‘New diva of violin’ Göker set for Turkey tour next month

Göker will be performing most of her 11 concerts at universities and her itinerary will also include a master class at İzmir’s Dokuz Eylül University (DEÜ), the Anatolia news agency reported on Friday. The tour comes exactly one year after Göker’s 2011 Turkey tour, which was also made up of 11 dates.

In addition to her career as a performing artist, Göker has composed close to 100 pieces for solo violin, solo piano and for piano-violin-cello-flute quartet since she started composing in 1998.

Göker, who is billed by critics as the “new diva of the violin,” will be accompanied by her pianist husband Eric Jenkins in the concerts, which will kick off May 4 with a performance at the Karşıyaka Opera House in İzmir.

The tour will also see Göker perform in Edirne, Bursa, Çanakkale, İstanbul and Ankara. Göker will return to İzmir for another concert on May 15 at the A. Adnan Saygun Art Center. Her violin master class at DEÜ is scheduled for May 16.

Göker’s four İstanbul appearances are scheduled for May 20 at the Kartal Bülent Ecevit Cultural Center, May 21 at Yıldız Technical University, May 24 at Bahçeşehir University and May 26 at Işık University. The couple will conclude their Turkey tour in the Turkish capital with a performance on June 1 at Gazi University.

Göker, who started her musical education at the age of eight at İstanbul State Conservatory, graduated from the University of Calgary in 2009. She is currently studying for her doctorate degree in violin performance at Florida State University, where she also works as an assistant and chamber music coach for the university’s string department.