ŞEFİKA KUTLUER
“She makes music because she has to; it is something she can’t really choose. It is a divine gift of God, a means of touching the divine that only a relatively few people are given on this planet. It is very rare and precious, she is blessed to be one of the chosen ones.”
American Record Guide
“MAGIC FLUTE”
Here is a “Magic Flute” from Turkey……….I am impressed; she is a master technician who also has great musicianship. The audience was thrilled by the technical excellence displayed by Kutluer; she has a delicate control of tone color. Her articulation of “Flatterzunge” or flutter tonguing is superb. Her fingering is the best, but flute players know that fingering is perhaps half the effort. The remainder is the responsibility of the lungs and diaphragm and the throat, lips, and tongue. Kutluer has all these components completely under control and she imparted a shimmering brilliance to the music………….”
New York Times
Sefika Kutluer has studied at Ankara State Conservatory and graduated with honors and awards in 1979. She achieved her soloist career in Vienna and Rome.
She taught at the Ankara Conservatory for several years.
She won the 3rd prize and next year the 1st prize in “ International Flute Contest “ in Vienna.
She received the 2000 Inter-Lyra prize from the ‘Hungarian Foundation for Performing Arts’
She received the “Golden Bravo Award”, as the “Best Classical Performer, in Russia at the Bolshoi Theatre. And she performed with the Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra on April the 25th, 2023.
After winning several international competitions and launching her truly international career as a soloist, she was awarded the presidential Medal in Turkey, in 1985, the highest honor that country bestows on an individual, and in 1998 she became a “State Artist”.
She has been decorated with “Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta’ Italiana”- State Medal – by the President of Italy and with “Austrian Gold Medal of Merit” by the President of Austria, the “Cultural Medal” of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Slovak Republic’s special award – the “Golden Medal of Honour”.
She has been appointed as the “Goodwill Ambassador of Unicef”.
She has received “Skalite” award of Skal International for her contributions to Ankara’s cultural life.
Kutluer received the “Strategic Vision Award” from “Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies ( TASAM)”.
She has performed several concert tours, joined many International Music Festivals and gave master-classes in innumerable countries in 5 continents and received very favorable reviews.
She has performed concerts at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Organization, at the Palace of Spain in the presence of the King and the Queen and in Tokyo under the auspices of Prince Mikasa.
Joined The Fourth World Conference on Women, representing Turkey, in 1995 in Beijing, China and gave a concert.
In 2018 she joined the Mashav’s 30th International Women Leaders Conference of “Leading Women Making a Difference” in Israel being invited to represent Turkey. Gave a concert and delivered a speech together with women leaders ( vice presidents, ministers, Parliament and supreme council members) joining the conference from 45 different countries all over the world.
Kutluer represented Turkey at the Asian Symphony Orchestra formed by artists from 40 different Asian Countries and performed the opening concert of The Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, in Beijing China in 2019, in front of President Xi Jinping and to an audience of 80 000. Then she continued her concert tour in China.
Sefika Kutluer, known as the “Magic Flute” in the world music scene, has performed on various international TV and radio channels. She made concert tours and CD recordings with several famous conductors and orchestra’s including; Zubin Mehta, Sir Charles Mackerras, Peter Breiner, British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Northern Symphony Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian Philharmonic, Virtuosi Di Praga, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Zagreb Soloists, City of London Sinfonia, Festival Strings Lucerne, Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orkestra.
Ian Anderson composed a piece titled “Sefika’s Tango”, especially for her, and she made a concert tour with Jethro Tull playing this piece, as well.
Arif Melikov, Turgay Erdener, Jose Elizondo, Ilyas Mirzayev, Rene Giessen and Çetin Işıközlü have composed special music for her.
She made concerts with Claude Bolling dedicated to Jean Pierre Rampal.
Sefika Kutluer has a large repertoire extending from the Baroque period to the Romantic period and from mystical music to cross-over works from the East and West and has released 17 albums recorded with orchestra, piano and guitar accompaniment, including recordings with the Berlin Philharmony and the British Royal Philharmonic orchestras. Her albums are released by Pan Classical, Sony Classical, Naxos and Gallo International. Her CD’s are distributed all around the world and her discography receives the reviewer’s and music-lovers’ great appraisal. Sony has awarded her Carmen Fantasy CD, which includes all French repertoire, with a “GOLDEN CD PRIZE”. Her “Bach Sonatas” CD has been chosen as one of the best CDs of the year by the reviewers of the American Record Guide. She also received “GALLO GOLDEN CD COLLECTION” award from Gallo International, based in Switzerland. For her exemplary efforts to classical music Gallo has awarded her the honor of having all her albums designated as “Golden Edition” issues. Her Fado CD has recently been released internationally, as a first for the classical flute on Fado. Lately she has released a solo CD that includes her composition she has written for her beloved mother.
She has started an international festival in Ankara, which continues every year during the same period. “The first 13 International Şefika Kutluer Festivals – East Meets West” ( www.sefikakutluerfest.com ) were organized each year from 2010 to 2022. The International Şefika Kutluer Festival was chosen as the 1st in the “Best Festival” category at the Ace of MICE Awards 2020, which is accepted as the Oscars of the ”meetings and events industry”.
European Union Chamber Orchestra has announced her as their permanent soloist. She is a flute soloist of the Ministry of Culture, Turkey.