M.A. M.A. Ivan
Turkalj

For over 20 years, Ivan Turkalj has been active internationally as a freelance cellist, combining artistic versatility with a keen interest in new forms of music-making and music education. His concert career has taken him as a soloist and chamber musician to renowned concert halls and international festivals—including Wigmore Hall in London, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Schubertiade Hohenems/Schwarzenberg, the Heidelberg Spring, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Oranjewoud Festival. In addition to his classical concert career, he devotes himself to improvised silent film music and cross-genre projects. He performs regularly on the international stage with The Erlkings and the New Piano Trio. His discography includes recordings spanning various musical genres, from Baroque and Classical to pop and jazz.

In 2022, Ivan Turkalj received the Bavarian Art Promotion Award for his artistic and social work. This was followed in 2023 by the Music Prize from the Würzburg University Association and, in 2024, a nomination for the German Record Critics’ Award. In addition to his performances, his artistic work includes his own compositions and arrangements.
Teaching is another focal point of his work. Ivan Turkalj has many years of experience as an instrumental instructor at music schools, conservatories, and universities. As a visiting lecturer in cello and musicology, he has taught at institutions including the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Granada. In his pedagogical work, he combines the individual development of instrumental technique and artistic personality with stylistic openness, improvisation, and diverse approaches to music-making. In addition, he develops and leads accessible and inclusive workshops as well as music education programs for various target audiences.

In addition to his artistic and educational work, Ivan Turkalj focuses on digital educational formats as well as new forms of work and outreach in the field of music. As part of the EU project “European Digital Innovation Hubs,” he led practice-oriented transformation processes for small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on digital work methods and artificial intelligence. Since 2026, he has also served as a board member for classical and global music at Kultursommer Wien.

Born in Zagreb and raised in Vienna, Ivan Turkalj received his first cello lessons from Vladimir Malinowski and began his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Wolfgang Herzer at the age of 16. He continued his studies with Orfeo Mandozzi in Würzburg and at the Zurich University of the Arts. In addition to classical cello, his training included modern cello, baroque cello, jazz cello, and composition. In 2012 and 2015, he completed his master’s degrees in performance and instrumental and vocal pedagogy with honors.