Darmstadt composer presents her completed work on September 25th
Darmstadt. Pianist and composer Cagla Gürsoy from Bessungen will premiere her Violin Sonata at the Moller Haus Theater on Thursday, September 25, 2025. Gürsoy had already composed two movements of the work at the age of 18. Twelve years later, she now completes the cycle with a movement for solo violin and a rondo for violin and piano.
The musician, born in Ankara, began her piano studies at the age of eleven, followed by composition studies at fourteen. At nineteen, she transferred to the Darmstadt Academy of Music, and later her path led her to Paris to study with Professor Jean-Marie Cottet.
Concert program overview
In addition to the world premiere of Gürsoy's violin sonata, other works are on the program for the concert evening:
- Ursula Mamlok (1923–2013): Suite for Piano
- Çağla Gürsoy (*1994): Sonata for Violin and Piano (World Premiere)
- Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134
- Sergej Rachmaninoff (1873–1943): Vocalise op. 34/14
The performers are the composer herself at the piano and the violinist Elena Martinez-Eisenberg. Together they perform as Duo Passio , which was founded in 2022 and received funding from the German Music Council NEUSTART Kultur
Duo Passio with social commitment
Since its founding, the duo has established itself as a fixture in Darmstadt's musical life. In addition to performances at the "Classics Meet Jazz Cellar" series in Bessungen and the Dieburg Castle Concerts, Gürsoy and Martinez-Eisenberg have performed in numerous benefit concerts, including those for Ukraine (2022) and for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria (2023). The duo also provided musical accompaniment for the Kesten Prize ceremony at the Darmstadt State Theatre.
The current project is supported by the Baldur and Rose-Marie Schreiner Foundation, the HEAG Friends of Culture, the Sparkasse Darmstadt, the Darmstadt Cultural Support Association, the Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Foundation (Berlin), the Freigärtner Lodge Darmstadt and private individuals.
Featured image: Elena Martinez-Eisenberg and Çağla Gürsoy. Photo: Lena Urazaeva.
