Berlin Philharmonic Violinist Quits Fazil Say's New Orchestra

Berlin Philharmonic violinist Hande Küden resigned today as concertmaster of the Özyeğin Philharmonic, the new Istanbul orchestra built by artistic director Fazıl Say. The ensemble numbers 80 players. Two Turkish industrial groups fund it. The resignation comes immediately after the orchestra's first concert.

Küden announced the decision in a public statement. She attributed it directly to Say's conduct during rehearsals.

Her statement, in full:

Public Announcement: As a result of the humiliating attitudes of Fazıl Say, the Artistic Director of the brand-new Özyeğin Philharmonic Orchestra, which has only just been established and whose first concert we have just performed, during the rehearsal process—attitudes that would not even be conceivable in the world's leading orchestras with which I regularly work—I have decided not to participate in any of his projects ever again.

My greatest wish is for this beautiful project to start in a healthy way and to continue for many years.

What does the resignation change?

The statement carries weight on two counts. First, Küden rules out all future collaboration with Say, not only her concertmaster post. That is a permanent break with one of Turkey's most prominent musicians. Second, she frames her complaint by comparison: the conduct she describes, she says, "would not even be conceivable" in the elite orchestras she works with regularly — a pointed benchmark from a sitting Berlin Philharmonic member.

The timing compounds the damage. The orchestra has played exactly one concert in its history, and its founding concertmaster has already departed. A leadership resignation at this stage leaves Say and his funders rebuilding credibility before the project has a track record.

Who else objected?

Sources report Küden was not alone. Other players also objected to Say's high-handedness during the rehearsals, which the sources describe as unhappy. Whether further resignations follow remains unclear.

Küden's standing makes her exit conspicuous. Colleagues respect her and like her within the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the world's leading orchestras. Her connection to the new ensemble predates it: she trained many of the Özyeğin musicians during their time in the Turkish national youth orchestra. The orchestra, in effect, has lost the player who prepared a portion of its own ranks.

Who conducted the launch?

The launch conductor was New Zealander Tianyi Lu, whom sources describe as inexperienced. Placing a relatively untested conductor at the podium of a brand-new, 80-member orchestra was already a gamble; the rehearsal friction now attached to that launch deepens the questions around the venture's artistic planning.

Küden's own closing wish signals no appetite for a feud: she wants the project "to start in a healthy way and to continue for many years." Whether Say and his two industrial backers can steady the Özyeğin Philharmonic after a first-concert exit — and whether more players follow Küden out — will define the orchestra's opening chapter.

By Elena Vasquez