Ezgi Karakus

Turkish cellist, Ezgi Karakus began her cello education at the age of eleven with Prof. Dr. Caglayan Unal SUMER, and attended Dokuz Eylul University State Conservatory in her native Izmir, Turkey. While attending the conservatory she thrice won the concerto competition and before arriving in the U.S., joined several festivals including the Bremen Youth Symphony Orchestra in Bremen, Germany.

Ezgi completed her Master of Arts at Marshall University under Dr. Solen Dikener’s mentorship, where she was awarded first price in the Belle and Lynum Jackson Balshaw Music Competition, and the Marshall University Concerto Competition.

She gave the world premiere of the Suite for Violoncello and Live Electronics by Mark Zanter and performed for the Society of Composers, Inc. 2013 National Conference at the Ohio State University School of Music. She also performed with several orchestras including Dokuz Eylul Symphony, Ohio Valley Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Medical Arts Symphony (acted principal), Spire Chamber Ensemble, Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, Topeka Symphony, The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Saint Joseph Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony.

Ezgi completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance at the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music & Dance under Prof. Carter Enyeart, Mark Gibbs, and Micheal Mermagen. During her doctoral studies, she has taught in several universities as a cello professor and a chamber music coach at Ottawa University, Missouri Western State University, and Emporia State University,

Additionally, she was chosen to perform for Yo-Yo Ma’s Master Class at the Kauffman Center of the Performing Arts on March 22, 2018. At this performance, Ezgi gave the world premiere of Dok Zulfunu Meydana Gel, a Turkish folk song which she arranged with composer Anil Altinsoy.

Ezgi is currently co-director of Soundwave Academy, a teaching artist at the Harmony Project Kansas City and a member of Ensemble Iberia.