Gülşen Tatu

Gülşen Tatu was born in Izmir. After graduating from the Izmir State Conservatoire she stayed on at the conservatoire for one year as a teacher. She was awarded a DAAD bursary to further her studies in Germany, where she studied at the Folkwang Music Academy and The Freiburg Music Academy with Profesor Rütters and the world-famous Professor A. Nicolet. She graduated from here with a soloist diploma. Gülşen worked alongside A. Nicolet for three years as an assistant and during the same period performed as the solo flautist for the South West Radio Symphony Orchestra. Widely accepted as a exceptional teacher, Gülşen received invitations from the Karlsruhe and Stuttgart Academies to join their faculty, which she accepted and worked at all three departments.

In 1986 she became the youngest person ever to be honoured with a professorship at the Trossingen Music Academy. In the same year she became the solo flautist of the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra.
She is now the solo flautist of the Izmir Symphony Orchestra.


Gülşen has recorded and given countless performances throughout Europe and the Far-East and has also been given many distinguished awards, including:
1977 International Prague Bahari Flute Competition – 2nd prize
1978 Freiburg Music Conservatoire Competition - 1st Prize
1978 Stuttgart Radio Television Music Competition - 2nd Prize
1978 International Paris Flute Competition, France - 2nd Prize
1978 International Flute Competition, Markneukirchen West Germany - 1st Prize
1985 International Flute Competition, Kobe Japan - 1st Prize
This was the only occasion that the 1st prize was awarded between the years 1985 – 1997.
In 1997, Gülşen returned to the competition, this time as a jury member, also giving recitals and courses here. In 1998, Gülşen received wide acclaim from critics and audience alike when she performed the Carmen Fantasy with the Prague National Opera orchestra upon invitation of Eva Randova.

Tatu has performed frequently in the Istanbul International Music Festival, in 1997 with the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra. This concert was repeated in Moscow, in aid of the 1999 Izmit earthquake at the famous Tchaikovsky Conservatoire Concert Hall with conductor Misha Rachlewsky.
Gülşen has recorded all the flute and flute and harp concertos of Mozart with the Salzburg Mozart soloists and the Hungarian State Orchestra with conductor Hikmet Şimşek.

Gülşen supports the development of young Turkish flautists by giving frequent courses in Turkey, giving talented students the opportunity to study with her overseas. She has taught as a guest professor in universities in Cardiff, Norway, Tokyo and Osaka and the Lizst Academy in Hungary. Her book 'Flute Method' which has been re-printed is published by Pan Books.