Erkin Onay, born in Istanbul in 1976, initiated his violin education under his grandfather Joachim Reusch. Between 1989 and 1994, he privately studied with Prof. Atilla Aydın at the ‘Hannover für Musik.’ While continuing his general violin education in Hannover, Germany, he performed recitals in Turkey, Germany, Greece, and France and participated in Young Musicians Festivals during the same period.
In 1990, he received the second prize at the Young Musicians Competition in Germany. In 1994, he was accepted into the Freiburg University in Germany through a special talent examination with Prof. Jörg Hoffman.
He gained admission to Gyorgy Pauk’s class at the Winterthur Music Conservatory in Switzerland in 1996. Starting from 1998 at the Winterthur Music Conservatory, Erkin Onay worked with Prof. Rudolf Koelman, one of Heifetz’s last star students, and graduated in 2001 with the “konzertreife” Diploma (Concert Diploma) with the highest honors.
Erkin Onay collaborated with State Artist Prof. Suna Kan in Turkey and received his Artistic Proficiency degree in 2005. He has participated as a soloist in various orchestras conducted by Gürer Aykal, Rengim Gökmen, İbrahim Yazıcı, Antonio Pirolli, Naci Özgüç, Vladimir Altschuler, and Emil Tabakov, including the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Çukurova, Bursa State Symphony Orchestras, Eskişehir Symphony Orchestra, DESSO, and BASSO.
Having held numerous performances domestically and internationally, Erkin Onay has given recitals and chamber music concerts in Turkey, Ukraine, India, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
From 1999 to 2004, he served as the concertmaster of the Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, and from 2005 to 2007, he held the position of concertmaster at the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. Since 2007, he has been serving as the concertmaster of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet Orchestra.