Tuncay Kurtoglu

Ensemble: Ankara State Opera (since 1989), Samsun State Opera and Ballet (since 2016)

Freelancer: Hamburg Staatsoper, Teatro La Fenice, Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, Wiesbaden Staatstheater, Teatro Verdi Piacenza, Dubrovnik Festival

Tuncay Kurtoglu is a Turkish bass with a longstanding engagement at the Ankara State Opera, where he has been a soloist since 1989. He joined the ensemble of the Samsun State Opera and Ballet in 2016. As a guest artist, he has appeared with companies and festivals such as Hamburg Staatsoper, Teatro La Fenice, Wiesbaden Staatstheater, Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, and the Immling Festival in Germany.

Born in Ankara in 1970, Mr. Kurtoglu studied music education at Gazi University before beginning his professional career. He made his debut at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan in 1996 and has since built a wide-ranging repertoire encompassing Italian, German, Russian, and Turkish works.

In recent seasons, Mr. Kurtoglu has performed roles including Il Grande Inquisitore (Don Carlo) at Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern (2024), Zaccaria (Nabucco) at the Fuerteventura Opera Festival (2023), and Oroveso (Norma), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Dr. Grenvil (La Traviata), and Bonzo (Madama Butterfly) at the 26th Immling Festival (2022). Notable past appearances include Don Pizarro (Fidelio) on tour with the Expat Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany (2016), Rıdvan in the world premiere of ALP ARSLAN by Richard van Schoor at Gießen Stadttheater (2019), and Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), a role he has performed internationally for over two decades.

Earlier highlights include engagements at Hamburg Staatsoper (2011–2015), Dubrovnik Festival (1999), Teatro Verdi Piacenza, Teatro Marrucino Chieti, and Santiago’s Teatro Municipal. His repertoire includes major bass roles such as Ramfis (Aida), Attila (Attila), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Landgraf (Tannhäuser), and Timur (Turandot).

Mr. Kurtoglu has received several honors for his artistry, including First Prize at the Alcamo Competition (2007), Third Prize at the Viñas Competition (2004), and Best Tchaikovsky Interpretation at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (2002). In Turkey, he was named Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2011, received the Mustafa Iktu Honorary Award from the Semiha Berksoy Foundation in 2013, and was awarded Best Male Opera Singer in 2016..