Tuncay Kurtoglu

Tuncay Kurtoglu, one of the most versatile singers of his generation, has garnered numerous accolades from prestigious national and international competitions. These include an Honorary Mention at the Leyla Gencer Singing Competition (Istanbul, 1995), finalist positions at the 11th Boris Christoff Competition (Sofia, 1996) and the Belvedere Competition (2002), Best Tchaikovsky Interpretation at the Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, 2002), 2nd Prize at the Verviers Competition (Belgium, 2003) and the 20th Valsesia Competition (Italy, 2004), 3rd Prize at the Vinas Competition (Barcelona, 2004), and 1st Prize at the Alcamo Contest (Italy, 2007). He has also been honored with the "Artist of the Year Award" in 2010 and 2011 in Turkey, the "Mustafa Iktu Honorary Award" from the Semiha Berksoy Foundation in 2013, and the Best Male Opera Singer Award in Turkey in 2016.

Kurtoglu made his debut in Milan at the G. Verdi Conservatory in 1996 and soon after performed as Don Basilio in "The Barber of Seville." His diverse repertoire spans both classical and modern works, with notable roles including Timur in "Turandot," Sparafucile in "Rigoletto," Filip and the Grand Inquisitor in "Don Carlo," Sarastro in "Die Zauberflöte," Green in "Eugene Onegin," Attila in "Attila," Figaro and Dr. Bartolo in "Le Nozze di Figaro," Commendatore in "Don Giovanni," Zaccaria in "Nabucco," Ramfis and The King in "Aida," Osmin in "Die Entführung aus dem Serail," and Landgraf in "Tannhauser." He has been particularly acclaimed for his performances at the International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival and the International Istanbul Opera Festival.

His role as Osmin in "The Abduction from the Seraglio" has been a standout, performed over 20 seasons in countries including Turkey, South Korea, China, Italy, Russia, and Estonia, and was recognized at the Taormina Festival in Italy in 2014.

Kurtoglu has made regular appearances at major festivals and concert halls worldwide, including the 50th Dubrovnik Festival (1999), State Opera Gala Concert in Zagreb (Croatia, 2000), performances in Aarhus and Copenhagen (Denmark), the Sava Center Hall in Belgrade, the Basel Opera, Innsbruck, Valsesia (Italy), Sassari (Italy), Piacenza's Teatro Verdi, Chieti's Teatro Marrucino, and Santiago's Teatro Municipale. In 2006, he was a covering artist for the role of Wurm in "Luisa Miller" at Teatro La Fenice.

His notable international concert appearances include performances at the Kremlin Palace with the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra (Moscow, 2007), Alte Oper (Frankfurt, 2008), Lincoln Center (New York), Strathmore Music Center (Washington), and the Royal Conservatory (Brussels, 2012-2013). From 2011 to 2015, he performed at Hamburg Staatsoper in roles such as Le Grand Inquisitor in "Don Carlos," Pistola in "Falstaff," and Dr. Bartolo in "Le Nozze di Figaro."

In 2016, Kurtoglu became the first Turkish soloist to perform the role of Yunus Güner in Ludger Vollmer’s "Gegen die Wand" at the Giessen State Theater. His role as Don Pizzaro in Beethoven's "Fidelio" with the Expat Philharmonic Orchestra's concert tour in Germany received critical acclaim. He also performed with the Rbb Rundfunkhalle, Stuttgart, and Nuremberg concerts in 2016.

During the 2018-2019 season, he performed in "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" and "Ein Masken Ball" at Wiesbaden Staatstheater. In 2019, he premiered the role of Rıdvan in Richard van Schoor’s "ALP ARSLAN" opera at Gießen Stadstheater and performed in "Don Giovanni" at the 24th Immling Festival (Germany). In 2020, he was invited to Tartu, Estonia, where he sang in Rossini’s "Stabat Mater" and at a Gala Concert.

At the 11th International Istanbul Opera Festival, he performed the role of Osmin in "The Abduction from the Seraglio," followed by roles in "Aida" at Biskhek State Opera (Kyrgyzstan). In 2022, he performed in "Norma," "La Traviata," "Madama Butterfly," "Die Zauberflöte," and at the 26th Immling Festival (Germany). In 2023, he performed as Zaccaria in "Nabucco" at the 8th Fuerteventura Opera Festival (Canary Islands, Spain). In 2024, he performed nine times as Il Grande Inquisitore in "Don Carlo" at Pfalztheater-Kaiserslautern (Germany).

Tuncay Kurtoglu graduated from Ankara Gazi University and joined the Ankara State Opera in 1980, where he continues to work as a soloist. Since 2016, he has also been with the Samsun State Opera and Ballet. He was born in 1970 in Ankara.