, she studied voice with the renowned Dutch soprano Margreet Honig, vocal pedagogy with Maria Rondel and music education with Peter Den Ouden. During her study years in Amsterdam, Oya Ergün studied principles of early music performance and frequently performed vocal works of the Italian as well as the Dutch and German Baroque music masters. In 2003, she received a master’s degree in music education from the Amsterdam Conservatory under the guidance of Peter Den Ouden. As the result of auditions held at the Amsterdam Conservatory student orchestra, Oya Ergün was proclaimed the “most musical voice” by the jury of the auditions and became eligible to sing as a vocal soloist in a series of orchestral concerts.
Concerts
Oya Ergün’s concert venues include the most prestigious halls in the world. Among them the well-known Amsterdam Concertgebouw Grote Zaal (The Netherlands), Dutch conductor Ed Spanjaard, Great hall of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Belgium), The Konzerthaus Berlin (Germany), numerous churches throughout the Western and Eastern Europe as well the United States of America. In many occasions, Oya Ergün’s performances were broadcasted on radio and television channels. Among her leading operatic roles are Daphne in J. F. Boucher’s “Acteon,” Donna Anna in W. A. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” and Rosmene in G. F. Handel's “Imeneo.”
Activism and Teaching
A keen women’s rights activists Oya Ergün, in 2004, organized a project called “Tears of Patience” that was funded by the Gaudeamus foundation of The Netherlands. The project was organized with the idea of bringing awareness to injustice against women and dedicated to Turkish and Dutch women.
After returning back to Turkey, in 2005, Oya Ergün began teaching at the Yeditepe University and Haliç University in Istanbul. She also appeared as a soloist with the Istanbul Baroque Ensemble.
In 2011, Oya Ergün moved to Azerbaijan. In Baku, she continued her teaching career by giving courses in Baroque performance practice at the Baku Academy of Music and private voice lessons. She frequently appears in state-funded projects as a solo singer in Baku, Azerbaijan as well as her native Turkey. Oya Ergün currently continues her art in London.