About
Praised by the Washington Post as a “major talent of international caliber”, for Şirin Pancaroğlu, discovering a variety of musical identities for the harp is a central endeavor. Trained as a classical harpist at Geneva Conservatory and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, she is equally active in the realm of Turkish music, improvisation, contemporary music, tango and semi-staged performances as she is in mainstream harp repertoire. Regular collaborations with performers and composers of diverse backgrounds have led Pancaroğlu to cross boundaries between musical styles often resulting in music that has been perceived as opening the path to new genres.
Recognized for her thorough interpretative skills and multifaceted personality, Şirin has been presenting collaborative projects, concerts in over twenty countries and has twelve recordings to her credit. She also has been devoted to sharing her musical roots with audiences, connecting them to her worldly ideas. Her work on unearthing the historical Turco-Ottoman harp, the çeng, led her to become closely acquainted with traditional Turkish music. First transcribing and arranging from the traditional Turkish music repertoire, she later started composing music with ties to the tradition and beyond.
Şirin is the creator of “Turkish Harp”, a project aimed at introducing Turkish music to harpists worldwide. As editor of “The Turkish Harp Music Collection”, she has been diligently working on a selection of old and new Turkish music which she combined with some of her compositions published by 80 Days Publishing in the UK. Conceived for lever and pedal harps and addressing different profiles such as amateur players, students and professionals she is also conducting Turkish tunes workshops for harpists based on her publications. With twelve albums releases to her credit, she is currently recording a series of singles which will add up to a new album, entitled “Alaim-i Sema” (Rainbow), consisting only of her own music. Şirin feels very lucky to have received the teachings of Susann McDonald, Catherine Eisenhoffer, Notburga Puskas, Pierre Jamet and Frederique Cambreling. She lives in Urla, a small town on the Aegean coast of Turkey with her husband and has a 16-year old son.


































Projects

The Revival of the Çeng
A tiny Middle-Eastern lap-harp, by the name of çeng which had dissapeared in 17th century is resurrected from its ashes to display its...

New Music from Turkey
The harp has always been fascinating to me not only because I love my instrument but also because it offers a multitude of...

The Turkish Harp
The use of the harp in conjunction with Turkish music is a subject which has been at the center of my work since...

Alaim-i Sema
Composing, I believe, is a direct result of my performance interests.

Turkish Tango
Tango is more than music and more than dance for me. It is a partial embodiment of family history as well.
Discography
Events
Upcoming Events

The Turkish Harp in Szeged

The Turkish Harp in Budapest
Past Events

The Turkish Harp in Izmir
Turkish Harp Recital at the beautiful St John the Baptist Church in Buca, Izmir

The Turkish Harp in Krakow
The Turkish Harp is in Krakow January 23-25 for concert and workshops

Talk: “Art and Art Education on Digital Platforms”
A talk at the International Women and Justice Summit organized by Kadem on teaching art on digital platforms Date: 27 November, 2021 Time:...

Joint Masterclass with Elzbieta Szmyt
Joint masterclass with Prof Elzbieta Szmyt from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Date: 17 April, 2021 Time: 17.00 Venue: Online

Masterclass
It is masterclass time! Date: 06 February, 2021 Time: 17.00 Venue: Online
Verband des Harfenisten Harp Competition
I will serve on the jury of the national harp competition hosten by the Association of Harpists in Germany Date: 29 April, 2021...

Solo Recital at NDS
25 November, 2021 - 20.00 (Notre Dame de Sion French Lycee, Istanbul)

Masterclass
Date: 06 March, 2021 Time: 17.00 Venue: Online

Online Monthly Masterclass
I am very happy to announce that through an organization of the Association for the Art of the Harp in Istanbul, I am...

New Teaching Events
As of March 2020 I am starting a teaching day monthly in Istanbul, here is more about it

Solo Recital in Istanbul
Program: Hindemith, Respighi, Albeniz, Granados, Tournier, Solakzade Mehmet Çelebi, Saint-Saens Date: 04 March, 2020 Time: 20.00 Venue: Yerdeğirmeni Kültür ve Sanat Merkezi, Kadıköy,...

Concert in Beydag, Izmir
The fifth in a series of six recitals as part of the Müştemilat Kumpanya series. Date: 23 November, 2019 Time: 19.00 Venue: Beydağ...
Media
Press
The Turkish Harp – Artfulliving
News on the Artfulliving platform about the Turkish Harp Project...
Interview – World Harp Congress Review
An in-depth interview about The Turkish Harp which appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of the World Harp Congress Review
Interview – Yeşilay January 2024
Interview for the Yeşilay (Green Cross) magazine...
Interview “The Turkish Harp” – P.D.L.T.
Recently I talked to P.D.L.T. from Singapore about the Turkish Harp Project as my piece "The Cry of the Flamingos" is chosen as...
Interview “The Çeng” – P.D.L.T
Interview with the P.D.L.T. about the çeng
Interview – Sabah
An in-depth interview about the Turkish Harp Project with İlker Gezici
TV & Radio

Izmir Tube – Conversation
A conversation with Vecdi Sayar for Izmir Tube Channel on the Art in Izmir series

Interview – TRT 2
Some thoughts about the harp, sufi music and Turkish music & harp

Interview – TRT 2
I took part in an outreach project
“Eternal Love” aired on Spanish National Radio
Eternal Love aired on "Rumba al Este" (Eastbound) on Spanish National Radio

TRT Haber – June 2018
A five minute talk about my dream for children and music in Turkey

TV 24 Portre
Videos
Blog

Dad, music and beyond
Dad was a great dad and my most loyal listener. We bid farewell to this extraodinary man, Erdoğan Pancaroğlu on May 27 2024....

Babam, Müzik ve Dahası
Babam Erdoğan Pancaroğlu'nun müzisyen olmamda etkisi çok büyük. Hakkı ödenmez. Kısaca kaleme almaya çalıştım.

Çeng: A Brief History -1
The çeng, a forgotten medieval lap harp with a colorful history going as far back as 3000 BCE is resurrected in The Turkish...

Çeng in Visual Arts -1
Painting of Jean Lecomte du Noüy from Musee d'Orsay where a large çeng can be seen. The çeng is the basis of my...

Çeng in Poetry – 1
"Çengname" is an example of medieval mystic literature from Türkiye. The çeng is a historical harp upon which The Turkish Harp Project is...

Litros – On Music Publishing
My observations on music publishing and the circulation of scores in Turkey. Based on my journey with The Turkish Harp project, rooted on...
Contact
To contact Şirin Pancaroğlu please fill the following form or directly you can email to: sirin@sirinpancaroglu.com.tr
To receive notifications about Sirin Pancaroglu’s new album releases, events and projects please subscribe to our newsletter using the form below.
şirin pancaroğlu