Nil Kocamangil | Cello

“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, one of the leading cellist of her generation, Nil Kocamangil convinced the public as well as the press with her powerful, intense and virtuoso playing, both as soloist and chamber music player. She started to play cello at the age of 9 and since then pursued her studies in the cello classes of Dilbag Tokay (MSFAUSC, Istanbul); Claus Kanngiesser (Hfmt Köln); Marc Coppey (CNSM de Paris) and Gautier Capuçon (FLV, Paris). Also she got her chamber music masters with her piano trio and string quartet in the classes of Itamar Golan (CNSM de Paris) and  Miguel Da Silva (Ysaye Quartet-CRR de Paris).

Since her debut concert as a soloist with orchestra at the age of 15, she performed the important works of the cello repertoire with the orchestras such as; Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, Tekfen Philharmonic, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Sandnes Symfoniorkester, Mannheimer Philharmoniker, Sinfonietta Köln, Olten Philarmonic, Oberbergisches Kreises Symphonie Orchester, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Philarmonia Istanbul, Bursa Region State Symphony Orchestra among others. 

In 2015 she has been selected for the “New Masters on Tour” concert series by The Holland International Music Sessions through which she made a recital tour in Holland including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Also she has recorded the “Swan” of C. Saint-Saens as soloist with Mannheimer Philharmoniker under the baton of Boian Videnoff for the CD called “Träumereien” which released in November 2015. 

She won various awards at many international and national competitions, such as 3rd prize and Jury Special Award in “Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition” in Croatia, 1st prize and German Friendship Special Award in “International Austrian and German Music Competition“ in Bulgaria, 1st prize and the Jury Special Award in “International Young Musicians Competition” in Italy, 1st prize in “Canetti International Music Festival” in Turkey, 2nd prize in “National Cello Competition” in Turkey, 2nd prize in “International Young Musicians Classical Music Competition” in Turkey, 3rd prize in “Liezen International Cello Competition” in Austria, 3rd prize in “Nusret Kayar Cello Competition” in Turkey, 1st prize in “Leipzig Chamber Music Competition” in Germany. Also she received the Prix du Musée Bonnat and the prize of Saint Jean de Luz - Rotary/Lions Club, in two different years she participated at the “Maurice Ravel International Music Academy”  in France. 

Besides of her appearances at the world’s famous concert venues such as l’Auditorium de Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Rosengarten Mannheim, Theater Odeon Zwolle, Theater de Vest Alkmaar, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Théâtre du Chatelet, she performed as soloist and chamber musician at the outstanding festivals such as; “Istanbul Music Festival”, “Verbier Festival”, “Ankara International Music Festival”, “Euregio MusikFestival”, “Norwegian Youth Chamber Music Festival”, “Amsterdam Chamber Music Festival”, “Dvorak Festival, Nelahozeves”, “The Holland Music Sessions & Festival”, “Sommer-Schlosser Virtuosen”, “D-Marin Turgutreis International Music Festival”, “Athens & Epidaurus Festival” and also gave many other concerts across the Europe and America. Also she has collaborated with the renown artists such as; Isabelle van Keulen, David Grimal, Oliver Triendl, Calidore Quartet, Nina Tichman, Borusan Quartet, Alexander Hülsoff, Niklas Liepe, Ariadne Daskalakis among others.

At the renown academies and some workshops she had the opportunity to work with distinguished cellists such as Gary Hoffman, Frans Helmerson, Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Isserlis, Laurence Lesser, Lluis Claret, Amit Peled, Maria Kliegel, Jens Peter Maintz, Philippe Muller, Peter Bruns among others. Also as a passionate chamber musician she worked with important artist such as Gabor Takacs Nagy, Pavel Gililov, Klaus Hellwig, Natalia Prischepenko, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Paul Katz, James Buswell, Carol Ou, Vladimir Mendelssohn, members of Ebene Quartet among others. 

During her studies, she was the scholar and laureate of many foundations such as Tekfen Foundation, Turkish Education Foundation (TEV), Dr. Nejat Eczacıbası Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Borusan Kocabıyık Foundation, Sinfonima Foundation/Mannheim (instrument), Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, ProQuartet, Association des Jeunes Talents, Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation and she was also supported by the private sponsors. She still gives solo and chamber music concerts as  a scholar of Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz/Germany. Besides, between 2015-2017 she took part at the orchestra academy of Düsseldorfer Symphoniker/Deutsche Oper am Rhein under the mentorship of Nikolaus Trieb. 

In June 2019 she graduated with distinction from “Meisterklassenexamen” (doctorate of music), class of Prof. Peter Bruns at Hochschule für Musik und Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig and right after her graduation between 2019-2020 she worked as cello teacher at the same establishment. In addition she gave masterclasses in Turkey and The Netherlands.

Nil Kocamangil is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the newly founded Istanbul International Music Academy and Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival. Her 2021-2022 concert season includes a concert tour as soloist with the prestigious Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra among other projects. She is the Solo Cellist of Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra and plays on a 19th century cello provided her by a generous private sponsor.