“She is a very fine cellist and has a lot of musical imagination and sensibility, searching always different possibilities to speak the music.” -Gautier Capuçon
Born in 1989 in Istanbul, Nil Kocamangil is recognized as one of the leading cellists of her generation. She has impressed both audiences and critics alike with her powerful, intense, and virtuosic playing, captivating listeners as both a soloist and a chamber musician.
Since her debut as a soloist at the age of 15, she has performed the most important works of the cello repertoire with distinguished orchestras worlwide, including the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Tekfen Philharmonic, Sandnes Symfoniorkester, Mannheimer Philharmoniker, Sinfonietta Köln, Olten Philharmonic, Oberbergisches Kreises Symphonie Orchester, as well as the Istanbul, Antalya, and Bursa State Symphony Orchestras, among many others, earning acclaim for her expressive depth and technical mastery.
Her career highlights include concerts with Fazıl Say, performing his own works for cello and piano; the Dutch debut of Marie Jaëll’s Cello Concerto at the opening of the Wonderfeel Festival in the Netherlands; a soloist tour with the renowned Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra; CD recording as soloist with the Mannheimer Philharmoniker under Maestro Boian Videnoff, featuring “The Swan” by C. Saint-Saëns; a recital tour in the Netherlands, including a performance at the famous Concertgebouw Amsterdam as part of the New Masters on Tour series by THIMS; and live performances of J.S. Bach’s cello suites in Theater Hagen Ballet’s production “Bach Tanzt” in Germany.
Ms. Kocamangil has won numerous awards at national and international competitions. These include 3rd Prize and the Jury Special Award at the “Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition” in Croatia; 1st Prize and the German Friendship Special Award at the “International Austrian and German Music Competition” in Bulgaria; 1st Prize and the Jury Special Award at the “International Young Musicians Competition” in Italy; 1st Prize at the “Canetti International Music Festival”; 2nd Prize at the “National Cello Competition” in Turkey; 3rd Prize at the “Liezen International Cello Competition” in Austria; and 1st Prize at the “Hmt Leipzig Chamber Music Competition” in Germany. Additionally, she received the Prix du Musée Bonnat and the Saint Jean de Luz-Rotary/Lions Club Prize during her participation at the “Maurice Ravel International Music Academy” in France in two separate years.
In addition to performing at the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including l’Auditorium de la Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Philharmonie im Gasteig in Munich, Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Theater de Vest in Alkmaar, Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and Nikolaisaal in Potsdam, Ms. Kocamangil has appeared both as soloist and chamber musician at leading festivals such as the Verbier Festival, Storioni Festival, Istanbul Music Festival, Ankara International Music Festival, Euregio MusikFestival, K&M Chamber Music Festival Stavanger, Amsterdam Chamber Music Festival, Cello Magics, Dvořák Festival, The Holland Music Sessions & Festival, Sommer-Schlosser Virtuosen, and the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, as well as in numerous concerts across Europe and America.
Her chamber music partners include distinguished artists such as Tedi Papavrami, François-Frédéric Guy, Andrey Baranov, Isabelle van Keulen, Nora Romanoff Schwarzberg, David Grimal, Oliver Triendl, Joë Christophe, Ludmil Angelov, Philippe Graffin, Vassilis Varvaresos, Gary Hoffman, and Fazıl Say, among others.
At the renowned academies and some workshops, Ms. Kocamangil has had the privilegeof working with eminent cellists such as Gary Hoffman, Frans Helmerson, Yo-Yo Ma, Jens Peter Maintz, Laurence Lesser, Lluis Claret, Giovanni Sollima, Steven Isserlis, Philippe Müller among many others. Also, as a passionate chamber musician, she worked with distinguished artists such as Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Pavel Gililov, Natalia Prischepenko (ex-Artemis Quartet), Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Paul Katz, Klaus Hellwig, James Buswell, Vladimir Mendelssohn and the members of Ebene Quartet among many others.
Nil Kocamangil began playing the cello at the age of 9 and pursued her studies in the cello classes of Dilbag Tokay (MSFAUSC, Istanbul); Claus Kanngiesser (master, Hfmt Köln); Marc Coppey (master, CNSM de Paris) and Gautier Capuçon (FLV, Paris). She completed her master’s in chamber music at the classes of Itamar Golan (CNSM de Paris) and Miguel Da Silva (Ysaÿe Quartet-CRR de Paris). In 2019, she graduated with distinction from the “Meisterklassenexamen” under Prof. Peter Bruns at Hmt Leipzig, and subsequently joined the same institution as a cello teacher.
During her studies, she was a scholar and laureate of numerous foundations including Turkish Education Foundation, Tekfen Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Dr. Nejat Eczacıbası Foundation, Borusan Kocabıyık Foundation, Sinfonima Foundation/Mannheim (instrument support), Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, ProQuartet, Association des Jeunes Talents, Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation and Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz/Germany. She was also generously supported by private sponsors.
She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the “Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival and Masterclass Programs”, held annually since 2021. In addition to her career as a soloist, she is a dedicated teacher, serving as Associate Professor at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory and regularly teaching at masterclasses in Turkey and abroad. Beyond her performing and teaching activities, Ms. Kocamangil is a member of the Artistic Advisory Board of the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul and hosts her own weekly radio program, “Cantabile”, on Borusan Klasik.
She performs on a 19th-century cello, generously provided by a private sponsor.
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