Biography

Born in Istanbul, Dr. Turgut Erçetin received his doctorate in composition from Stanford University in 2014, where he later worked as a researcher at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) in 2015 with a focus on embodied acoustics and 3D modeling of virtual and physical spaces as well as 3D auralization and spatialization.

Putting this research framework in practice, Erçetin participated in cross-disciplinary projects at CCRMA such as “Icons of Sound,” for which he contributed his acoustic measurements of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and worked on a computational model that enabled the research team to simulate the inner acoustics of Hagia Sophia. Expanding on this scope, most recent research projects include studies that unpack architectural structures no longer standing — namely the 6th-century Basilica of St. John in Ephesus and the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, as well as modern-day concert spaces such as the WDR-Sendesaal (for more, see Research).

Awarded with the Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD Fellowship in 2016, Erçetin was invited to Berlin for one year, during which time he expanded his compositional and research praxis. Following this fellowship, he moved to Berlin and has developed long-term collaborations with the SWR Symphonieorchester, the Arditti Quartet, ELISION Ensemble, and the Ensemble Musikfabrik. In addition, other distinguished ensembles, including Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, JACK Quartet, and Ensemble Mosaik, have also been performing his works at leading New Music festivals, such as the ECLAT Festival, Ultraschall Festival, Traiettorie, Manifeste, MärzMusik, and many more.

A selection of these commissioned works, including the recent large-scale compositional cycle “Das Phonem zwischen zwei Wörtern” premiered by the SWR Symphonieorchester and ELISION Ensemble, will be released by Wergo in September 2025 as part of Erçetin’s second portrait CD.

Upcoming commissions include a large-scale work written for solo clarinet and large orchestra, which will be premiered at the Donaueschinger Musiktage in 2025 by Carl Rosman and the SWR Symphonieorchester; as well as a new work written for solo oboe and string trio to be premiered by Ensemble Musikfabrik.

Active as juror, Erçetin was appointed by the Stiftung Künstlerdorf Schöppingen to serve for their composition program from 2021 to 2023.

Active also as a lecturer, Erçetin has been invited to give conference lectures and to present his compositional works and research at universities in Europe and the US, such as the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Institut für Elektronische Musik und Akustik in Graz, Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium, University of California Santa Barbara, Kent State University, and the University of Chicago, among others.

These presentations and the related research have led to publishing his work in scholarly journals such as MusikTexte and others. He is currently working on a book project that further unpacks compositional and research methods in practice, addressing the interrelationships of space, sound, and corporeality for spatial sound praxis, with a focus on virtuality as a critical mode to engage with simultaneities of space.