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Suliman Tekalli wins second prize in Seoul International Violin Competition

Suliman Tekalli

Violinist Suliman Tekalli '16 AD was awarded second prize in the Seoul International Music Competition this weekend. He shared the prize with Japanese violinist Ayana Tsuji. 

No first prize was awarded in this year's competition, which takes place annually in South Korea. The competition rotates among violin, piano, and voice.

About Suliman Tekalli

Violinist Suliman Tekalli's multi-faceted career spans a wide range of activities from concerto soloist and recitalist to chamber musician and session musician. His concert activities have taken him throughout the U.S., Canada, Central America, and Europe.

Suliman Tekalli has participated in various national and international competitions in which he has claimed high distinctions. First prize in the Blount National String Competition led to his invitation to the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where he served as concertmaster and performed in a special string quartet concert in Ozawa Hall. Mr. Tekalli was also a candidate in the 2012 Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prizewinner at the 2010 Lipizer International Violin Competition in Gorizia, Italy as well as in the 2009 Szeryng International Violin Competition in Mexico, leading to concerts throughout Mexico with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México.

Beyond classical music, Suliman Tekalli has worked as a session violinist in the folk/indie/rock band FIGHTERO, appearing on their debut album "Natural Disaster," and with indie band The Sugar Oaks on their album "Red Grapes in the City." He has also recorded for the acoustic rock artist A Shameful Display. Besides the violin, Mr. Tekalli performs on classical and jazz mandolin.

Attending the Juilliard School and Schwob School of Music for his undergraduate studies and the Cleveland Institute of Music for a Masters in Music performance, his talents had been brought to the attention of the notable pedagogues Hyo Kang, Sergiu Schwartz, and Joel Smirnoff, with whom he studied privately.

Aside from his performing activities, Mr. Tekalli is active in composition. As an advocate for developing personal creativity within performance practice, he composes his own cadenzas for the standard repertoire of the violin literature, as well as original compositions.