Verda Erman with Yamaha grand piano 20140801

Verda Erman (19 December 1944 – 21 July 2014) was a Turkish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. Born in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

in 1944, she began her career at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. In 1957, she was sent to study at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

under Turkish law no. 6660 for students with "extraordinary talents." She studied under French pianist Lucette Descaves and graduated from the conservatory with the highest honors. Erman then worked with pianist

Lazare Lévy Lazare Lévy Lazare Lévy, also hyphenated as Lazare-Lévy, (18 January 188220 September 1964) was an influential French pianist, organist, composer and pedagogue. As a virtuoso pianist he toured throughout Europe, in North Africa, Israel, the Sov ...

to improve her skills on the piano. She also enrolled in lessons on counterpoint and harmony from French composer, Noël Gallon. She gave a series of concerts in Paris before returning to Turkey. Erman performed with the

Presidential Symphony Orchestra The Presidential Symphony Orchestra ( tr, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası), with headquarters in Ankara, is the presidential symphony orchestra of the Republic of Turkey. Its history dates back as far as 1826, making it one of the first s ...

of Turkey. She won first prize in the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition (now called the

Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition The Long–Thibaud–Crespin Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists, violinists and singers that has been held in France since 1943. (A Jacques Thibaud Competition was held the year before in Bordeaux: Jacques ...

) in Paris in October 1963. In 1965, Erman placed second in the Canada International Piano Competition. Verda Erman was honored as a

State Artist State Artist ( tr, Devlet Sanatçısı, also sometimes translated as "National Artist") is an honorary title granted to prominent artists by the government of Turkey for their contributions to the Turkish culture. It was established in 1971 by the ...

in 1971, the year the honorary title was created. She toured extensively around the world as a guest musician after 1971. She enjoyed successful tenures in Belgrade,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. Pianist

Rudolf Serkin Rudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century. Early life, childhood debut, and education Serkin was born in ...

invited her to the

Marlboro Music School and Festival The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont, in the United States. Public performances are held each weekend while the school is in ses ...

in the U.S. state of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. She continued to perform with the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra as a vocal artist on the orchestra's European tours. Erman died in

on 21 July 2014, possibly of leukemia, at the age of 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erman, Verda 1944 births 2014 deaths Turkish classical pianists Turkish women pianists Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition prize-winners State Artists of Turkey Conservatoire de Paris alumni Musicians from Istanbul 20th-century classical pianists Deaths from cancer in France Deaths from leukemia Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists