IBLA Foundation Winner

Young Pianist Mertol Demirelli

Turkey

Mertol Demirelli, pianist

At the age of seven in 2003, he won the IBLA Grand Prize in Italy. The price included organization of concerts worldwide. In January 2004, Mertol gave concerts at Newcastle (England), in February 2004 gave his New York Carnegie Weill Hall Debut and a tour of performances in Arkansas-Little Rock (USA).

Mertol Demirelli was born in 1996 in Ankara. He began his music studies when he was four years old, private piano lessons followed when he was five. Displaying noticeable talent at the special admittance examinations, Mertol was accepted to the Bilkent University, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Music Preparatory Primary School with full scholarship. He is currently studying piano with Associate Professor Ms. Oya Ünler. Mertol is also continuing his primary school education and following a special program for talented children at this school by taking courses on Music Theory, Ear Training, with Dr. Orhun Orhon and Composition with Dr. Turgut Pögün.

At the age of seven in 2003, he won the IBLA Grand Prize Italy. The price included organization of concerts worldwide. In January 2004, Mertol gave concerts at Newcastle (England) in February 2004, at New York including Carnegie Hall and Arkansas-Little Rock (USA).

Since 2003, he gave concerts at various universities including, Anadolu, Bilkent, Bogaziçi, Hacettepe, Istanbul, Izzet Baysal and Yildiz. Demirelli performed at the Akbank Piano Days, The Mersin International Music Festival, Antalya International Piano Festival as well as special concerts at Turkish National Grand Assembly, Turkish Pediatric Foundation and Vehbi Koç Foundation.

He attended Gulsin Onay's, Muhittin Demiriz's and Idil Biret' s master-classes. He also performed with Fazil Say at his Ayvalik and Antalya International Piano Festival concerts. He performed W.A. Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No.11 when he was eight. At nine, the Piano Concerto No.12.

When he was ten in 2007, at the opening of 35th International Istanbul Music Festival, he played the J.S. Bach Concerto for Two Pianos, in C minor with world famous pianist Idil Biret at Hagia Eirene Museum.

In 2004, he played at the special vocations which Prof. Dr. Ihsan Dogramaci gave to President of Azerbaijan; Ilham Aliyev, in 2005 the IMF Vice President; Ann Krueger and in 2007 President of Israel; Shimon Peres. In 2005 with the invitation of The Turkish Foreign Ministry he gave two concerts in Amman (Jordan). He played with also The Spivakov Genious Children from Russia in Bogaziçi University in 2007.

In 2005 with the invitation of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mertol gave two concerts in Amman (Jordan). He also performed with The Spivakov Genious Children from Russia at Bogaziçi University in 2007.

Mertol Demirelli has given concerts with orchestras including the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Antalya, Bursa State Symphony Orchestras, The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic and the Eskisehir Municipality Symphony Orchestras. The conductors he collaborated with are Ender Sakpinar, Gürer Aykal, Isin Metin and Ibrahim Yazici.

Mertol will be performing with the Istanbul and Izmir State Symphony Orchestras in 2008. He will also perform in Moskow at the Spivakov Foundation for Extraordinarily Gifted Children.