Tuncay Kurtoglu

Turkish bass Tuncay Kurtoğlu joined İstanbul State Opera and Ballet in 2025 after longstanding engagements in Samsun and Ankara. His repertoire brings together Italian, German, Russian and Turkish opera, with Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail a recurring role in his international work. His Istanbul engagements in 2026 include Osmin, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Daland in Der fliegende Holländer. He also sings the Commendatore with Antalya State Opera and Ballet.

Verdi is central to Mr. Kurtoğlu’s guest work: he sang the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo at Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern in 2024 and Zaccaria in Nabucco at the Fuerteventura Opera Festival in 2023. His association with the Immling Festival includes the Commendatore and, in 2022, Oroveso in Norma, Doctor Grenvil in La traviata and the Bonze in Madama Butterfly. He also sang Sarastro in a children’s version of Die Zauberflöte there. In 2021, he appeared as Ramfis in Aida at the Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In 2019, Mr. Kurtoğlu created Rıdvan in Richard van Schoor’s Alp Arslan at Stadttheater Gießen. Other German engagements include the Nightwatchman in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Samuel in Un ballo in maschera in Wiesbaden, and Pizarro in Fidelio on tour with the Expat Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016. Earlier engagements include Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Municipal in Santiago and the Dubrovnik Festival. His wider repertoire includes Attila, Gremin in Eugene Onegin, King René in Iolanta, the Landgrave in Tannhäuser and Timur in Turandot.

Mr. Kurtoğlu worked at Samsun State Opera and Ballet from 2016 to 2025 and at Ankara State Opera and Ballet as a soloist from 1997 to 2016, having joined its chorus in 1989. He appeared at Milan’s Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in 1996.

In Turkey, Mr. Kurtoğlu was named Best Male Opera Singer in 2016, received the Semiha Berksoy Foundation’s Mustafa İktu Honorary Award in 2013 and was named Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2011. His international distinctions include First Prize at Città di Alcamo in 2007, joint third prize for male voices at Francisco Viñas and second prize at Valsesia Musica in 2004, and the Best Tchaikovsky Romance Prize in Moscow in 2002.

He graduated in music education from Gazi University in 1997.